Gisler Ave. connects to SART via a cool little bridge, seen here from on the trail itself.

Entering and exiting the Santa Ana River Trail in Costa Mesa

The length of the Santa Ana River Trail in Costa Mesa. Image from GoogleMaps
The length of the Santa Ana River Trail  in Costa Mesa (highlighted in blue). Image and map data from Google 2015; click for a larger version.

I live in Costa Mesa and love riding on the Santa Ana River Trail (SART), a multiuse paved trail open to walkers, runners, bicyclists, skaters, and more (pretty much anything non-motorized). If you’ve never ridden it before, you’ve got to: the Santa Ana River Trail runs more than 30 miles inland from the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Huntington Beach, where it connects up seamlessly with the beach’s bicycle path. And for that length it’s 100% car and crossing free – you have dozens of miles of paved trail to roll on continuously without stopping.  Insanely useful for getting places in central Orange County while avoiding cars.

But getting on the trail isn’t always intuitive, especially as the trail crosses  from one side of the river to the other within Costa Mesa’s borders. Starting near the ocean and heading inland, here are all the entrances from Costa Mesa:

The Santa Ana River Trail between Victoria/Hamilton and the beach is beautiful at high tide.
The Santa Ana River Trail between Victoria/Hamilton and the beach is beautiful at high tide.

I’ve also included two bonus entrances for people coming from Huntington Beach:

And I also point out where the bridge is:

PCH / southern end of Huntington State Beach

The PCH and Huntington State Beach entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The PCH and Huntington State Beach entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail; entrances are circled in green. Image and map data from Google 2015.

The Santa Ana River Trail curves around and passes under the Pacific Coat Highway (Highway 1) at its end.
The Santa Ana River Trail passes under the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) at its end.

Okay, technically this entrance is in Huntington Beach, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t include that you can actually get to the beach on SART.   SART connects to both the southern and northern side of PCH, and also hooks up to the very southernmost tip of Huntington State Beach‘s bike trail with an easy paved connector (and said Huntington State Beach bike trail will take you all the way up to and past the Huntington Beach Pier).  PCH also has a pedestrian-friendly bridge that crosses the Santa Ana River if you want to head to Newport Beach.

There are bathrooms and water fountains in Huntington Beach State Park less than a thousand feet away from the end of SART.

The paved connector that links the Huntington State Beach bike trail with the Santa Ana River Trail.
A paved connector links the Huntington State Beach bike trail with the Santa Ana River Trail.

For folks living in the southernmost portion of Costa Mesa, this may be the most convenient entrance to SART for you: take Superior (or your favorite street) down to PCH, then head north on PCH to get to SART.

Key note: You can only enter and exit SART from the western (Huntington Beach) side of the river; the trail on the eastern side of the river is actually the “Banning Channel Bikeway”, not SART.  The Banning Channel Bikeway does hook up to Victoria, and eventually allows you to get onto SART (north of the bridge crossing the river), but doesn’t go under PCH to allow users easy access to the beach (or allow people on the southern side of PCH to access the bikeway).

Victoria St. (Hamilton Ave.)

The Victoria / Hamilton entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The Victoria / Hamilton entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google 2015.
The Victoria/Hamilton entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail, seen from the south.
The Victoria/Hamilton entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail, seen from the south.

Take Victoria all the way west to where Costa Mesa ends and you’ll hit SART; enter on the western (Huntington Beach) side of the river.  SART hooks up to both the north and south side of Victoria.  You’ll go down a little hill (~50 feet) on Victoria just before you hit the river, so be prepared for that.

Key note: Unless you’re familiar with the trail already, only enter on the west side of the river.  Entering on the east side gets you on the Banning Channel Bikeway (which does connect up to PCH’s northern side and eventually hooks up to SART to the north, so you won’t get lost … but just stick with SART … unless you’re trying to get to Talbert Regional Park).

The sun sets behind Catalina Island, as seen from Victoria Vista Park.
The sun sets behind Catalina Island, as seen from Vista Park.  The park’s just a quarter mile off the trail at Victoria!

Don’t miss: At the top of the hill just to the east of the river (less than a quarter mile off the river trail) there’s a lovely little park called Vista Park.  The park has bathrooms, a water fountain, and benches with glorious vistas of Huntington Beach and the Santa Ana River (especially pretty at sunset).

Victoria St / Hamilton Ave's bridge over SART, seen from the west side of the Santa Ana River.
Victoria St / Hamilton Ave’s bridge over SART, seen from the west side of the Santa Ana River.  Vista Park is on the bluff just behind the bridge in this image.

Bonus entrances for Huntington Beach peeps

North of Victoria there are two entrances on the west side of the river that connect only to Huntington Beach.  The first is at the east end of Atlanta Ave. and the second is at LeBard Park.  Both require a short stint uphill to reach SART.

Atlanta Ave (Huntington Beach only)

The Atlanta Ave. entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The Atlanta Ave. entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The inconspicuous entrance/exit from/to Atlanta Ave. If you're on SART and looking for this exit, keep an eye out for the trash can!
The inconspicuous exit to Atlanta Ave. If you’re on SART and looking for this exit, keep an eye out for the trash can (that’s about halfway between Victoria and the bridge).

The Atlanta Ave. exit is simple enough (just keep going east on Atlanta until you hit the river), except for the fact that it’s easy to miss as you’re rolling on SART.  As the photo caption says, keep an eye out for that trash can!

The ramp from the end of Atlanta Ave up to SART.
The ramp from the end of Atlanta Ave up to SART.

LeBard Park (Huntington Beach only)

The LeBard Park entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The LeBard Park entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google 2015.
The entrance to SART from LeBart Park. Note that this is one of the few four-way intersections on SART; approach cautiously as most people are unaware of cross traffic.
The entrance to SART from LeBard Park is on the left. Note that this is one of the few four-way intersections on SART; approach cautiously, as most people are not looking out for cross traffic.

The LeBard Park entrance to the trail is found in a little residential neighborhood that’s difficult to get to.  Just south of the Brookhurst and Indianapolis intersection is tiny Hercules Drive; take Hercules Drive east, then go north briefly on Suburbia Lane (really?), and finally take a right on Cynthia Drive.  As the intersection of Hercules and Brookhurst has no stoplight, if you need to cross Brookhurst do it at the nearby Brookhurst and Indianapolis light.

If you’re looking to avoid riding on Adams Avenue in Huntington Beach, try Indianapolis – it has a nice bike lane and far lower traffic volume, and parallels Adams nicely.  And, if you want to head from Indianapolis to the Santa Ana River Trail, LeBard Park’s your best entrance.

The (rather hard to find) entrance to SART at LeBard Park connects to a street at the end of Cynthia Drive.
The (rather hard to find) entrance to SART at LeBard Park connects to the end of Cynthia Drive.
The (rather hard to find) entrance to SART at LeBard Park connects to a street at the end of Cynthia Drive.
The ramp that leads from LeBard Park to SART.  The bridge over the Santa Ana River is visible.

Landmark: bridge over the Santa Ana River

The bridge that connects the west and east side of the Santa Ana River Trail in Costa Mesa / Huntington Beach. North of this point SART runs primarily on the east side of the river; south of this point SART runs primarily on the west side of the river.
The bridge that connects the west and east side of the Santa Ana River Trail in Costa Mesa / Huntington Beach. North of this point (away from the ocean) SART runs primarily on the east side of the river; south of this point  (towards the ocean) SART runs primarily on the west side of the river.

To help you keep your bearings there’s a super-easy landmark to use in Costa Mesa: SART crosses the river on a lovely little bridge between Victoria and Adams.  This bridge is at the LeBard Park entrance from Huntington Beach, and a bit south of the Fairview Park entrance.

Should I cross the bridge? The eastern side of SART is fenced off just south of this bridge, so users wanting to head towards the beach must cross to the western side of SART at this point.  And, as the western side of SART becomes unpaved just north of Adams Ave., cyclists looking to head further inland than Adams should cross from the western side to the eastern side of the river on the bridge.

Look out: the bridge’s riding surface is a bunch of wooden boards laid perpendicularly to the direction of travel; it’s safe to ride on, but expect to get a nice massage and plan to go a bit slower than you otherwise might want to.

The bridge that connects the west and east side of the Santa Ana River Trail in Costa Mesa / Huntington Beach. North of this point SART runs primarily on the east side of the river; south of this point SART runs primarily on the west side of the river.
The bridge that connects the west and east side of the Santa Ana River Trail in Costa Mesa / Huntington Beach.

Fairview Park

The Fairview Park entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The Fairview Park entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The bridge that connects Fairview (and Talbert) Park to the Santa Ana River Trail. You must walk about a thousand feet in the direction the gentleman is walking before you actually join SART.
The bridge that connects Fairview Park (and Talbert Park) to the Santa Ana River Trail.  But the bridge doesn’t actually connect with the Santa Ana River Trail, it connects with a path that parallels the trail for about a thousand feet.
The exit to Fairview Park is just down a little slope from the fork that exits to Adams Ave. The Santa Ana River Trail continues up the slope in this image; the Fairview Park exit continues on level ground to the left.
The exit to Fairview Park from SART is found at the bottom of the little slope that descends from the fork that exits to Adams Ave South. The Santa Ana River Trail continues up the slope in this image; the Fairview Park exit continues on level ground to the left.  If you’re coming from the ocean, you’ll be coming down the slope, and will need to make a sharp U-turn here.

Just north of the bridge on the east side of the river is an entrance to Fairview Park (which connects with Placentia Ave and also Talbert Park).  However, it’s hard to find: you have to travel well north of the bridge on the river trail, head to the right at the Adams Ave. exit fork (i.e., continue on the trail and go downhill), make a U-turn once you’re at the base of the little decline just after the Adams Ave. exit fork, and then go back (heading towards the ocean) about a thousand feet before you reach a bridge that takes you over a drainage channel and into the park.  Why couldn’t they just put a stairway or a ramp closer … 

Getting from SART to Fairview Park and Placentia isn't as easy as it could be.
Getting from SART to Fairview Park and Placentia isn’t as easy as it could be. The blue line highlights the paved path from the east side of the bridge to Placentia. Image and map data from Google 2015.

Keeping to the north edge of Fairview Park allows you to get to the western side of Placentia Avenue on a paved trail, exiting onto Placentia through an easily missed small entrance.  But look out: there’s a roughly 50′ climb in both directions of Placentia from that junction 🙂

This paved trail connects Placentia to the Santa Ana River Trail; it's quite nice.
This paved trail connects Placentia to the Santa Ana River Trail’s Fairview Park entrance; it’s quite nice.
This entrance on Placentia is the easiest way to get to SART if you're already on a bike (note that the car parking lot is up the hill and quite far away from this, rather hidden, entrance).
This Fairview Park entrance on Placentia is the easiest way to get to SART if you’re already biking or walking, but note that if you’re in a car you’ll have to drive up the hill and park in the park’s only parking lot.

Fairview Park has both an elevated section (on the mesa) and a lower section (which is what you enter from SART).  In the lower section they’re restoring the native wetland and riparian landscape, complete with multiple pools and some streams; it can be fun to wander around, but most of the paths are gravel.  The elevated section has bathrooms, water fountains, a BMX bike park, a remote-controlled airplane area, and benches with nice views.  At the base of the western edge of the mesa there’s a  secret tree-filled grassy park (Talbert Park, a portion of the Talbert Nature Preserve I believe) that’s absolutely lovely in summer; few people know about it!

Caution: Many of the pathways in Fairview Park are gravel.

Adams Ave

The Adams Ave. entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The Adams Ave. entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail.  Use the western entrances (circled in yellowy green) only if you’re going south (or want to ride on dirt to the north).  Image and map data from Google 2015.
The fork that leads to Adams Ave. from the south occurs well before Adams. If you're exiting on Adams and want to end up on the south side of Adams, keep to the left at this fork. If you're keeping going on SART, head to the right and downhill. If you want to exit to the north side of Adams, head to the right and make a U-turn after passing under Adams. If you're exiting at Fairveiw Park head to the right and make a U turn at the bottom of this incline.
The fork that leads to Adams Ave. from the south occurs well before Adams. If you’re exiting on Adams and want to end up on the south side of Adams, keep to the left at this fork. If you want to keep going on SART, head to the right. If you want to exit to the north side of Adams, head to the right and make a U-turn after passing under Adams. If you’re exiting at Fairview Park head to the right and make a U-turn at the bottom of this incline.

Coming from Costa Mesa, enter SART on the eastern (towards Costa Mesa) side of the river trail; the trail hooks up to both the north and south side of Adams Ave.  The south-side connection runs next to (and slightly above) SART for roughly 1,500 feet before it actually hooks up with the trail, so don’t worry if it looks like you’re in the wrong place.

To get much of anywhere in Costa Mesa from this entrance you’ll need to go up the ~50′ hill on Adams just before it hits Placentia, so be prepared for that.

Caution: Entering SART from Adams on the western side of the river should be done with caution, as the river trail turns into a dirt trail just north of Adams Avenue.  You can enter SART on the west side of Adams (both the north and south side of the street), just realize that if you go north from this point you’ll be riding on dirt for a long way.  However, you can go south from this entrance just fine (albeit after crossing over a tiny bit of dirt), and it’s paved all the way south until you hit the bridge and join the main SART traffic (the tunnel that crosses under Adams is paved as well).

The entrance to SART on the western side of the river from the north side of Adams. Note that SART becomes unpaved just north of this entrance.
The entrance to SART on the western side of the river from the north side of Adams; you can see that SART becomes unpaved just north of this entrance, a fact I hope this gentleman has noticed.

Estancia Park, at the northwest corner of Adams and Placentia, is home to the Diego Sepulveda Adobe, bathrooms, water fountains, and some nice benches.  It’s about a half mile off of the trail to the east, and requires you to go up the ~50′ hill on Adams.

Gisler Ave

The Gisler Ave. entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The Gisler Ave. entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google 2015.
Gisler Ave. connects to SART via a cool little bridge, seen here from on the trail itself.
Gisler Ave. connects to SART via a cool little bridge, seen here from the Santa Ana River Trail.

Take Gisler all the way west until it ends and you’ll hit SART after crossing over a small bike-friendly bridge.  This entrance only connects up to the eastern side of SART, but that’s fine because that’s all you need (as only the eastern portion of SART is paved from Adams up north for quite a ways).  There’s only a very short hill (maybe 20′?) along Gisler before you reach SART, so it’s an easier entrance than Adams or Victoria in that regard.

Gisler’s a great street to bike on (good bike lane and low traffic), so I highly recommend this entrance if you’re at all close to it.

There are no services near this entrance (unless you want to ride 1.1 miles to the In-N-Out and gas stations at the corner of Gisler and Harbor)

The Gisler Ave entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail is at the western end of Gisler, visible in the distance in this picture.
The Gisler Ave entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail is at the westernmost end of Gisler, visible in the distance in this picture.
The end of Gisler can be misleading; it looks like there's just a fence with no entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail, but go through this gap and you'll get to the trail.
The end of Gisler can be misleading; it looks like there’s just a fence with no entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail, but go through this gap and you’ll get to the trail.

Moon Park

The Moon Park entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The Moon Park entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google 2015.
Moon Park in Costa Mesa literally borders the Santa Ana River Trail, making it a can't miss location to enter and exit the trail from. The 405 is behind the block wall in the background, and the tunnel that takes the Santa Ana River Trail underneath the 405 is also visible.
Moon Park in Costa Mesa literally borders the Santa Ana River Trail, making it a can’t-miss location to enter and exit the trail from. The 405 is behind the block wall in the background, and the tunnel that takes the Santa Ana River Trail underneath the 405 is also visible.

Located in a residential neighborhood just to the south of the 405 is Moon Park, which is one of my favorite entrances to SART when I’m heading to parts north.  The park is directly on SART, so it’s a super-easy entrance and exit to use.  To get to Moon Park take California St. north from Gisler (at Tewinkle school); it’s an easy ride on low-traffic streets with a bike lane practically the whole way (the park will be at the end of California Street, just as California St. turns into Nevada Ave.).  Moon Park is at the level of SART, so there are no hills to enter or exit the trail here.

Moon Park has water fountains, a couple of benches, and a concrete moon sculpture for kids to climb on (and adults too, if you want), but no bathrooms.   There are no commercial services near this exit.

Just north of Moon Park is a tunnel that runs underneath the 405; no worries about freeway traffic here!

The Santa Ana River Trail passes underneath the 405 in a little tunnel.
The Santa Ana River Trail passes underneath the 405 in a little tunnel just north of Moon Park (and just south of the Sunflower Ave. entrance).

Bad intersection avoidance: If you’re looking to avoid having to cross the 405 at Harbor (which is terrible for bicyclists), I strongly advise biking over to the Gisler or Moon Park entrance and then taking SART north to either the Sunflower or MacArthur exit.  It doesn’t add on that much distance, but reduces the stress of horridly designed intersections manyfold.

The entrance from California Street to Moon Park; the concrete moon and the 405 sound wall is visible to the right.
The entrance from California Street to Moon Park; the concrete moon and the 405 sound wall are both visible to the right.

Sunflower Ave

The Sunflower Ave. exit to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The Sunflower Ave. entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google 2015.
The Sunflower Ave. entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail. Bicyclists fly down the hill and through the tunnel, so do indeed stop and look both ways before entering the trail!
The Sunflower Ave. entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail is just north of the 405 tunnel. Bicyclists fly down the hill (to the right) and through the tunnel (to the left), so do indeed stop and look both ways before entering the trail.

Just north of the 405 tunnel is a nearly invisible entrance/exit to SART at Sunflower Avenue.  And when I say just north, I really mean just north.  (I rode SART for years before I even saw this entrance, as my vision was always focused on the tunnel and/or hill in this area.)

This entrance is also hard to find from the street as well.  From the west end of Sunflower look for a small trail that leads you to SART.

The entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail from Sunflower Ave / Cadillac Ave is nearly impossible to see unless you know right where it is. It's to the left of the large driveway in this image.
The entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail from Sunflower Ave / Cadillac Ave is easy to miss unless you already know where it is (it’s to the left of the large driveway in this image).
The entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail from Sunflower Ave / Cadillac Ave is nearly impossible to see unless you know right where it is. Here's a closeup of that entrance.
The entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail from Sunflower Ave / Cadillac Ave.  Once you find this entrance you’ll be rewarded with lens flare to symbolize how happy you are that you finally found it.
The path that leads from the Santa Ana River Trail to Sunflower Ave is tree-lined and nicely paved.
The path that leads from the Santa Ana River Trail to Sunflower Ave is tree-lined and nicely paved.
The Sunflower Ave entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail is just north of the 405 bridge. It's easy to miss!
The Sunflower Ave entrance to the Santa Ana River Trail is just north of the 405 bridge. It’s easy to miss!

Sunflower’s at the level of SART here, so there are no hills to enter or exit the trail.

Sunflower hooks up to many destinations in Costa Mesa, including the SoCo Collection (home of Portola Coffee, among other places) only about a half mile off the trail.  If you’re up for more adventure, South Coast Plaza is about 2.75 miles off the trail from this exit; to get there take Sunflower east to Highland, then take Highland south, which then turns into South Coast Drive, which takes you directly to South Coast Plaza.  You can also get to IKEA on the same route (IKEA is about 1.25 miles off the trail at this exit).

MacArthur Blvd (Talbert Ave.)

The Sunflower Ave. exit to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google Maps 2015.
The MacArthur Blvd. exit to the Santa Ana River Trail. Image and map data from Google 2015.
The southern entrance from MacArthur Blvd to the Santa Ana River Trail.
The southern entrance from MacArthur Blvd to the Santa Ana River Trail.

There are easy connections to SART on both the north and south side of MacArthur Blvd.  As with the rest of SART in this area, only enter the trail on the east side of the river, as the west side is dirt.

MacArthur has a tremendous amount of businesses on it in this region.  To the west of SART there’s a Starbucks, Petsmart, Costco, Taco Bell, McDonalds, and a bunch more about a quarter mile off the trail.  To the east of SART there’s a Carls Junior, Del Taco, Home Depot, and the Kaiser Harbor-MacArthur medical building all just about three-quarters of a mile from the trail.

Disclaimer: the information above is accurate to the best of my knowledge, but always check the directions and safety of the routes yourself before riding, as conditions may have changed (and I could just be wrong). 

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