There are many bike paths and trails throughout Orange County, California. Here are links to Orange County bike maps.
OC Loop
http://www.octa.net/Share-the-Ride/Bike/The-OC-Loop/
City of Irvine Bikeways Map (PDF)
City of Irvine Bikeways Map (Interactive)
City of Irvine Named Public Paved Off-Street Trails (PDF)
OCTA Bikeways Map (Interactive – All of Orange County)
OCTA Bikeways Map (PDF)
UC Irvine Bike Map http://bike.uci.edu/maps/maps.cfm
Orange County Register review of the best bike trails in Orange County http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-264368–.html?page=1
Santa Ana River Trail (SART)
http://www.santaanarivertrail.com/SART-maps-lower.php
Aliso Creek Trail
Dana Point PCH Cycle Route
San Juan Creek
TrailLink http://www.traillink.com/trailsearch.aspx?city=santa+ana&state=CA
There are three classes of bikeways:
- Class I – off-street paved bike paths – shared by people walking, running, biking, skating, etc.
- Class II – on-street striped and signed bicycle lanes – the painted stripe is 6″ wide and there are bike lane signs. If the paint is only 4″ wide and there are no signs, it’s not a bike lane, it’s a shoulder.
- Class III – on-street shared-lane signed bicycle routes – motorvehicles and bicycles share the lane where it is wide enough for sharing and allowing 3 feet between. If the lane isn’t wide enough for both, the bicyclist can “take the lane” and ride in the center of the lane to signal to motorists that there isn’t enough room to squeeze past.
General Tips
- Ride in the same direction as traffic, not facing oncoming traffic. Motorists are not expecting to see people coming the wrong way so it’s dangerous to ride in the wrong direction.
- Right of Way = cyclists yield to pedestrians who yield to horses
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Wooden bridges can be very slippery with morning dew, or rain.
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Use a bell or your voice (ie: “passing”) to let people know you are there
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Areas wet from sprinklers are probably slippery
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Underpasses and low lying areas may have storm debris, mud, sand
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Assume every blind curve has someone coming at you
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Maintain control – don’t go wild on an unknown trail and lose control
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Take nothing but great pictures and good memories
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Leave nothing but tire tracks
Bike Trails and Paths are maintained by various agencies so if you spot something that needs attention, you can contact the city’s public works department using our Street Repair resource page, or Blow the Whistle on It!