Orange County
Although Orange County has more than 30 miles of coastline, the seaside bike paths are broken up more than those found farther down the coast. An eight-mile dedicated bikeway connects Sunset Beach to Huntington Beach State Park.Newport has a peninsula boardwalk, plus a fine trail through Upper Newport Bay Regional Park. For adventurous spirits, Balboa Island is a unique place to have fun on skates. And just up the San Diego Creek from Newport, the town of Irvine offers an amazing number of great skates.
Some of the most scenic touring in the county is available along the banks of Aliso Creek. A 12-mile trail connects the Aliso/Wood Canyons Regional Park to Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, and every bit is skateworthy. For miles on this canyon route, you are treated to views of relatively untouched terrain. Even the neighborhood sections are landscaped or remain natural enough to make for a pretty tour. At its wild northern end, the Aliso Creek Trail terminates in mountain lion country, just south of the Cleveland National Forest. Fine skating is also found along the San Juan Creek, and pending improvements will result someday in a contiguous route.
Orange County's longest trail spans the county for nearly 30 miles, paralleling the Santa Ana River. The center sections aren't as interesting as either end, but the pavement is good and underpasses eliminate the need to interrupt your skate by stopping at street crossings. The section of trail where the river flows through Yorba Linda's Featherly Park is definitely a must-skate, featuring great scenery both up close and across the river valley.
