Weekend Wanderer

Elise Gee

After returning to Southern California from living in the Pacific

Northwest a number of years, I was surprised to find that many of the

hiking trails were inundated with mountain bikers.

It was nearly impossible to enjoy a full-day hike without having speed

demons on two wheels whizzing by seconds after yelling out something

like, “Heads up” or simply “Out of the Way.”

Many of the mountain bikes had better shocks than my mother has on her

car. Another “extreme” sport, mountain biking is to Southern California

what hiking is to the Pacific Northwest.

If the only thing “extreme” about you is your fear of heights or high

speeds, there are several alternatives when it comes to bike trails.

Orange County has miles of bicycle trails off the beaten path, albeit in

this case “beaten path” means the ones worn down by everything from

gas-guzzling SUVs to more-economical sedans.

Costa Mesa and Newport Beach have three main areas to enjoy a bike ride

isolated from commuter traffic: the Santa Ana River Trail, the boardwalk

and the Back Bay.

COSTA MESA

The Santa Ana River Trail is Costa Mesa’s and Orange County’s most

comprehensive, uninterrupted stretch of paved off-road bike trails.

The trail is accessible from numerous roads in Costa Mesa if you travel

west from almost anywhere in the city. From the northernmost point on the

trail in Costa Mesa, it’s no more than five to six miles to the ocean.

Some of the best access points to the trail are from MacArthurBoulevard,

which offers a marked off-road trail part of the way; Gisler Avenue,

which the city and county upgraded last year; and Victoria Street, which

also offers a separate sometimes winding trail from Placentia Avenue

almost all the way to the river.

There’s also access to the trail from Fairview Park, where, if you

choose, you can park and ride your bike to the beach. This option also

allows you to make a family outing of the day.

There are almost always people flying kites or gliders at the park, and

if you go on the third weekend of the month, the Orange County Model

Engineers offer train rides on the east side.

After parking, you’ll find the paved bike trail at the north end. The

trail takes you down into Talbert Nature Preserve where you can tour the

interpretive center or enjoy a picnic in the green oasis the county has

created.

From there, you have the choice of riding down the east or west side of

the river by taking the wooden bridge just north of the park area.

If you go down the east side, you’ll have a view of Costa Mesa’s bluffs,

abandoned oil wells and an Army Corps of Engineers Salt Marsh restoration

project. The west side affords views of Huntington Beach’s backyard and

the sanitation plant.

I prefer the west side of the river only because I like to bike along the

river and avoid a storm-drain channel, although on some days it’s hard to

tell the difference. Also, biking on the west side means I don’t have to

cross traffic on Pacific Coast Highway if I’m going down to the beach.

Either way, you’ll often have to bike against the wind, but that means an

easier trip on the way back.

NEWPORT BEACH

When you get to the ocean, you can either go north to Huntington Beach or

south to Newport. The trail goes through a residential neighborhood on a

small and quiet neighborhood street, with great views of the inside of

people’s garages.

But the trail eventually makes a sharp right and brings you around to the

front where you can peek into their living rooms, which I’m sure they

appreciate.

This bike road offers numerous interesting stops along the way. You can

stop at Newport Pier for refreshments or ride allthe way down to the

Balboa Pier and its many restaurants and shops.

Unlike the Santa Ana River Trail, the boardwalk is often crowded during

the summertime, and you might find yourself among other bikers, in-line

skaters and pedestrians.

If you’re looking for more variety, there is a third off-road trail in

the area that goes about 3/4 of the way around the Back Bay Ecological

Preserve.

You can begin at University Drive near the YMCA. A paved off-road trail

will take you down into the preserve with interesting bridges and places

to stop along the water.

Because the trail can be hilly and windy at times, it’s popular among

bicycle-racing clubs who often fly down the trail in large impressive

packs.

After curving around the northern part of the Back Bay, you can either

take the trail around Back Bay Road or an off-road trail on Jamboree.

If you want to avoid traffic, you can return the way you came, or if

you’re more adventurous and don’t have problems with hills, you can take

Pacific Coast Highway to Dover Drive, up to Irvine Avenue and back to

University Drive.

This route won’t afford you the views of the bay but if you become bored,

consider watching you’re fellow human beings inch their way along in

traffic. It can be amazingly fulfilling. Try it.