Bike riding in Orange County??

Question

Where is a nice place to bike ride in Orange County. I am not talking about mountain biking, just to cruise with my beach cruiser.. I live in San Clemente. I went to the Huntington Beach pier that was nice but too far.

Answer 1

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO
San Juan Creek (approximately 4.77 miles)

The path begins on the west bank of San Juan Creek near its mouth (Thomas 972 A7). There is access to the path from the parking lot of Doheny State Beach just west of the creek.

The path runs north for about 0.09 miles and passes under the Pacific Coast Highway. Unfortunately, the underpass was flooded when I explored it on September 9, 2000. (See photograph.) It is probably always flooded at high tide.

It then runs north along the west bank of San Juan Creek. There is good access to Del Obispo Park, Mission Bell Park, Stonehill Drive, and residential areas along the way. (See photograph.)

Where Trabuco Creek meets San Juan Creek 2.37 miles north of the Pacific Coast Highway (Thomas 972 C3), the path crosses Trabuco Creek on a small bridge and enters Descanso Veterans Park. (See photograph.)

Another bike path (Robert McCollum Memorial Bicycle Trail) runs north along the east bank of Trabuco Creek for 0.95 miles to the south end of Avenida de la Vista (Thomas 972 C1). There is access to both sides of Del Obispo Street.

The main path apparently continues northeast along San Juan Creek. However, the path is closed where it crosses the Metrolink railroad tracks at grade level, and the way is barred by fences and locked gates. The path will remain closed until the path is routed under the tracks, a project which is in the planning stages and should be finished in 2003.

The path continues northeast along the northwest bank of San Juan Creek, passing under Camino Capistrano and Interstate Highway 5 to the southwest end of Paseo Tirador. There is good access to Camino Capistrano.

The path runs along the southeast sides of Paseo Tirador and Calle Arroyo to La Novia Avenue.

On the other side of La Novia Avenue, the path continues. It rejoins Calle Arroyo and runs along its southeast side.

The path ends at the corner of Calle Arroyo and Avenida Siega (Thomas 952 F7), which is 2.31 miles from Camino Capistrano.

North San Juan Creek Trail, an unpaved path suitable for mountain bikes (and possibly hybrid bikes) runs parallel to this path and between it and San Juan Creek east of La Novia Avenue. There is also a portion west of La Novia Ave, but it goes nowhere except to a few stables along Paseo Tirador, and it is so soft that it is suitable only for horseback riding.

LAGUNA BEACH, LAGUNA NIGUEL, DANA POINT
Salt Creek and Monarch Beach (4.81 miles)

For bicyclists riding this path for the first time, it may be hard to find and hard to follow.

The path begins on the east side of Golden Lantern Street approximately opposite Orange County Fire Station 49 (Thomas 971 J1). It runs through a large culvert under Golden Lantern Street and then swings north to run roughly northwest on the north side of a canyon that is part of the Salt Creek Corridor Regional Park. There is also access from the west side of Golden Lantern Street.

There are no path signs on either side of the street. However, there is a sign for the Dog Park Parking Area next to the fire station. Path users can park here, follow a short unpaved path to the culvert and enter the path there.

The path descends and emerges on Chapparosa Park Road at the entrance to Chapparosa Park (Thomas 951 J7).

This section is signed internally as Salt Creek Trail, but there are no path signs at the access points.

The path follows Chapparosa Park Road roughly southwest through the park. At the other end of the park, a 0.16-mile side path runs steeply upward to a street called "Parc Vista".

The main path continues roughly east along the north side of the canyon. It is still signed as Salt Creek Trail.

Shortly before the path meets Niguel Road, it turns sharp right at a rather mysterious sign that says "Anderson". (It might be the name of a street that was abandoned when the path was opened.) Just beyond the turn is a poorly marked path junction. Salt Creek Trail continues straight ahead for 0.77 miles to a point on Marina Hills Parkway near Niguel Road. The bike path apparently ends there, but a parallel horse path apparently goes under Marina Hills Parkway and beyond.

The main path turns left at the junction and passes under Niguel Road to the west side.

On the west side of Niguel Road, there are two more path junctions, both unsigned.

At the first junction, a 0.78-mile side path goes left (south) parallel to Niguel Road as far as Ridgeway Ave.

The main path goes right and climbs steeply up toward the Clubhouse Shopping Center and emerges on the west side of Niguel Road. Persons bound for Monarch Beach should turn sharp left at a second junction to follow the main path. The accompanying map may be helpful.

MAP

The path continues roughly south along the west side of a canyon and passes under Camino Del Avion. Side paths lead to both sides of the road. Do not look at the map posted near the path south of Camino Del Avion; it will only confuse you.

South of Camino Del Avion, a short section of the trail (roughly 400 feet) has suffered from land subsidence and is quite rough. However, on October 9, 2003, it was open and could be ridden with care, even on a road bike.

The trail continues roughly south along the west side of the Monarch Beach Golf Course and turns west to pass under the Pacific Coast Highway. There is access to both sides of the highway, but the access points are hard to find, especially from the highway. Northbound bicyclists looking for the path should stop just north of the golf course.

The path finally reaches the ocean and then turns south and runs about 0.26 miles south along the beach. It ends on an access road to a marine life refuge (Thomas 971 E5).



San Diego Creek (9.62 miles)

This path runs along the San Diego Creek from Jamboree Road in Newport Beach (Thomas 889 F2) to Interstate Highway 405 near Irvine Center Drive in Irvine (Thomas 861 A2), and perhaps a little farther. The upstream end is currently closed and inaccessible.

The official name of this path, which appears on path markers in various places, is the San Diego Creek Bikeway. However, the upstream end is apparently called the Regional Bike Trail. It is not clear where the name changes.

At the downstream end the path runs along the south bank of the San Diego Creek and passes under Jamboree Road. There is formal access to the west side of Jamboree Road and only informal access to the east side. At this point it joins another path called the Back Bay Trail.

The path runs under all streets and freeways that cross San Diego Creek as far upstream as Lake Road in Irvine (Thomas 860 D5). There is formal access to all cross streets, and all of them are marked by small signs on the sides of the bridges. In most cases, the sign gives not only the name of the street, but also the clearance above the path.

Between Harvard Ave. and Alton Parkway (Thomas 830 B4), the path crosses over the creek and runs along its north bank upstream from this point. There is access to the path from Colonel Bill Barber Memorial Park.

The path crosses Lake Road and Creek Road at grade level and runs under Yale Road and Jeffrey Road. It appears that the path formerly ended at Jeffrey Road next to Windrow Community Park (Thomas 860 F6). A map posted next to the path near the U.C. Irvine campus shows the path going only that far.

The path now runs farther upstream, but you'll have to ride along Jeffrey Road (or the sidewalk) for a short distance to follow the path. The path is no longer signed formally as the San Diego Creek Bikeway, but outdated detour signs on the path on March 24, 2003 used that name.

Upstream from Jeffrey Road, there are paths along both sides of the creek. In most places, one side is preferred because it runs under cross streets instead of crossing them at grade level.

Between Jeffrey Road and Alton Parkway (Thomas 890 J1), it is better to ride on the south side of the creek. Beyond that point, it is better to ride on the north side. The path on the south side has no passage under California Highway 133 (which is a freeway) and comes to an abrupt end in sight of Call Box 133-87T.

The path along the north side passes under California Highway 133 and emerges on a new street which is not on the 2003 Thomas Guide. The path then switches to the south side of the creek and runs under Interstate Highway 405. However, this part of the path is closed and access to it is barred by fences and a locked gate. A sign on the gate describes this section of the path as "extremely dangerous". The levee on the north side of the creek is rough but accessible and ridable; however, it has no passage under Interstate Highway 405.

It seems likely that the path will eventually be reopened and may be extended. Readers in the Irvine area should keep an eye on it.
(I always do this when I was a teen living in Irvine)


NEWPORT BEACH
Back Bay (3.38 miles)

This path begins at the downstream end of the San Diego Creek Bikeway on the west side of Jamboree Road in Newport Beach (Thomas 889 F2). In fact, it might be considered a downstream extension of that path. It is signed as "Back Bay Trail".

The path runs south along the west side of Jamboree Road and then west along the north side of Eastbluff Drive. It then follows Back Bay Drive along the shore of Upper Newport Bay. Although the Thomas Guide shows Back Bay Drive as a one-way road, it is a two-way road for bicycles and pedestrians, so it qualifies as at least a semi-red route. Southbound bicyclists get their own lane; northbound bicyclists must share the road with cars. See photograph.

At the intersection with Shellmaker Road (Thomas 889 C6), Back Bay Drive ceases to be one-way, so the red route ends. However, the rest of Back Bay Drive, all the way to Jamboree Road, has bike lanes.