Lake Henshaw via Ramona is a route that is popular among long course triathletes in San Diego and around the world. Ride it like they do and you will find yourself on a death march.
This loop is a solid one that is a favorite of triathletes in San Diego. Although we are not certain where the start/finish line is, legend has it that top triathletes from around the world come to San Diego and this is one of their training routes. We are told that the big boys knock out the loop in about 4:30. Give it a go and on the way see some of the best cycling in San Diego North County as you pass through Ramona..skirt Julian...and head over toward Palomar on the way home.
View Henshaw loop in a larger map
The route above starts from the coast. Your starting point is not all that important. Just start on the coast and work your way over to Del Dios Highway. Another option for the less initiated is to start at Kit Carson park which is our starting point for our Palomar Rides.
Regardless of where you start, you will eventually find yourself on Highway 78. Beware of rednecks driving pickups with trailers. These are not the happy rednecks you find Alabama that throw beer bottles at you. These are violent, chubby pickles, wielding tape measures of hate in their mission to proving to you that the road is not big enough for cyclists and rednecks.
Once you get past the redneck obstacles, Highway 78 is a long gradual climb that drops you off in Ramona. At the intersection of Highway 78 and Old Julian Highway, be sure to stop off at Dudley's Bakery and do the fruit bar thing. Take a left at the intersection and head toward the highest point in the ride. After you crest the next hill it is a long and fast stretch as you head toward the base of Palomar Mountain. As you pass Lake Henshaw, keep your glasses on and your mouth closed as you might encounter swarms of (tasty) flying insects depending on the time of the year. Once you pass the base of Palomar there is a store at the bottom of the hill. You better stock up at the store as Rincon Grade is about to bite you in the ass as you head back toward Lake Wohlford and then through the "lovely" back roads of Escondido on your way home.
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
