Bikeless Disney Land Vacation?

[Fynn]

Greetings all. I am from the Midwest and will be taking a 1 week family vacation to Disney Land in March. I am not going to be able to bring a bike and most of my time will be filled with various family outings. Can anyone recommend a bike related activity to do in and or around Disney Land? We will be staying at one of the Disney hotels. Eight days off of the bike will be the most for me in ~10 years. I am going to be having serious withdrawals.

[wcoastbikr]

A bike related activity in the actual parks? As far as I'm aware there really isn't really a replacement for riding...I believe there's a kid's game that involves pedaling or something, if I remember correctly, inside Inoventions in Tomorrow Land, Disneyland. Probably not quite what you're looking for. In California Adventures there's nothing bike related inside...

As for outside the park, have you thought about renting a bike? Head towards the coast and there's a few places to rent with nice areas to go through. Huntington Beach, Newport, Laguna and so on are all really nice along the coast.

Where are you staying? If you're near Disneyland you can rent a bike near your place and then take the Santa Ana River Trail which isn't that far from the park. It will dump you off at the border of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.

Here's a link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=di...&z=12&lci=bike

I'm not too familiar with riding near the resort so I don't know if the recommended route by google maps is all that great. Maybe others can chime in on recommendations on the safest route to get to the river trail.

[Pamestique]

There is nothing inside the parks other than you will be doing alot of walking and standing. Outside the parks, right around Dland, traffic is very, very congested so I would not even think of riding around the park on the neighboring streets... that said there is great road and mountain bike riding not so far away as long as you don't mind driving to a start point. The Path in Tustin rents bikes (I think $50 for the day) and can tell you where to go ride. There are great trails all around Orange County and riding along the Beach is always lovely.

If you are stuck around DLand with the family - walk, walk, walk, walk - trust me - you will get exercise. If you are staying in a hotel then check out the gym for an spin bike. You might also find a gym nearby that will let you come in on a daily basis to use the bikes.

Give me alittle more of your parameters and I will see what I can do... 8 days is a long time planned for DLand I assume you are doing other things. If not you should... rent a car and drive up pass Santa Barbara say to San Luis Obispo. Check out the terrain there and next time plan a trip along central coast - rent a bike and go riding off in any direction.

[toobspunk]

Santa Ana River Bed is about 1 or 2 miles down Katella, giving you MUP access straight to the beach.
DO NOT RIDE IT AFTER DARK!

[Condorita]

I've ridden my bikes through the resort area, but it's creepy. West St and Anaheim Blvd are the best alternatives to Harbor Bl, and Orangewood the best alternative to Katella. And actually, the resort area itself is pretty small.

[TrojanHorse]

I hope you're planning on doing something else for days 3-7 then, Disneyland is pretty small. You could always box up your bike and ship it to the hotel, it's probably cheaper than renting a bike for any length of time. You'll be close to the Santa Ana River Trail - check out google maps and click on the bicycling button, it's that pair of dark green lines that runs from Angel stadium clear down to the beach (and quite a ways inland as well)

[toolbear]

[QUOTE=Fynn;13776324]Greetings all. I am from the Midwest and will be taking a 1 week family vacation to Disney Land in March. I am not going to be able to bring a bike and most of my time will be filled with various family outings. Can anyone recommend a bike related activity to do in and or around Disney Land?
@@@

As noted, in Disneyland, no. In LA and Orange Counties, yes. Need to find a bike. The area around Disneyland is not where I would go and play on a bike.

Here is the TrailLink listing of trails in range...

<http://www.traillink.com/trailsearch.aspx?tn=&st=CA&ct=Anaheim&sp=N>

Might want to check with the locals re the security situation on a given trail.

There is a lot of roadie traffic on the San Gabriel River Trail. Less so on the LARIO - which is a wider/nicer trail to ride. The SCRT has a better string of parks on the trail. Liberty Park in Cerritos is a good trailhead.

There is a nice 8 mile beach ride between Newport Beach and Sunset Beach. The SART - Santa Ana River Trail ends at the NB side, so there are options up the river (concrete channel).

There is a nice beach ride in Long Beach along the sands, through the marina, over the bridge to the Queen Mary, etc.

Irvine has 45 miles of Class I trails and +200 miles of bike lanes. Many trails have night lighting. Irvine is not normally consider a danger zone. Bill Barber Park is a good trailhead there.

Then, of course, you can go Roadie and try conclusions with our drivers.