This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
With its mild climate and miles of bike paths, San Diego Bay is a destination of choice for cycling aficionados. A Californian dream now accessible from Montreal thanks to the new connection launched by Air Canada.
The fight started 35 years ago by the activists of the Bike Coalition to promote the development of cycling in the city dear to the master of narco-polar Don Winslow has borne fruit. Today, San Diego and its bay are considered a paradise for cyclists of all levels. From the Gaslamp Quarter, the historic heart of the city with its picturesque lampposts, to the Mexican border, miles of bike paths offer a vast playground conducive to enchanting rides.
Head first to the island of Coronado, which it would be wrong to sum up to a hotel, however prestigious it may be. Once off the ferry from downtown San Diego (US$7 one way), it’s hard to miss the legendary Victorian-looking establishment where Marilyn Monroe filmed Some like it hot. Built in 1888, the Del Coronado, which also inspired Lyman Frank Baum’s Emerald City, the imaginary capital of the Land of Oz, is clearly one of the gems of the area.
In the kingdom of the Beach Cruiser
But there are other good reasons to come and cycle on the island, which offers breathtaking views of the San Diego skyline and beautiful bike paths lined with slender palm trees. Once past the iconic Del Coronado and its wooden turrets covered in red tiles, it would be a shame not to continue on its way along the wide stretch of white sand that leads to the naval base, at the northern tip of the island.
The quintessential Californian beach bike, the Beach Cruiser lends itself perfectly to this type of relaxing getaway. The island is also the starting point for a circuit around San Diego Bay. It is better, to engage in this adventure, to be equipped with a good road bike. Although the Bayshore Bikeway route does not present any major difficulties, with few elevation changes, this course extends over nearly 40 kilometers and is intended for cyclists accustomed to long journeys.
For the less athletic, it is always possible to turn around once you arrive at Imperial Beach, very close to the Mexican border, where you can see the meanders of the Tijuana River. This avoids the last section of the Bayshore Bikeway, where you have to share the road with motorists. Although the route up to San Diego via Chula Vista leads to spectacular salt marshes, the most breathtaking landscapes are located well before.
blue eyes
The 16-kilometre route that connects Imperial Beach to Coronado Island is rightly considered one of the most beautiful cycling routes in Southern California. Pedaling on this strip of land wedged between the Pacific and San Diego Bay, you will be amazed, from Silver Strand beach to the impressive Coronado Bridge, passing by the nature reserve where the migrating birds come to stretch their legs, near the Navy SEALs training camp.
Back at the foot of the downtown skyscrapers, we take the road to San Diego’s Central Park. Often compared to its New York counterpart, Balboa Park is as much an oasis of greenery as it is of culture, in the heart of urban life. In addition to the famous zoo which attracts millions of visitors each year, there are a good twenty museums, and architectural jewels, such as the Botanical Building and its sublime dome. By bike, Balboa Park is only about twenty minutes away from the Gaslamp Quarter.
But be prepared to have to climb a hill and sweat a few drops before you can pedal more serenely in the paths of the park bearing the name of the Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa. The effort is definitely worth it! If only to stroll among the carefully manicured paths of the Sevillian garden of the Alcazar or admire the cacti and other succulent species with their strange silhouettes in the Desert Garden.
Art under the bridges
Less known to the general public, Chicano Park also deserves a few pedal strokes. Located in the heart of Barrio Logan, very close to Petco Park, home of the local Padres baseball team, this unique site is home to dozens of murals tracing the history and social demands of San Diego’s Mexican community. The first frescoes appeared in the 1970s, on the huge pillars of the bridge leading to the island of Coronado.
Since then, local artists have turned the highway interchange into an impressive open-air museum, featuring the figures of murdered journalist Rubén Salazar and civil rights activist César Chávez. A beautiful discovery that is easily done by bike. And don’t leave the Barrio without stopping at Las Cuatro Milpas, the best restaurant north of the border to enjoy homemade tortillas and authentic Mexican cuisine.