Fantastic ride with the family. Some streets but mostly a beautiful ride around the bay. Jim, Caryn, Dylan

All the prior reviews are accurate. I left from Carmel Ranch Community Park and followed the path toward Del Mar. The path is signed well and there are a couple forced stops to cross freeway off/on ramps. Currently there are some bumpy asphalt areas due to elevated tree roots, which are more challenging to see because they are in shaded areas. Overall, this protected bikeway was very fun to ride!!!

Beautiful, clean, well maintained, wide trail. Much of the way you have to option to be on a paved path or compact gravel. We went on a mild weathered Saturday afternoon and the trail was not busy at all. There are several intersections with lights you have to go through but it’s all very safe. Plenty of water fountains and rest break locations. Most of the trail abuts the backside of residential areas. Very little shade from sporadic trees. We felt super safe. Our GPS clocked in a little more that 18 miles (20).

My husband and I rode this trail again today. This is our third ride on the trail since February. It has fast become my favorite bike path. There is so much nature to see along the trail. Maneuvering through the detour was much easier this time.

We Love this trail and rode it for a second time last week. Please note, the trail is closed at the I 5 connection for a while They are doing construction. You will need to take a detour on surface streets to get across the 5. Be sure to take your GPS to maneuver safely through the detour.

Overall - this trail was a fun ride. Nice to speed down the couple of hills but remember what goes down must come back up..... Next time we will park @ the Buena creek station and start ride from there. Cant wait till they open more of the trail in Vista.

Parking: While there isn't designated parking @ the "Philips Street" trail entrance, there is side street parking. We discovered after the fact that there is more discreet parking if you drive further down to Philips street/Philips Circle. There is even a dip in the curb for easy bike entry.

Trail: I would call this stretch of the trail intermediate. There were a couple steady inclines that might be difficult for some on the way back or if your hauling a kid trailer like we do. There were 2 major lights that needed to be crossed to continue on the trail. This section of the trail from Philips to the Buena Creek station where the trail continues is a little more than 2.5 miles.

My husband and I rode our electric scooters from the Civic Center, Vista train station to the end in Escondido - about 10 miles. It’s nicely paved and some of the fencing had beautiful blooming vines. The trail is positioned, at times, right to the side of a busy street but mostly it’s away from the street and runs parallel to the railroad tracks. There are a few cute wooden bridges to cross. There are many stops at street crossings (signals) and the continuation of the route is not well marked at many of those points so look at the markings on the sidewalks when you have a choice to go two directions. There was great etiquette by all users, whether walking, jogging, biking, skateboarding, or rollerblading. We had breakfast in Escondido at Delight of France and then went back to Vista. We really enjoyed it.

This was a nice trail that was well marked. However in the TrailLink description it does not state that motorized bikes are not allowed - But the signage on the trail state no motorized bikes. We went anyway and had no problems.

I did this trail for the first time & decided to start in Downey. Heads up, if you’re not a resident of Downey they charge $5 for parking. It is a decent trail to ride. Very similar to the Los Angeles River Trail but much cleaner. I still would love to start in Azusa, ride to Seal Beach & back to complete a metric Century.