Kid-friendly bike paths in San Diego, CA

Each trail gets a kid score out of 100 for a smooth surface, staying away from cars, and having a playground, restroom and parking within half a mile. How we score trails

Scores are based on OpenStreetMap data and may be out of date or wrong. Always check trail conditions, closures and your child's readiness before you ride. Disclaimer

All trails on the map

Kid-friendly trail
Can't score yet

Tap a trail for its name and score.

Best trails for kids

Bayside Walk

100

4.8 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Carmel View Bike Route

100

1.2 mi · 100% smooth surface · 99% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Mission Bay Bike Path

100

1.8 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Cara Knott Bike Path

1.7 mi · 100% smooth surface · 97% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom 0.3 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Rose Creek Bike Trail

0.8 mi · 100% smooth surface · 98% away from cars

Playground 0.2 mi away
Restroom 0.3 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

San Diego River Bikeway

2.2 mi · 100% smooth surface · 98% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

High Bluff Bike Path

0.5 mi · 100% smooth surface · 89% away from cars

Playground 0.2 mi away
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Sorrento Valley Road

1.0 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground 0.5 mi away
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking along the trail

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Lake Murray Bike Path

1.7 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground none within ½ mi
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Murphy Canyon Road Bike Path

0.7 mi · 100% smooth surface · 96% away from cars

Playground 0.2 mi away
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking 0.3 mi away

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The Embarcadero

1.2 mi · 100% smooth surface · 71% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Rose Canyon Bike Path

1.1 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground none within ½ mi
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking 0.2 mi away

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Velodrome Trail

0.8 mi · 59% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

North Coast Bike Trail

1.5 mi · 100% smooth surface · 71% away from cars

Playground none within ½ mi
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Mission Bay Bike Route

2.1 mi · 76% smooth surface · 58% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Trails we can't score yet

OpenStreetMap doesn't record the surface for more than 5% of these trails, so we can't say how smooth they are. Some may be great for kids. Check before you go.

32nd Street Canyon

0.5 mi · 100% away from cars

Playground 0.4 mi away
Restroom 0.4 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Bayshore Bikeway

15.2 mi · 33% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Carmel Creek Bike Path

0.5 mi · 87% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Carmel Mission Bike Trail

1.6 mi · 95% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Coyote Link

0.8 mi · 100% away from cars

Playground none within ½ mi
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking 0.2 mi away

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Fay Avenue Bike Path

0.8 mi · 98% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.4 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Lake Miramar Access Road

1.2 mi · 100% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Lopelia Meadows Bikepath

0.5 mi · 0% away from cars

Playground 0.3 mi away
Restroom 0.4 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Ocean Front Walk

0.7 mi · 79% away from cars

Playground 0.4 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Old Coach Trail

2.2 mi · 100% away from cars

Playground none within ½ mi
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking along the trail

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Pershing Drive

2.0 mi · 4% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.2 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

SR-125 bike path

0.7 mi · 100% away from cars

Playground none within ½ mi
Restroom 0.2 mi away
Parking 0.1 mi away

See it on the map

SR-56 Bike Path

10.7 mi · 75% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking along the trail

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San Diego River Trail

6.2 mi · 76% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

San Diego River Trail North

0.9 mi · 100% away from cars

Playground 0.3 mi away
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Shore Drive

1.0 mi · 86% away from cars

Playground 0.2 mi away
Restroom 0.2 mi away
Parking along the trail

See it on the map

Tidal Trail

1.0 mi · 100% away from cars

Playground 0.2 mi away
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking 0.1 mi away

See it on the map

Questions parents ask

What are the best bike trails for kids in San Diego?

The top-scoring kid-friendly bike trails in San Diego are Bayside Walk (100 out of 100), Carmel View Bike Route (100 out of 100) and Mission Bay Bike Path (100 out of 100). 15 trails score 70 or higher.

Bayside Walk · Carmel View Bike Route · Mission Bay Bike Path

Which kid-friendly bike trails in San Diego have restrooms?

These trails have restrooms right along the trail: Bayside Walk, Carmel View Bike Route, Mission Bay Bike Path, San Diego River Bikeway and Lake Murray Bike Path, plus 4 more.

Bayside Walk · Carmel View Bike Route · Mission Bay Bike Path · San Diego River Bikeway · Lake Murray Bike Path

Which kid-friendly bike trails in San Diego have playgrounds?

These trails have playgrounds right along the trail: Bayside Walk, Carmel View Bike Route, Mission Bay Bike Path, Velodrome Trail and Mission Bay Bike Route.

Bayside Walk · Carmel View Bike Route · Mission Bay Bike Path · Velodrome Trail · Mission Bay Bike Route

What's the longest kid-friendly bike trail in San Diego?

Bayside Walk is the longest, at 4.8 miles, with a kid score of 100 out of 100.

Bayside Walk

How are the trails scored?

Each trail gets up to 40 points for a smooth surface, 40 for staying away from cars, and 20 for a playground, restroom and parking within half a mile. The data comes from OpenStreetMap.

How we score trails

Trail data from OpenStreetMap as of 2026-10-30.