Distance: 25 miles
Elevation: 531 ft
Moving Time: 2:00
This is a pretty straightforward ride. Instead of trying to eek out scenic or non-busy routes, I decided to try and get to Mission Bay as quickly as possible. That said, once I reached Mission Bay, I found so much to explore and meander through.
We start this cycling route on Friars Road near Snapdragon Stadium. West of Interstate 15, Friars Road actually has a pretty nice bike lane. There are a few Freeway style on and off ramps but the traffic is infrequent and visible enough to where it’s not that big a problem. From Snapdragon Stadium you’ll ride down Friars Road for about 4.3 miles until you reach the Morena/Linda Vista Trolley Station. Currently, the west end of Friars Road is under construction and closed to cars. However, they left the bike lane open. To get there, you’ll have to go through the trolley station and over a wheelchair ramp. Continue along for about a mile until you reach Sea World Drive.
From Seaworld Drive you can go either left or right and take on Mission Bay. I’m not going to give any specific directions here, they would be too hard to follow anyways. Mission Bay is littered with bike lanes and bike paths so creating your own cycling route through it is easy and fun. I call it freestyling.
As far as good places in Mission Bay to ride there’s Fiesta Island in the middle of the harbor that has a 4.3 mile flat road around its perimeter. Mission Bay itself also has a Class I path that circles it’s perimeter. You can also ride along the shore on a path that takes you into Pacific Beach. All of these are good options with many more left to explore.
To get home just head back to Friars Road and leave the way you came. New construction on Friars Road near Riverwalk Golf Course has opened up a segment of separated bikeway which is handy, but it stops once you reach Fashion Valley Road.
If you want to spice up your return, you can always reach the San Diego River Bikeway by turning right on Fashion Valley Road. However, Friars road provides a quicker route back.