Mission Bay

Located just minutes from downtown San Diego, Mission Bay Park is the largest park of its kind in the world. The 4,600-acre aquatic playground is surrounded by 27 miles of meandering shoreline, with a variety of waterways, inlets and islets to explore. There is a 12-mile loop around Mission Bay, almost all of it on well-marked multiu-use paths, with water views, lovely parks, beaches, bridges, and an island.

There are numerous options for where to start. Our mapped route starts near SeaWorld, off Quivira Rd.(parking nearby at lots or Quivira Point). Follow W. Mission Bay Dr. to Bonita Cove. Run along the Bayside Walk for 1 mile, following it around Crown Point, onto Crown Point Rd. There’s a road section on Pacific Beach Dr. to cross the Ross Inlet. Pick up the path again at De Anza Park, and continue for ~3 miles through Mission Bay Park, Playa Pacifica, and Tecote Shores Park to South Shores Park. Here, use S. Shores Pkwy to cross Sea World Dr., so you can run along the path and past the tangle of roads/highways around here to reach Quivira.

Note: the path around the Sea World area is a bit hard to follow, and the signage isn’t that good.

Nicest Sections: If you don’t want to do the entire loop, we think the nicest sections are the ~2.5 miles between Tecolote Shores and De Anza Cove Park, and the 3 miles between Crown Point Park and Mission Beach (and connect to the Ocean Front Walk).

Additional Options: Gorgeous, flat 4-mile loop around Fiesta Island. Access off Fiesta Island Rd., just south of Tecote Shores Park. There are also other running and trail options in the area, such as the San Diego River pathway, which is in the Sea World Area. The Mission Bay route can also be combined with the festive Ocean Front Walk path along Mission Beach. Connect via one of the little roads/alleys that run between them.

Video Highlights Of Route