Start Date:

Feb 22, 2020

End Date:

Mar 01, 2020

Start Location:

San Diego, CA

End Location:

San Diego, CA

Total Days:

9

Riding Days:

7

Rest Days:

2

Miles:

315

Average Daily Mileage:

45.0

Surface:

Paved

Riders:

13

Airport:

San Diego Intl. (SAN)

Meals:

Indoor Dining

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Meals - Indoor Dining

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided for each day of the trip. On inn-to-inn trips, breakfast and dinner are provided in eating establishments on the route; lunch is prepared in the morning and you carry it with you on your bike. Vegetarian and special dietary needs will be accommodated, though food selection may be limited in some locations.

Accommodations:

Indoor (Inn to Inn)

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Accommodations - Indoor (Inn to Inn)

Overnights are at prearranged motels and hotels each night. Price is based on double occupancy. Single supplement may be available.

Physical Difficulty:

Intermediate+

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Physical Difficulty - Intermediate+

In comparison to our Intermediate tours, an Intermediate+ tour often has slightly more climbing or a few longer days (50–70 miles per day). A few of our self-contained Intermediate+ tours are ranked as such not due to high mileage or heavy climbing, but because riding loaded for several consecutive days can be physically taxing.

Level of Support:

Inn to Inn

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Level Of Support - Inn to Inn

On Adventure Cycling's inn-to-inn self-contained trips, riders carry their gear, but there's a lot less of it because participants stay in hotels and eat in restaurants every night, no camping or group cooking gear is needed.

Cost:

$2,329.00

Single Supplement:

$600.00

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Single Supplement

This tour will use motels/hotels for overnight accommodations. The standard price includes double occupancy. If traveling solo, you will be placed with a same gender roommate. If you are interested in a single supplement for an additional fee, please check with the Tours office, 800.611.8687 or send us an email at tours@adventurecycling.org.

Restricted Bike Type:

eBike, eTrike

Overview

Start the tour season off right with an inn-to-inn tour, Adventure Cycling style. Pack light for this ride — no need to carry a tent or cooking gear! We’ll start to climb from the seaside port of San Diego, over the coastal mountains, and down, down to the Salton Sea at 227 feet below sea level. Riding through sparse desert landscape, we’ll arrive at the Anza-Borrego Desert Visitor Center and have the opportunity to marvel at a variety of sculptures around Borrego Springs. 

We’ll visit the apocalyptic site of Salton City before an overnight in over-the-top Palm Desert. Then it’s back up and over the San Jacinto Mountains, spinning through the San Jacinto Valley on the way to the old stagecoach stop of Temecula. We’ll return to the coast and “civilization” at Encinitas, and after devouring all the fish tacos we can hold, we’ll return to San Diego via a stretch of Adventure Cycling’s route along the mighty Pacific coast.

Day 1

San Diego, 0 miles. Today we’ll meet at our hotel along the San Diego waterfront. If you arrive a little early you can take a walk along the boardwalk or perhaps a tour of the USS Midway, which is anchored at a pier across the street. We might venture out in the evening to see what’s happening in the historic Gaslamp district of downtown, just a short bike ride away.

Day 2

San Diego to Alpine, 35 miles. On this day we’ll cruise along the San Diego River Trail. After riding through Mission Trails Regional Park to see Mission Dam, we’ll turn inland toward the mountains and climb to Alpine. 

Day 3

Alpine to Julian, 33 miles. Today we will transition from inland sea vegetation to alpine-style ponderosa pines and brisk mountain air. We’ll overnight at the historic Gold Rush Hotel in the preserved mining town of Julian — home of Julian Pies, famous for its delicious variety and huge portions.

Day 4

Julian to Borrego Springs, 30 miles. After a hearty breakfast in Julian, we’ll enjoy a long, screaming descent on the Banner Grade. This route takes us farther east, transitioning to a wildly different ecosystem, the Anza-Borrego Desert. If we’re lucky, we’ll find the desert blooming and have the unique experience of pedaling alongside wetlands in the desert with birdsong serenading our journey. One more climb takes us to Borrego Springs where we may have time to explore the Anza-Borrego visitor center or take a desert tour. 

Day 5

Borrego Springs to Palm Desert, 74 miles. Today we can visit some of the sculptures that ring Borrego Springs and then leave the flat valley behind, descending to the Salton Sea. Along the way, we’ll bump over perhaps the worst stretch of “pavement” to be found anywhere, and we may encounter dune buggies and Mad Max–style vehicles crisscrossing the desert. Pedaling through the ruins of Salton City is an eerie experience. It lies an ever-increasing distance from the Salton Sea, which was formed by a disastrous  failure of irrigation canals in the 1920s. In the spirit of making lemonade from lemons, many marinas and resorts quickly sprang up along the shore. Since that time the sea has steadily receded, stranding docks, yachts, and the glittering dreams of its populace. In stark contrast, at the end of the day we’ll arrive at the outskirts of Palm Desert, a deeply green oasis of polo fields and golf courses. It seems that hope does spring eternal. 

Day 6

Palm Desert, 0 miles. Take it easy on this rest day by playing a round of golf, taking a tour of the resort homes, or checking out the shops on Paseo Drive. 

Day 7

Palm Desert to Temecula, 65 miles. Today we’ll leave the desert and almost immediately start climbing through the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. A beautiful stretch of switchback roads will prove to be one of our more challenging but rewarding days. After Mile 25, it’s mostly smooth sailing downhill as we approach Temecula where we’ll stay in the quaint historic district.

Day 8

Temecula to Encinitas, 51 miles. It’s a largely flat or downhill pedal to our overnight in Encinitas. We’ll pass by the Oceanside Pier, where we can dip our toes — or wheels — in the ocean before once more seeking out those delicious fish tacos. Moonlight Overlook will be a good spot to enjoy the Pacific sunset as we end our day in Encinitas. 

Day 9

Encinitas to San Diego, 27 miles. On the final day of our tour, we’ll follow the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route south along the coast ending in downtown San Diego. Here we should have some time for a little more exploration of the city before saying adios y buena suerte to our new cycling friends.

This is a new tour, or one we have not offered in awhile. Sign up and be one of the first cyclists to contribute to this testimonials page! For now read what past tour participants have said about some of our other trips.

"Both trips I have taken with ACA have been amazing.  The routes, the people, the food and ACA have been top notch.  I probably won't use any other touring company for future trips."

"It was great meeting people with the same interests and leaving with some great new friendships. This was my first adventure that combined my love of cycling with camping. Amazing trip, can't wait to do it again!"

"This experience more than met my expectations."

"I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The ride was an excellent escape from the real world."