A Beautiful Exercise Experience
Right next to Linda Vista
Westward view of San Diego River from Old Sea World Drive
One of the great benefits of living in Linda Vista includes taking advantage of its proximity to so many of San Diego’s finest locales. Whether it’s the San Diego Zoo, Petco Park, Fiesta Island, Mission and Pacific Beach, the hipster bars and restaurants of North Park, the Fashion Valley Mall, or SDCCU stadium, we get to enjoy living within easy driving distance of the many venues that make San Diego famous.
If you jog, bike or walk as part of your fitness regimen, our geographic proximity also allows us easy access to exercise routes that begin in Linda Vista and extend to adjacent neighborhoods—routes that can provide the necessary variety to spice up our sometimes monotonous quest to stay in good physical and mental shape. The trails leading into Tecolote Canyon are a perfect example of this proximity.
One other such route is the nearby Old Sea World Drive that runs parallel to (and in-between) the San Diego River and Sea World Drive. It’s part of the San Diego River Trail. If you jog, bike or walk to stay in shape, this nearby route is guaranteed to provide you with a safe, comfortably flat, aesthetically-pleasing route that will leave you feeling glad about living here in San Diego. The route provides a serene atmosphere, a cool ocean breeze, and beautiful views of the San Diego River as well as the wildlife that uses the river as its habitat. I believe this route is one of the overlooked gems of San Diego—and most importantly, it’s right next to Linda Vista.
If you are going to attempt this route, and if you’re tired of the rigors of climbing the inclines that lead into and out of Linda Vista (i.e. Linda Vista Road, Via Las Cumbres, and Ulric Road), and if you’re looking to cover a distance of 4 miles, I suggest you begin by parking your car along Friars Road, across the street from the Mission Valley YMCA. Start your exercise by heading west on Friars Road and continue while you travel under the overpasses for West Morena Blvd, Pacific Coast Highway, and Interstate 5. This part of the route is not that interesting—it’s dominated by concrete—but right before arriving at the Sea World Drive intersection, on the left hand side of Friars Road, you will find the entrance to Old Sea World Drive. This is the special part of the exercise route. What you will find is a two-lane asphalt road that runs alongside the San Diego River. Although cars are allowed on the road, you will usually see only joggers, bicyclists, walkers, skaters, and birdwatchers.
Once on Old Sea World Drive, just keep heading west parallel to the river until you get to the West Mission Bay Drive bridge—you will be at the 2 mile mark.
Exercising on Old Sea World Drive
Though you will hear the buzz of traffic coming from Sea World Drive and the more distant I-8, you should still find the route rather peaceful and soothing. What naturally adds to the serene atmosphere are the great views of the river and the wildlife. Along the way, you can stop and read the 3 displays provided by the San Diego River Park Foundation that detail the various kinds of waterfowl that live in the area. Based on the tides, you never know what kind of views you’re going to get, but they are always magnificent.
There is usually a cool ocean breeze blowing in from the west that makes physical exercise more tolerable.
Egret Posing
Alongside the fence that borders the north side of the route, there are some interesting artistic renditions of the local wildlife provided by the 2015 River Kids Discovery Days project. Recently, I was lucky enough to catch an egret standing right next to a painting of his own species—he appeared to be posing in an attempt to recreate the original image.
When you get to the half-way point at the West Mission Bay Bridge, you can check out up-close the intricate progress being made on the bridge expansion. If you are interested in going further, you can stay on the route, and if you’re really feeling physically fit, go all the way until the route blends into Quivara Way and subsequently ends on the water’s edge at the Quivara Basin. You can then wave across the river to the people hanging out at Dog Beach in OB.
Bridge construction at 2 mile mark
On your return trip back to Linda Vista territory, it’s impossible to not enjoy the panoramic views that take in the hills above Old Town, as well the lofty views of the University of San Diego.
View returning toward Linda Vista
Whatever you do, don’t step off the asphalt road. It’s an environmentally protected area, and there are rattlesnakes lurking in the brush.
Some of the wildlife
In summary, if you want to get away from the pressures of everyday life and get in some exercise, the serene and interesting world of the San Diego River, as seen from Old Sea World Drive is a just a few steps away from our own Linda Vista community!
Of course, there’s a similar route running parallel on the other side of the San Diego River, but that’s a subject for another day.
See you on there on Old Sea World Drive soon!
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