Originally Posted by
riceowls
Thanks for the info thus far! Yeah, going by the freeway shoulder is a bummer but perhaps doable for just 8 miles. We can perhaps do it in 2 days but would rather do it in 3 to have more stops, photo-ops etc. Any worthwhile detours inland? Is Irvine wroth visiting for instance?
I am thinking of starting from the hotel not far from the LA river path, spending the first night in Huntington Beach and the scond one in either San Clemente or Oceanside. We may stay in La Jolla or around UCSD so won't be biking all the way to the city. Or could bike to the airport (good idea?) where I will drop my wife to fly back and rent a car for the rest of the trip.
the hotel is near lax (and the marvin braude coastal bike path) or near the la river bike path (that runs from dtown la to long beach)? they're about 20 miles apart and run parallel to each other.
all the fun on this route is on the coast. anything a little inland (old towne orange, san juan capistrano) is trumped by the smallish beach town charms of seal beach, sunset beach, corona del mar, crystal cove state park
(between newport and laguna), laguna beach, dana point, san clemente, carlsbad, leucadia, encinitas, solana beach, del mar and la jolla. would not bike to san diego airport unless you absolutely have to. better off staying
in la jolla area. if you do have access to a car, downtown san diego must-do's would include balboa park/san diego zoo, cabrillo national monument (about a 3.5/4 hr rt ride from la jolla), and walking/riding along the waterfront + taking the
short ferry over to coronado.