San Diego For Newbie
- Thread starter Bhikku
- Start date
Big Laguna Trail; trailhead is adjactent to the top of Noble Canyon. (branch of left as you're facing the initial climb up Noble from the top trailhead.) Nice, mellow singletrack with a few bumps and only slight ups and downs...basically it follows a meadow around on top of the mountains.
On the south side of 52, starting east of I5, is a park (forget the name...Marion Bear park and something else? Edit: San Clemente Canyon is the name for most of it...just take the first exit off 52 heading south, pull into the parking lot, and you can ride in either direction...west hits the end pretty fast, then you can go back and ride for a while to the east.) and it's a fantastic beginner ride. Little ribbons of singletrack and dirt roads wind around one another, and there are some little places to discover/explore, and lots of little obstacles to negotiate or bypass as you wish.
Sycamore Canyone (maybe minus the Martha's Grove section if your beginner isn't adventurous) is another gdecent one. Mostly fireroads, though, if you cut out Martha's.
On the south side of 52, starting east of I5, is a park (forget the name...Marion Bear park and something else? Edit: San Clemente Canyon is the name for most of it...just take the first exit off 52 heading south, pull into the parking lot, and you can ride in either direction...west hits the end pretty fast, then you can go back and ride for a while to the east.) and it's a fantastic beginner ride. Little ribbons of singletrack and dirt roads wind around one another, and there are some little places to discover/explore, and lots of little obstacles to negotiate or bypass as you wish.
Sycamore Canyone (maybe minus the Martha's Grove section if your beginner isn't adventurous) is another gdecent one. Mostly fireroads, though, if you cut out Martha's.
I thought Rose Canyon was a different loop, which links up to San Clemente Canyon. I recall Rose Canyon being all fireroads and SC Canyon being singletrack-y...anyhow, that's how it was listed in my ancient Mountain Biking in Southern California book...and now that I'm sadly no longer a San Diegan, I will refrain from further advice out of my dim memory.
It's not just you! I've lived here all my life and I still get confused by all the freeways...
Lake Hodges in Escondido is a good beginner spot too... Pretty easy to find as well.
Otay lakes
Rice Canyon in Chula Vista
Azalea Loop in Cuyamaca
Mission Trails
Penasquitos
Sweetwater Reservoir
And of course Coma13's spot on with Lake Hodges
Rice Canyon in Chula Vista
Azalea Loop in Cuyamaca
Mission Trails
Penasquitos
Sweetwater Reservoir
And of course Coma13's spot on with Lake Hodges