Ocean Beach to Point Loma - a sweet ride that take you to what many believe are the best views in San Diego.
OB (Ocean Beach) how do we love thee? Not so much for the scrubby scrub scrubs maligering on Newport street but for the sandstone bluffs, surfers, and a start to a great ride that will take you up through Point Loma and arguably the best views of the San Diego skyline anywhere in the city. This ride is a straight out and back which is not our favorite way to organize a ride, however, the streets surrounding this ride can get pretty busy and we wanted to keep you out of traffic and out of harms way. This ride does have some hills so be sure to have some gears on your bike. None of the hills are super steep and if you have a multi-speed bike you should do well.
View Cabrillo Monument in a larger map
This ride starts out at Robb Field in Ocean Beach. if you have a few minutes check out the hoodlems at the skate park. Watching x-games video loops in their head they risk life and limb for their moment of skating glory. Once you pull yourself away from the show, head out on Bacon Street and take a left on Voltaire. Once you take the right on Sunset Cliffs put it on cruise control and settle into the ride. Don't get too comfy though, there will be some traffic for a little while and the drivers in OB, well, they often leave something to be desired.
After Sunset Cliffs Blvd crosses Point Loma Blvd., this ride takes off. You will get some breathtakeing views are you pass by the Sunset Cliffs which are sandstone bluffs that get their name from their rosy tint at sundown. Follow Sunset Cliffs Blvd. all the way to Ladera Street and turn inland. We are going to double back solely to avoid going up Hill Street which is (as you can expect) a big old hill. Wind your way over to Santa Barbara Street and you are going to start the hilly part of this ride. It is worth it so hang in there.
Stay on Santa Barbara until you hit Catalina and take a right. The cars will start to evaporate as you work your way up catalina. The name will change to Cabrillo but keep going straight ahead. Look to your left and look to your right but please do not crash as you gawk at the superb views of the Pacific Ocean, San Diego bay, and the city Skyline.
After the 2.5 mile climb along the spine of the peninsula you have some options. You can loop around at the Cabrillo Monument and head home or follow the road to the right which will take you to the light house and tide pools. This part of the ride is a real treat but you need to keep two things in mind. First, you will need to pay a few bucks to keep going. Second, the road heads straight down. Getting back up might be difficult for new riders.
To get home simply retrace your steps.
Ride Summary:
- Total Miles: 15.9
- Total Elevation Gain: Approximately 500 feet
NOTE: this elevation route only reflects HALF of the ride. Our mapping software did not allow us to draw an out and back loop. Grrr
o 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 cue sheet to see the route in Microsoft Excel
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
