Even though I lived about 10 minutes from it, I had no idea that you could ride your bike to the beach on the awesome San Luis Rey River Trail in Oceanside, CA. San Luis Rey River Trail is a 9-mile (each way) paved trail that takes you from Oceanside, along the San Luis Rey River, all the way to the Oceanside beach area. This trail is a local favorite, popular with joggers and especially bikers. Although its distance seems intimidating, San Luis Rey River Trail is smooth, mostly flat, and easy, making it a perfect trail to ride our bikes to the beach.
Note: Please make sure to respect this beautiful place and the surrounding areas. Always practice LEAVE NO TRACE. This means no loud music, no graffiti, no taking artifacts or fossilized items, and pack out what you pack in! Please help us protect this place for generations to come!
Stats
Where
San Luis Rey River Trail – Easternmost Access Point
N Santa Fe Ave, Oceanside, CA 92057
33.246579, -117.281916
San Luis Rey River Trail Westernmost Access Point (From the Beach)
San Luis Rey, River Trail, Oceanside, CA 92054
33.200080, -117.385575
Parking
At the Easternmost Access point, there is a small dirt lot. If that is full, park along the side road.
Restroom
There is no restroom at the trailhead, however, you’ll be passing a couple of parks that have restrooms. There are also public restrooms at the beach.
Fee
FREE!!
Distance
San Luis Rey River Trail:
9 miles each way
To Harbor Beach:
0.3 miles each way (in addition to the 9 miles)
To the Pier:
0.8 miles each way (in addition to the 9 miles)
Elevation Gain
91 ft
Level
Easy
Time:
2.5 – 4 hours
Pet-friendly
Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash.
Ideal Time
The trail is open year-round. Summer can be warm if you’re visiting in the afternoon. In the Springs, there are wildflowers along the trail. In the Falls, you can see yellow leaves.
Weather
Video
Where Do I Start My Bike Ride to the Beach?
The San Luis Rey River Trail has two main access points (trailheads) with a few optional places where you can enter or exit. This means you can modify your bike ride to make it shorter or longer depending on how ambitious you are. One of the main access points is located along Neptune Way near the Oceanside beach area. We usually take the easternmost access point, located near Guajome Regional Park because we want to bike to the beach, not away from it.
The Easternmost Access Point for San Luis Rey River Trail is located at the corner of Highway 76 and North Santa Fe Ave. There is a small dirt parking lot where you can park your car. If that is full, there is street parking alongside street Via Manos.
The Adventure
The Start of the Bike Ride to the Beach
After parking at the small dirt lot, we got on our bikes and headed right toward the small paved trail located at the elbow of the road. There is a big sign at the start of the trail so you’ll know that you go on the right one. The two lanes paved trail winds around the back of a neighborhood with pretty greeneries on the right-hand side. Be careful when riding, this trail is very popular with other bikers, walkers, joggers, and families.
Most of the time, the San Luis Rey River Trail is quite straightforward, however, it can be a bit confusing when you reach about 1 mile in. At that point, the bike trail comes to a neighborhood. From here, you’ll go right to follow along the residential street. After a short distance, there should be a big directional sign, pointing to the entrance for the San Luis Rey River Trail on the right.
The San Luis Rey River Trail
After this little disruption, you’re back on a straightforward path for the San Luis Rey River Trail. The trail runs along the San Luis Rey River on the right and neighborhoods and parks on the left. Just in case you want to know how far you have left, there are mile markers painted on the pathway. Depending on the time of year, you could see wildflowers or yellow leaves lining the trail. If you’re a fan of airplanes, along the way, you’ll also be riding next to a small airport. We usually stop here for a while every time to either watch skydivers or airplanes taking off or landing. It was quite entertaining.
The San Luis Rey River Trail is mostly flat, except for a few sections when it dips lower to go under a bridge. There are 5 bridges total that you’ll have to go under, with the biggest one being Freeway 5 near the end of the trail. Once you crossed under Freeway 5, you’ll soon come up to a fork. At this fork, if you go straight (left), you’ll come to the Westernmost Access Point of the San Luis Rey River Trail. We usually go right at this fork. It is a shortcut to get to North Pacific Street, the main road to take us to either the Oceanside Harbor Beach or toward the Oceanside Pier.
The Beaches
At this point, you’re so close to the beach. From North Pacific Street, if you go right to cross over the bridge, you’ll make it to Oceanside Harbor Beach. It is about 0.3 miles each way extra. Oceanside Harbor Beach is a nice little beach with a lot of sandy areas to take a break or to have a picnic.
We usually prefer to go to the Strand and the Oceanside Pier. To get to the Strand from that exit spot on North Pacific Street, you’ll want to make a left. Then, go right onto Breakwater Way. When you reach the end of the road, go left to turn onto the Strand. The Strand is a cute little street that runs along the beach and ocean, all the way to the Oceanside Pier. This is perfect for days when you want to be a bit more ambitious. If you go all the way to the pier, you’ll be adding at least 1.6 miles to your total mileage. Please note that if you want to go on the pier, you’ll have to either leave your bike at the bottom or walk it up. You can’t ride your bike on the pier.
After finishing enjoying your day at the beach, you can head back the same way you came from.
These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
adventure gear
- Closed-toe shoes. We wear our tennis shoes for this.
- Bike helmet. Not required if you’re over 18, but good to have.
- Make sure to use lots of sunscreens! We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, Stream2Sea SPF 30. or tinted, organic All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter.
- Hat, sunglasses
- You should always bring plenty of water. Vy loves the Camelback L.U.X.E.
- For colder weather, we love our packable Patagonia Puff Jackets! You can get Vy’s version here, and Dustin’s version here.
- Always good to bring some snacks with you. For healthy and easy snacks, check out some of our recipes.
camera gear
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