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| San Diego Creek Trail, Irvine California |
Jeffrey Open Space Trail
The Jeffrey Open Space Trail is one of my favorite sections of the entire network. The trail winds through beautiful landscaped parks, tree-lined pathways and residential neighborhoods, with several bridges and tunnels along the way. One of the biggest improvements is the newly completed pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Interstate 5, which makes it much easier to connect the northern and southern sections of the trail without having to navigate freeway entrances or busy streets. The JOST bridge over I5 is an awesome ride. The trail is wide, smooth and is entirely separated from vehicle traffic. It's also a great starting point for longer rides because it connects with other paved routes throughout Irvine, including the Hicks Canyon and San Diego Creek trail systems.
San Diego Creek Trail and Newport Back Bay
The San Diego Creek Trail is probably the most useful trail in the network if you want to cover some serious distance. It follows the creek through Irvine, passing parks, residential neighborhoods, shopping centers and restaurants before eventually connecting with the Upper Newport Bay trail system. Much of the ride is surprisingly peaceful considering you're traveling through the middle of Orange County. There are long stretches where you barely notice the surrounding city, and the creek corridor has some shaded sections that help keep things cooler. The route eventually opens up around Newport Back Bay, where the scenery changes from landscaped neighborhoods to coastal wetlands, water views and open hillsides. The Back Bay trail is technically a road, but you’ll only see 2 or 3 cars at the most and the traffic generally moves slower than the bikes. The Back Bay Trail is the most scenic spot on the whole trail system.
Hicks Canyon
The Hicks Canyon Trail is another great option, especially if you're looking for something quieter and more shaded. The trail runs through a greenbelt with mature trees, parks and residential areas. It connects with the Jeffrey Open Space Trail near Portola Parkway, making it easy to combine the two into a longer ride without having to spend much time on streets. There are typically a lot of people walking in Hick’s canyon, so you’ll have to slow down if you’re on an eBike.
Shady Canyon
If you're looking for more of a workout, the Shady Canyon Trail is worth checking out. This is one of the more scenic paved routes in Irvine, with some steep climbing through the hills near Shady Canyon. The climb can be challenging on a regular bike, but it's a lot of fun on an e-bike, and the views from the higher sections are fantastic. It's a completely different experience from the flatter creek trails and a good way to add some elevation to your ride. You can connect Shady Canyon to the Back Bay Trail by taking Bonita Canyon Road all the way around. Bonita Canyon Road has a nice sidewalk the entire way around until you reach Eastbluff road where it eventually links with the Mountain to Sea Trail. The Mountain to Sea trail gets descends from the sidewalk and becomes a real trail again. I'd look at the map before trying to link the Shady Canyon Trail to the Back Bay loop.
Riding an E-Bike on Irvine's Trails
The Hicks Canyon Trail is another great option, especially if you're looking for something quieter and more shaded. The trail runs through a greenbelt with mature trees, parks and residential areas. It connects with the Jeffrey Open Space Trail near Portola Parkway, making it easy to combine the two into a longer ride without having to spend much time on streets. There are typically a lot of people walking in Hick’s canyon, so you’ll have to slow down if you’re on an eBike.
Shady Canyon
If you're looking for more of a workout, the Shady Canyon Trail is worth checking out. This is one of the more scenic paved routes in Irvine, with some steep climbing through the hills near Shady Canyon. The climb can be challenging on a regular bike, but it's a lot of fun on an e-bike, and the views from the higher sections are fantastic. It's a completely different experience from the flatter creek trails and a good way to add some elevation to your ride. You can connect Shady Canyon to the Back Bay Trail by taking Bonita Canyon Road all the way around. Bonita Canyon Road has a nice sidewalk the entire way around until you reach Eastbluff road where it eventually links with the Mountain to Sea Trail. The Mountain to Sea trail gets descends from the sidewalk and becomes a real trail again. I'd look at the map before trying to link the Shady Canyon Trail to the Back Bay loop.
Riding an E-Bike on Irvine's Trails
Another reason I like these trails so much is that you can enjoy them on an e-bike. The paved routes are great for electric bikes, especially if you want to cover 20 or 30 miles without getting completely exhausted. Most of the creek trails are relatively flat, while Shady Canyon gives you a chance to put the motor to work on some pretty serious hills. Irvine also has a 20 mph limit on sidewalks, but riders should check posted limits and e-bike restrictions on individual trails rather than assuming that speed is permitted everywhere. Generally, I ride 20mph on most of the paved trails and I slow down for pedestrians. I've never had an issue. Riding from Irvine to Newport Beach and Huntington Beach One of the coolest things about this trail network is that you can actually ride all the way from Irvine to the beach. The easiest route I've found is to follow the San Diego Creek Trail toward Newport Back Bay, where you can continue around the bay on the Mountains to Sea Trail and eventually make your way onto Balboa Island. It's a beautiful ride, and you go from suburban neighborhoods and shaded creek paths to coastal wetlands and ocean views without having to spend much time riding alongside traffic. Getting from Back Bay to the actual beach is a little tricky because you do eventually have to deal with some regular streets and intersections. My favorite way is to cross Jamboree Road and Route 1 toward Balboa Island, ride through the island and take the Balboa Island Ferry across to the Balboa Peninsula. You can bring your bike right onto the ferry, and the short crossing is a fun part of the trip. The fare is $1.50 for a rider a bike each way. It takes about 5 minutes to cross. Once you're on the Balboa Peninsula, you're right in Newport Beach, with restaurants, shops and the ocean. You can continue north through Newport Beach toward Huntington Beach, where the coastal bike paths offer miles of riding with ocean views. From Huntington Beach, you can also connect to the Santa Ana River Trail, opening up another long route inland. It's pretty amazing how far you can travel on a bike through Orange County when you start connecting these different trail systems.
Plenty of Options for Loops, Food and Longer Rides
What makes Irvine's trails so much fun is that you're not limited to riding one path out and back. There are several ways to combine Jeffrey Open Space, Hicks Canyon, Walnut Trail, Peters Canyon, Shady Canyon and San Diego Creek into longer rides. You can put together a shorter neighborhood loop, spend a couple of hours exploring Irvine or make a full day out of riding to Newport Beach and back. Some connections still require street crossings or short on-road sections, but much of the network is made up of dedicated paths. Another great thing is how easy it is to find somewhere to eat. You're riding through a city with hundreds of restaurants, coffee shops and shopping centers, and many are just a short detour off the trail. You can stop for lunch, grab a coffee or take a break without having to drive anywhere. That combination of paved trails, safe neighborhoods, beautiful parks and convenient food stops is pretty hard to find in most cities.
Why I Think These Are Some of Orange County's Best Bike Trails
I've ridden a lot of paved bike trails, and Irvine's network is one of my favorites because of how everything connects. You can ride through shaded parks, quiet neighborhoods, scenic canyons and coastal wetlands, all on the same trip. The trails are well maintained, generally not too crowded and offer plenty of options whether you want an easy afternoon ride or something much longer. Irvine has more than 113 miles of off-street bikeways, which is pretty impressive for a single city.
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| Newport Back Bay Trail |
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| Irvine California Paved Bike Trail Map |
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| Bosque Trail, Irvine California |
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| Mike Ward Park, Irvine California |
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| San Diego Creek Trail in Irvine |
