Bicycling through Mission Valley

1. Introduction
2. East-West Bike Routes
3. Routes out of Mission Valley
4. Crossing the San Diego River
5. Bike Paths
6. Schematic Map

Most of central San Diego lies on a plateau about 350-400 feet above sea level. The westward-flowing San Diego River has carved a valley roughly one mile wide and seven miles long through the plateau. It has long been called Mission Valley because Mission San Diego de Alcala, the first of the California missions, is located near the east end of the valley.

For recreational bicyclists, Mission Valley is a place to ride. For bicyclists traveling through the area, especially those going north or south, it is an obstacle to be crossed or avoided.

2. East-West Bike Routes

There are two principal east-west bike routes through Mission Valley.

Friars Road is the simplest route, since it runs the entire length of Mission Valley. It has bike lanes in most places. However, the traffic on Friars Road is fast and heavy, and free right turn lanes make it difficult to cross Highway 163, Mission Center Road, Qualcomm Way and Interstate 15 safely.

There is no direct connection between Friars Road and the Murphy Canyon Bike Path. However, you can reach the path readily by turning off onto San Diego Mission Road at the interchange just north of the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot. Follow San Diego Mission Road east, and turn left into a small side street before reaching the bridge over Interstate 15. A path at the end of the side street will take you to the bike path.

A route favored by more conservative bicyclists runs alongside Interstate 8. Here are the directions for eastbound bicyclists:

• Enter Mission Valley on Taylor Street. Follow it east as it becomes Hotel Circle South.
• After passing under Interstate 8, turn right onto Camino de la Reina.
• Follow it east. It becomes Camino del Rio South when it crosses Qualcomm Way (formerly called Stadium Way).
• Camino del Rio S. runs all the way to the east end of Mission Valley.
• If you want to leave Mission Valley via Fairmount Ave., turn right onto Mission City Parkway and cross Interstate 8. Turn left on Camino del Rio South and follow it east to Fairmount Ave. This is easier than the direct route because you will cross Interstate 8 where there is no interchange.
• If you want to leave Mission Valley on the Murphy Canyon Bike Path, turn left at Ward Road. Take the first left turn onto Rancho Mission Road and follow it under Interstate 15 to the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot. Enter the parking lot through an entrance reserved for buses and bicyclists. Ride north along the east side of the parking lot and enter the bike path near the northeast corner.

A new bike path, which was opened in 2009, offers a slightly different route. Enter the bike path from Pacific Highway, just south of the San Diego River. Follow it east to Hotel Circle Place. Then follow Hotel Circle Place to its junction with Hotel Circle North. Follow Hotel Circle North to Camino de la Reina. Turn left on Camino del la Reina and proceed east as described above.

Camino del Rio South is fairly hilly in spots and is usually not the east-west route of choice for bicyclists. There is no connection between Camino del Rio South and Hotel Circle South.

3. Routes out of Mission Valley

Leaving Mission Valley on the north, south or east side requires an uphill ride, although some routes are much steeper than others.

There are three main routes to the south:

• Bachman Drive to Hillcrest is fairly steep (about 4-6 degrees), and it has no bike lanes, but is popular with bicyclists. It is not signed as a bike route, but it is shown on the official bike map as a suggested bike route.
• Texas Street to Normal Heights and University Heights is quite steep (about 7-8 degrees), but it does have bike lanes.
• Fairmount Avenue to San Diego State University and City Heights has bike lanes and a relatively gentle grade (about 3 degrees). For that reason it is often the best route for southbound bicyclists. However, the interchange with Montezuma Road has a number of on and off ramps that can be dangerous for bicyclists.

Mission Gorge Road follows the San Diego River east all the way to Santee. It has bike lanes in some places, and there are no significant hills near Mission Valley. (There are some near Santee.)

There are four main routes to the north:

• The Murphy Canyon Bike Path and its continuation, Murphy Canyon Road, feature moderate hills and a separated bike path or bike lanes. It is generally considered the best bike route from Mission Valley to the north.
• Mission Village Drive runs north from Qualcomm Stadium to Serra Mesa. It has bike lanes, but it is a fairly daunting hill (about 7 degrees). It was used for the street luge in the 1998 X-Games!
• Mission Center Road is a good route from central Mission Valley to Serra Mesa. It has bike lanes, but it is a fairly good-size hill (about 3 degrees, increasing to about 7 degrees near the top).
• Ulric Street is probably the best route up to Linda Vista. It has bike lanes and a long, moderate grade.

There are three routes out of Mission Valley to the west:

• Taylor Street goes to Old Town. It is fairly flat, but it has no bike lanes and traffic is usually fairly heavy.
• Friars Road goes to Mission Bay. It is fairly flat, and has both bike lanes and a separated bike path.
• A new extension of the Ocean Beach Bike Path (opened in 2009) begins on Hotel Circle Place and runs along the south bank of the San Diego River all the way to the ocean.

Pacific Highway is part of a major north-south bike route west of Mission Valley. See also Bicycling on Old U.S. 101. It intersects Taylor Street and passes over Friars Road. There is a little sidewalk and path leading from the north side of Friars Road up to the east side of Pacific Highway.

4. Crossing the San Diego River

Like most rivers in the semi-arid climate of San Diego, the San Diego River usually isn't much of a river. However, when heavy rains come, as they did in the El Niño winter of 1997-1998, it can flood some parts of Mission Valley. When this happens, many of the river crossings in Mission Valley become impassible because the bridges are very low. Indeed, some of them are little more than culverts.

This can be a serious problem for bicyclists and pedestrians, because the freeway crossings are not accessible to them.

The Pacific Highway and Morena Blvd. bridges at the west end of the valley are fairly high and are not subject to flooding, as is the Friars Road bridge at the east end.

In central Mission Valley, the Qualcomm Way bridge is the most likely to remain open, but it, too, may be closed when the river runs especially high.

5. Bike Paths

For those who prefer off-road but on-pavement riding, Mission Valley has a number of bike paths.

The Murphy Canyon Bike Path is an important link in the Interstate 15 corridor, but it is not a scenic route, because it runs between a freeway and a gasoline storage depot.

A small bike path running just east of Fairmount Avenue takes northbound bicyclists safely over the ramps from northbound Fairmount Avenue to Interstate 8.

There are four bike paths along the San Diego River in Mission Valley.

• Two of them, in the central part of the valley, run through a parklike area, and feature such amenities as picnic tables and pathside benches. They are intended mostly for pedestrians, and are suitable only for short, recreational rides.
• The third one, called the Fashion Valley Bike Path, runs along the north bank of the river between Fashion Valley Road and Ave. del Rio, just south of Fashion Valley Shopping Center. It is unmarked at the east end and would be hard to find, except that it runs almost directly under the San Diego Trolley tracks. Bicyclists traveling south on Fashion Valley Road and then east on Camino de la Reina (or vice-versa) can use it as a shortcut. However, the path has some very rough spots, and many bicyclists prefer to ride on the adjacent street (River Walk Drive).
• In 2009 the Ocean Beach Bike Path along the south bank of the San Diego River was extended from Pacific Highway, where it formerly ended, to the east as far as Hotel Circle Place.

There is a bike path along the south side of Friars Road west of Fashion Valley Road. It is separated from the traffic lanes by a narrow berm. It is regarded as superfluous by some bicyclists, because Friars Road also has bike lanes.

There are proposals, or at least suggestions, for several new or extended bike paths in Mission Valley:

• The bike path on the north bank of the San Diego River may be extended westward, passing under Highway 163 and connecting with the existing Fashion Valley Bike Path. (There are already informal unpaved paths along this route.)
• A hotel may be built on the west side of Fashion Valley Road just north of the San Diego River. The builder has been asked to construct a bike path from Fashion Valley Road, just across from the existing bike path, to Friars Road, where it will connect with the bike path on the south side of Friars Road. The hotel could then boast a bike path to the beach.
• Bicyclists now ride along the east side of the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot. A separated bike path may be built here, and it may be extended westward to the southwest corner of the parking lot, where it will connect with a bridge to be built over the San Diego River.
• A bike path may be built along the San Diego River between Ward Road and Zion Ave. The path will cross San Diego Mission Road at grade and will pass under Friars Road. However, there will be access to both sides of Friars Road.

Regional planners are designing a San Diego River Path, which when completed will run along the San Diego River from the ocean to Lakeside, and perhaps farther. Some parts of the path already exist. The Fashion Valley Bike Path is part of the San Diego River Path, and so is the path on the south side of the San Diego River between Mission Center Road and Qualcomm Way. The proposed bike path along the San Diego River between Ward Road and Zion Road will presumably be part of the San Diego River Path if and when it is built.

6. Schematic Map

November 28, 1998
Revised February 24, 2003
Revised February 23, 2010