Fitness * Artistic *

In San Diego, take Interstate 5 and follow the signs to Interstate 8 west. Exit immediately onto Ingraham Street and cross the San Diego River Floodway. Pass the Sea World Drive/Sunset Cliffs off-ramp and take the next exit onto West Mission Bay Drive. Turn left at the stoplight next to the marina, then left again to follow Quivira Road around the Quivira Basin marina. Travel halfway around the marina and then pull into the free parking lots on the right next to the Marina Village and office. The river channel and its trail start across Quivira Road to the south. Map: The San Diego County Bike Map is available free by calling (619) 231-2453.

The San Diego River has one of the most visually appealing river outlets to the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. Its bike path starts out on a lawn just across Quivira Road from the pretty Marina Village, where wide sidewalks line the edge of the Quivira Basin. (Skating is not allowed in the mall area.) The first portion of the river route parallels Sea World Drive heading east. The tropical effect of the shrubs and palm trees used for the street's landscaping spills over to enhance the river trail. Unfortunately, the farther inland you skate, the more the channel's pavement deteriorates, and eventually the river and its channel disappear from view. For this reason, after the first mile, the San Diego River tour is best suited as a commuter route or fitness skate. The 10-foot-wide asphalt path extends inland alongside the river and within half a mile passes under the Sunset Cliffs overpass. Skaters who are comfortable on the street can exit the river trail here to cross the bridge and skate west through Ocean Beach to reach Dog Beach on the South Jetty. The next underpass, the Sports Arena Boulevard Bridge, also supplies an access path that you can take to leave the river trail. The bicycle path on top of the levee is replaced by a rarely used, rough service road, but the scenery along the next half mile is more natural and can be very pretty in the late afternoon light. The call of seagulls adds nautical sound effects to the sunny view of the wetland foliage in the riverbed. Palm-lined Sea World Drive is close by on the left, and at one point a rough driveway provides access to and from the four-lane road. (You can reach Fiesta Island and East Mission Bay by taking the driveway up to Sea World Drive and skating another half mile up the street; see pages 419 and 420.) A sign says "End" where Sea World Drive meets Friars Road, about 1.25 miles from the start. Most skaters will be happy to turn back here. For the diehards eager to continue, turn right to follow the poorly maintained sidewalk or skate on a lumpy curb-separated bike lane at the south edge of Friars Road for another 1.3 miles. As you begin to climb slightly uphill, trees, fences, and buildings on the right block most of the views of the Stardust Country Club in the riverbed below. The dedicated bike path ends just short of the Fashion Valley intersection. Again, ambitious skaters can continue beyond this point by skating the bike lanes and routes. Cross to the south side of the river at the Mission Center overpass and follow Camino de la Reina east to Stadium Way/Texas Street, where another bike path takes you the rest of the way to the south edge of Jack Murphy Stadium. The stadium is reported to have fantastic parking lots.