El Camino Real 142k

142km/4500ft RUSA Populaire

This route travels the length of El Camino Real in San Diego County. Starting from Liberty Station, you’ll ride up the usual Rose Creek/Rose Canyon bike paths to UCSD before descending down to Sorrento Valley to catch the start of El Camino Real at mile 16. You’ll roll through Rancho Santa Fe passing very expensive real estate. At Olivenhain, you’ll take a break from a busy section of El Camino Real in “In”-cinitas before reconnecting at Leucadia Blvd to continue your trek. You will note that El Camino Real is rather hilly. Trailblazers relying on beasts of burden were not motivated to find flatter terrain. In their defense, San Diego is what the English would call “lumpy”. The end of El Camino Real will be at mile 44 at the San Luis Rey Bakery and Restaurant located just west of the Mission San Luis Rey (a control for another brevet). It will be the end of of the “camino” until Orange County where it will pick up.

From the bakery, you’ll begin your ride south. Instead of the usual 76 bike path route to the coast, you’ll take the roads through south Oceanside to Carlsbad. The southbound trek will be along the coast. There will be a detour inland starting at the Kook in south Encinitas to reach the recently completed bike path under the I-5 at Manchester Ave. From Solana Beach at the other end of the bike path, you returning to the coast on Jimmy Durante Blvd. After the climb up Torrey Pines to UCSD, the last stretch of the ride will go through Pacific Beach, Mission Bay and Ocean Beach.

Please read our accepted proof of passage.