Riding in San Diego?

Hey Lee,
I am thinking about taking a job in San Diego. Do you know of any good dirt jump parks in the area? Of course accessibility to dirt jumps and good mtb trails is more important than how much I will like the job …
Thanks, Jason

Hey Jason,

I don’t know specifics about the San Diego area, but I do know a lot of pro BMX riders live in the San Diego area — and they ride dirt jumps all the time. There is also some nice trail riding. It’s not Santa Cruz loamy singletrack, but it’s nice. Rather than publish secret spots, I’ll leave it to the locals to tell you.

Friend and racer Chris Powell moved to San Diego in 2003 for college. Back then he wrote a couple reports for this site. They include photos and video:

San Diego report with Chris Powell, No. 1

San Diego report with Chris Powell, No. 2

Somewhere in Temecula, courtesy of Chris Powell

Temecula.

Mystery spot video, Powell style.

Also: One of my favorite trails, the San Juan Trail, is less than an hour north.

Tour of California ’02 – Day 5: San Juan Trail

San Juan Trail: not a Santa Cruz redwood forest, but still darn good.

Oh yeah, and then there’s the whole Laguna Canyon DH scene, plus Fontana. Yeah, you can be happy in San Diego.

But wait, there’s more: And then there’s that whole Pacific Ocean thing. Surfing is the hardest and coolest sport EVER!

— Lee