There are only about a billion ways to right to, through, and around Balboa park. This big patch of green right in the middle of the city is a centerpiece and magnet for all sorts of activity in San Diego. Throngs of people will flock to the museums each day. Let them take their car and worry about parking. You have your bike. Ride to the sites and get some air. You are in San Diego - remember?
We will approach the park from the North Side in Hillcrest. There is nothing magic about this approach ecept that we like to hang out at Peets Coffee and Bread and Cie. You can also start the ride in North Park or South Park. It is all up to you. Additionally, there is nothing magic about this particular route. As long as you keep your bearings there is nothing saying that you cannot take a detour along any of the roads in the park and see what needs to be seen. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the North end of the park is on a big hill. As you travel South (in this route along Florida drive) there is a long hill that you will need to ride back up on your way back. Please keep that in mind. If you are not up for a hill, just stay in the north end of the park by the museums and you should be fine. Another thing to keep in mind is that the roads surrounding the park are kind of busy. That is the way it is we guess if you stick a park in the middle of a city.
View Balboa Park in a larger map
Start your ride in Hillcrest which is loaded with little outdoor cafes to fuel up or recharge after your ride. Head out down 6th avenue all the way to the park. Take your left on Balboa Drive and enter the park. At the 4 way intersection make a left on El Prado and head toward the heart of Balboa. Take a left on Village Place in the heart of the museum district of Balboa Park. Veer left on Zoo Place then make a left on Park. Park is a big road that traverses the park. Please beware of the traffic. Make a right on Morley Field Drive and then a right on Florida. WARNING: Florida will take you down a hill. If you are not in the mood to come back up a hill do not take make the right turn. Head down Florida and then loop around on Pershing Drive. Veer left on Jacaranda Place and follow the map back to Hillcrest. Once you take your right you will be in the North Park section of town. Just North of North Park is Hillcrest. Enjoy.
To download additional information about your ride, right click on
the links below and then click "save link as" to download the file to
your computer.
Download a GPX file you can use to upload to your Garmin
Download a KML file you can use to upload to Google Maps or Google Earth
