lyrictenor1

I'm organizing a century ride from the Irvine Amtrak station to San Diego; we'll be taking the train up in the morning and riding back down south this Memorial Day weekend. I've put together a route that pieces a fragment used on the Tour of Long Beach Century (Cruz Gran Fondo) and then leading back down the coast out of Laguna Niguel. CCC Century Route Option #2 in Irvine, CA | MapMyRide


Now, one the popular Irvine to SD century is the one that OC Wheelmen do, and their route stays inland up until Dana Point, and then both my route and the OCW route are pretty similar. Cycling: Amtrak Century ? TourOfCalifornia.org


Is there anything I should know about the Coast Hwy out of Laguna Niguel down to Dana Point, as shown on the route I created above? Which route is better? I have not (and probably will not) had a chance to do a recon ride due to the heat and recent fires. Your feedback is much appreciated!

JimmyNH

Did you mean Laguna Beach? The section of PCH between Laguna Beach (CA-133) and Dana Point sucks. There is no bike lane, the road is narrow and very busy and there are tons of parked cars. I personally avoid this section of PCH in either direction. If you want a suggestion: since you'll be coming down Laguna Canyon (CA-133), make a left on El Toro, Right on Aliso Creek, Right on Alicia and Right on Crown Valley which will take you to PCH in Dana Point. This will add some climbing (about 1 mile up Aliso Creek at about 7% avg. grade) and a couple of extra miles, but I'd take all that any day over riding PCH in Laguna Beach.

PeregrineA1 

If you must go through Laguna Beach, Glenerrye (sp?) parallels PCH for much of the crummy part of the ride. Going to Laguna would also allow a stop at La Sirena Grill for a really good taco.

lyrictenor1

Thanks, guys for your feedback. I'll look into those alternate routes around the area. Do you think that the alternate century route I posted is better overall for a ride like this?

hamster

I have no opinion about the OC part, but is there a reason you choose to go through La Jolla and Pacific Beach at miles 85..95? Are you familiar with the area? I'd say that 4 out of 5 people take either Gilman to the bike path along I-5 to Mission Bay, or La Jolla Shores to Via Capri to Soledad Mountain Road. The first option has virtually no traffic past Gilman, the second option is scenic, has light traffic, but there's one somewhat unpleasant hill along the route. Your option goes through neighborhoods with lots of traffic, lots of intersections and long rows of parked cars.

lyrictenor1

Yeah, I grew up in SD and am somewhat familiar with the area. I was just trying to avoid being inland on Gilman, and didn't want to climb Via Capri at the end of the ride, so I thought La Jolla/PB might have been a better option; it keeps us closer to the coast. I'll look at the somewhat more inland routes in the area (will be working on other route options tonight).

hamster

Alright, just making sure you know what you're getting into.

I don't think there are any particularly good inland routes there except for these three, all others are either even worse in terms of traffic / intersections / bike lane availability, or have more climbing than Via Capri (none are as steep though), or happen to be very circuitous.

lyrictenor1

Thanks to all for your help with this! We ended up doing a slightly modified version of the OCW Amtrak Century route ; it worked out really nicely!
C/C/C Century Option #4 in Lake Forest, CA, United States | MapMyRide

MattCycle

Laguna Beach to Dana Point via isn't too bad if its not during rush hour or the weekend. An alternative is from the Irvine Station and make your way to Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills and San Juan Capistrano. Once you get there you can join the Trubucco which eventually has a dedicated bike path all the way to Dana Point and rejoin PCH.

+1 La Sirena Grill tacos and beer.

CommuteCommando

Next time you do this here's a suggestion, if you are not averse to bike trails. oc - Lake Forest, CA. I like to take this route because of the bike trail that passes under I-5. I really do not like any of the street crossings under the freeway. There is a small amount of strollers and dog walkers, but not so many that it forces me to the street. There are a couple of minor hazards that I marked on the map.

I also like to avoid climbing El Camino in San Clemente, and usually take the marked Bike Route which is at the end of the route I marked. If you like short, fast rollers, it is actually a more fun route to take.