Touring - Southern California Riders

Hello All,

I am interested in riding from Orange County, California to San Diego thru the Pacific Coast Highway. Could any of you people who do or have done this ride recently please let me know how you continue after you get to the end of the Coast Highway in San Clemente? Where do you end in San Clemente, and where do you ride thru to connect Oceanside and then onward to San Diego?

I have been told by someone at my LBS to catch the 5 Freeway in San Clemente and ride until you get to Oceanside, whence you continue on the PCH to San Diego.

I absolutely do not want to ride on the 5 Freeway, if I can help it.

My interest is in going on early Saturday or Sunday Morning rides to San Diego, spending the rest of the day there, then catching AMTRAK trains back to Orange County.

Does anybody have a riding route(s) that does not include any Freeway?

Thanks.

Cheers, Lucas

Hopefully I'm wrong, but I think you have to ride Hwy 5, b/c they won't let you through Camp Pendelton anymore. It's actually fine. I did it last year. It's about 8 miles on the highway, the shoulder is 10 feet wide. It's just noisy and dirty, not dangerous.

Just follow those "Pacific Coast Bike Route" signs.

Cheers,
Anna

No, you're not wrong, last poster. One would have to ride through Pendleton, but it is only 12 miles, and not on 5, but 1 (101). It's easy, and just before Oceanside, however you still have to deal with traffic and smog, but it is brief. Don't stay in Oceanside (a military town), and continue on to the next hiker/biker camp.
It's a piece of cake, just go big.

It is open to Bicyclist. When you get to the entrance from San Clemente you will take the Basilone road as instructed by the MP. But don't take any of our words for it. Call the Community Relations Office at (760) 725-5569. I just called yesterday (5-11-05) and the person gave the exact instructions stated above. Also, you need a helmet to ride on base!

It is open to Bicyclist. When you get to the entrance from San Clemente you will take the Basilone road as instructed by the MP. But don't take any of our words for it. Call the Community Relations Office at (760) 725-5569. I just called yesterday (5-11-05) and the person gave the exact instructions stated above. Also, you need a helmet to ride on base!

As I am not very familiar with the area, my problem is actually trying to find out the following:

a) When you get to San Clemente, what street(s) do you take to what gate at Camp Pendleton?

b)I am sure the military police officers manning sentry at the appropriate Camp Pendleton entrance will point me in the right direction as to riding thru their Base. However, I need to know if there are specific hours one is not allowed to ride thru the Base. I will only ride on Saturday or Sunday mornings, maybe between 7AM and 10 or 11AM. Are these time frames acceptable to the Marine Corps authorities at Camp Pendleton?

c) When you get out of Camp Pendleton, I assume one then rejoins the Coast Highway at Oceanside for onward ride to San Diego? Is Oceanside a town one wants to linger in and have lunch, or is it a rough military town you want to ride thru as fast as you can?

d) does anyone really have an idea re: returning to Orange County, specifically Irvine aboard Amtrak? What hours for the evening/night returning trains? My plan is to ride to San Diego on Sunday morning, spend the day there, and then return on a night train to Irvine. Any appropriate advice regarding safety, traffic volume and similar concerns?

Thanks for all your help.

Cheers

b) call the number giving above.

The number can not help me re: what street to take after one hits the end of Coast Highway in San Clemente. It only takes care of you riding thru the Base. How do you get to the base entrance from San Clemente on your bicycle?

www.mapquest.com

or yahoo and then click on maps...

also the reason i put b) is because i only had one answer for your 4 question and if you read what you wrote, the phone number will help with question b)

The number can not help me re: what street to take after one hits the end of Coast Highway in San Clemente. It only takes care of you riding thru the Base. How do you get to the base entrance from San Clemente on your bicycle?

Follow the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route signs. Seriously.

You might also want to check out Kirkendall and Spring's "Cycling the Pacific Coast" it gives directions, maps, mileages, hill profiles, locations of services (food, camping), etc. for the entire pacific coast route.

Cheers,
Anna

Don't forget your helmet..Once a friend forget his..I begrudingly accompanied him on the I-5...Never Have i rode on the 5 and NOT gotten a flat afterwards.. guess, better afterwards than during your time of the 5.... Some friends rode through the base just last week...Should you have retired military id, you can always ride through the base...
there is nothing tricky about maping out this ride, until you get past the Torry Pines hill...After that you need know your directions...up until then..just follow the coastal highway..
as mentioned call Camp Pendleton..policies can change weekly... don't want to ride 5, in case not allowed to ride the base that given week, maybe, board the Amtrak or Metrolink in San Clemente and get off in Oceanside.. should you like that option..?
seems, i recall, the California Visitors center in Oceanside..at times, they have carried the San Diego county bike map,which would be quite helpful..

Camp Pendleton closes at dusk.
From where in San Clemente Lucas?
It shouldn't be too hard to get to the San Onofre State Beach, When you do just "follow the bike path past San Onofre Beach Campground.....The bike path heads into the Camp Pendleton restricted area " Kirkendall & Spring, Bicycling the Pacific Coast


c)
When you get out of Camp Pendleton, I assume one then rejoins the Coast Highway at Oceanside for onward ride to San Diego? Is Oceanside a town one wants to linger in and have lunch, or is it a rough military town you want to ride thru as fast as you can?
Most of my coastal eating experience is in Luecadia, Encinitas, and Solana Beach, lot's of hip cafe's and some decent pizza on the way. Oceanside on the 101 isn't rough. There's an Angelo's burgers on 101, you can't miss it and plenty of Mexican sea food.

Oceanside has a new Hooters..? Doubt too many cyclists go there....I have often seen cyclists hang out at 'a little bit more' cafe in Leucadia..In Oceanside the bike route veers to the west along a coastal bluff road, rejoining the coastal route near Carlsbad...
There is a good French bakery, breakfast nook about 2 miles east of the coastal road on the south side of Carlsbad Village Drive in a strip mall(behind a Japanese restaurant), adjacent to the 5 Freeway, our group sort of likes..great breakfast.

Joining this thread late, but here's a photo of riding on the I-5 stretch near Camp Pendleton:
http://felixwong.com/gallery2/show.cgi?Pic=butterfield05f.jpg&cat=39&page=1

Agreed with the other posters that it is pretty safe since the shoulder is so wide, but unpleasant nevertheless. Also, there is a "Rest Area" exit for cars interrupting this 8-10 mile stretch, near the northern end of it. Be sure to take the exit into this Rest Area, and then rejoin the cars on the highway out of the Rest Area, instead of just cutting across the exit!

If you want some more SoCal cycling advice, try the discussion board on the OutdoorsClub website. I know some guys did the ride you described last year, in fact some made it a century beginning in the Los Angeles area. There is a forum for S. California, which would be a good place to post your question:

http://www.outdoorsclub.org/forum/display_forum_topics.asp?ForumID=1