Orange County is famously conservative, glossy and affluent. Disneyland. Knott’s Berry Farm. Beaches, sun and sand. “Real Housewives” and “The OC”. Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach, Surf City, USA. Shopping is a serious pastime here at places like Fashion Island and South Coast Plaza. Birthplace to a president, Richard Nixon and a golfer, Tiger Woods. Once an agricultural center, Orange County has grown from a suburb of Los Angeles into its own metropolitan entity.
Orange County is the smallest county in California by land area, and yet it’s the third largest in population behind Los Angeles and San Diego Counties. And the sixth largest population in the nation! These facts are made all the more amazing by the fact that nearly all of the northeast quarter of the county is unpopulated. Put it all together and in this small space with lots of people, bikes have become an increasingly important and efficient mode of transportation. Not surprisingly, many of Orange County’s 34 cities have realized that alternatives to cars travel are more important than ever and are adopting transportation models that include bus, rail and bike aspects. In the famously master planned communities of the central and southern parts of the county, bicycle routes were designed into the very fabric of the communities and as a result the bike culture has taken root and blossomed.
With its Mediterranean climate, cycling in Orange County is a year-round activity and many residents partake. Famous routes include the stretch of Pacific Coast Highway that runs the entire length of the picturesque Orange County shoreline. The Santa Ana River Trail divides the county in half and has often been described as Orange County’s bicycle freeway. Used for training, commuting and recreation, this is one of the busiest cycling routes in Southern California. Peter’s Canyon Trail boasts “mountains to the sea” and lives up to its billing as you ride from Peter’s Canyon along Class 1 trails all the way to Newport’s Back Bay.
Unfortunately, due to its decentralized, suburban nature, the car is still king in Orange County. Each city retains autonomy regarding its transportation efforts and some have been quicker to incorporate cycling than others. The City of Irvine is on the verge of bicycling nirvana with more designated bike routes than I have ever seen in my life. Nearby Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, and Fullerton in the northwest also have excellent bike plans implemented. So until the time arrives when the entire county is connected by a web of bike lanes and paths, use those freeways for what they were meant for: to carry your bike to the part of the county you want to ride.