California Bicycle Utopia

Great rides.
Better streets.

The California you’d rather ride.

Route guides and infrastructure advocacy for cyclists across California. Launching in San Diego County, expanding statewide.

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Route guides

Rides worth your weekend

San Diego Moderate

Sunset Cliffs & Point Loma Loop

22mi

780 ft gain · Mixed paved

Dramatic coastal bluffs, the Cabrillo National Monument, and a spin through the quiet streets of Ocean Beach — one of San Diego's finest urban rides.

The stretch of Sunset Cliffs Blvd near Ladera St still has no bike lane; ride assertively or use the sidewalk with caution.

San Diego Easy Family OK

Bayshore Bikeway — Coronado Loop

24mi

120 ft gain · Paved path

A nearly car-free circuit around San Diego Bay via the Coronado Bridge and the Bayshore Bikeway. Flat, scenic, and great for families or first-time route riders.

The Bayshore Bikeway's National City segment is complete; the remaining Chula Vista gap is still a signed road route, not a separated path.

San Diego Moderate

SR-56 Bike Path: Coast to Rancho Peñasquitos

26mi

1,050 ft gain · Paved path

A true gem: a separated multi-use path running inland from Carmel Valley beside SR-56 through preserved canyon habitat. Fast, smooth, and almost entirely traffic-free.

The western connection to the coast at Carmel Valley Rd is still a gap; SANDAG has a funded project in planning but no construction date yet.

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Advocacy

What’s happening on the ground

One Win

City Heights protected lane opens ahead of schedule

The two-mile protected bike lane on University Avenue through City Heights officially opened this month, two weeks ahead of the original schedule. Physical buffers are now in place on one of the corridor's busiest stretches. Ridership counts from the first week show roughly 400 daily cycling trips — double the pre-project baseline.

One Fight

La Jolla Cove bike parking removal heads to council

A proposal to remove 30 bike parking spaces near La Jolla Cove to add vehicle valet staging is headed to City Council next month. The coastal access study that recommended the change included no cycling impact assessment. Public comment is open until the 15th — three minutes at the mic carries real weight right now.

Take action

California Bicycle Utopia is an independent, non-commercial project covering cycling routes and the fight for better bike infrastructure across California. We’re starting in San Diego County, where the riding is world-class and the gaps in the network are still real. More about the project →

Great rides. Better streets.