Touring * Fitness * Beginner * Artistic *

From Interstate 5 in La Jolla, exit east on Highway 52 (the Soledad Freeway). About six miles past the Interstate 15 interchange, follow the exit signs for Mission Trails Regional Park. Turn left at the stoplight at Big Rock Road and head east for two miles. Turn left at Carlton Hills Boulevard, cross the bridge over the river, and immediately after the crossing, turn right at the sign for Mast Park. You can park in the lot. Map: The San Diego County Bike Map is available free by calling (619) 231-2453.

Mast Park is a shady little community park with excellent paved sidewalks, an irresistible (but officially off-limits) basketball court, and some delectably laid out concrete, including a low set of stairs just right for budding aggressive skaters. The center rail shows signs of rail grinding, but you'd better not get caught. Nearby, smooth concrete sidewalks make an inviting fitness loop through the still-new neighborhoods. Starting near the parking lot, an asphalt nature trail winds through the south side of Mast Park, where interpretive signs, shady rest areas, and exercise stations appeal to nature lovers and fitness nuts alike. (The fitness stations have even been set up with instructions for wheelchair-bound exercisers.) Although this tour starts in entirely natural surroundings, be prepared for a sharp contrast with the very human habitats you will encounter just a mile to the east. Skate along the south edge of the park next to the river. If you avoid the one or two diversions to the left as you skate through the east end of the park, the asphalt trail will take you to the southwest corner of a new housing development. At this intersection, a pink concrete sidewalk branches to the north. A left turn takes you one-tenth of a mile slightly uphill to a street where the landscaped trail ends. Take a quick look-see if you so desire; when you get back to the trail intersection, continue on the asphalt trail on a grassy bank above the San Diego River. To the right, tules and willows keep the scenery green even in early August. A chain-link fence on the left separates you from a big field that will probably be developed within the next few years. The trail veers up a slope where it meets Cuyamaca Road. Turn left to skate past a small mall. (You can cross the bridge over the river on the right, but the pavement ends at an empty dirt lot just short of the massive Santee Town Center mall.) Cross to the far side of the mall and turn left onto Mission Street. Here, the dual-purpose pink sidewalk is divided into a three-foot-wide pedestrian side made of pebbled aggregate and a five-foot-wide smooth concrete side for folks on wheels. If you're hot, stop at the fountain behind a building at the edge of the mall for a refreshing face rinse. Continue heading west to follow the route into a neighborhood that is still so new there are no shade trees. A block after you cross Whispering Willow Street, follow the wide trail as it veers to the left past several cul-de-sacs and a private tennis court. Cross to the right side of the street at the Silvercreek Drive and River Park intersection and follow the trail back to the Cuyamaca intersection. Turn right to return to the trail back to Mast Park.