Fitness * Street * Artistic *

From Interstate 5 in Irvine, exit south on Culver Drive. From Interstate 405 (the San Diego Freeway), exit on the same road heading north. At Barranca Road turn west and enter the Woodbridge Shopping Center. Turn right on Lake Road and enter the parking lots to the right. You will see the trail on either side of Lake Road's sidewalks just before it crosses a bridge over the river. Park nearby.

Like many college towns, Irvine is laced by a network of interconnecting bike lanes that traverse all of the major streets. The striped bike lanes on Yale Loop will appeal to street-ready skaters looking for a long, no-nonsense fitness route. Starting from the Woodbridge Shopping Center, skate south of the parking lot to the San Diego Creek Trail (see page 381). Turn right and follow the grassy banks of the river to West Yale Loop, the first underpass after Lake Road. Stay to the right to avoid going down the slope of the underpass unless you prefer to skate the outside bike lanes of the loop. Turn right to follow West Yale Loop in a clockwise direction on the wide street's bike lanes. The route passes through the attractive neighborhoods surrounding the Woodbridge Shopping Center and the two Woodbridge Lakes. Where Yale Loop crosses Yale Avenue on both the north and south ends, the Yale Loop street name changes from West to East and back again. Access to the pretty North Woodbridge Lake and South Woodbridge Lake bike paths is available at both Yale Avenue intersections, from which you can catch a glimpse of the lakes. (See page 378.)