Touring * Fitness * Artistic *

From Interstate 5 at the north end of Camp Pendleton, take the Basilone Road/San Onofre exit to San Onofre Beach Road on the west side of the freeway. Proceed south past the entrance to the San Onofre power plant until you reach the San Onofre State Beach entrance gate. The day-use fee is $6. Drive three miles past the camping area and park at the end of the road near the gate that blocks vehicular entry to the bike path. Other entrance points are from the Las Pulgas Road exit and at the northern end of the Oceanside Marina. Important note: you will need to show your driver's license or other photo ID to pass through the Camp Pendleton gates.

The remote stretch of abandoned highway that runs along the San Onofre coast lures competent skaters who are into fitness or speed training, as well as romantic diehards who can't resist the notion of skating it just to say they did. (You know who you are!) If you fit either profile, pack a lunch and a bottle of water and be prepared for an adventure. Try to schedule your trip around the wind: if it is hot inland, the breezes off the ocean will batter you the whole way. Starting early in the morning is best during the hot season, even though you will most likely be skating in the fog. The San Onofre Coast Route includes all types of pavement. On this portion of the old coast highway, the quality ranges from the best (well, almost) to the worst. For a preliminary taste of the worst, you could have skated the three miles through the San Onofre State Beach campgrounds (and saved yourself $6). It's worth the money to drive beyond those long parking lots, where the terrible pavement is unavoidable. Slipping through the gate at the end of the campgrounds, head south on the west edge of the old highway, where the painted-on bike lane occupies a relatively smooth concrete shoulder. On each side of the road, the earth is covered with low shrubs. The Pacific Ocean, of course, is to the right. The hills of the marine base are to the left, and across Interstate 5, they rise to join the coast range, close enough to present a formidable wall to the east. A mile and a half from the start, Horno Canyon opens up to the left, the first in a series of canyons that make interesting scenic diversions along the way. Three miles of steady skating brings you to a Camp Pendleton gate, where you will be asked to show your ID before being allowed to continue. At this point you are at the Las Pulgas Road exit off Interstate 5. Take a break and check out the ocean view from the nearby vista point. Continuing from here, the route passes under the freeway and runs parallel on its east side for the remaining 7.5 miles of the tour. The old highway now passes Las Pulgas, Aliso, and French Canyons, in that order. Shortly after it crosses the Santa Margarita River, the San Onofre Coast Route terminates at the Oceanside Marina.