Biking Along Long Beach

The Long Beach Shoreline Bike Path is the quintessential SoCal oceanfront path—cool breezes, sandy beaches, swaying palms trees, beautiful boats. The 7.5-mile (round-trip) out-and-back bike path runs along the entirety of Long Beach’s narrow stretch of shoreline known locally as Junipero Beach and Belmont Beach. It’s a smoothly paved, level route, separate from the pedestrian path, making it perfect for a relaxed-pace cruise.

The bike path begins just outside of Parkers’ Lighthouse in Shoreline Village, in view of both the _Queen Mary _and the Aquarium of the Pacific. For the first half-mile you’ll cycle through the marina and see thousands of docked pleasure craft. After the path curves left and then right, you’ll be on the beach.

After about 2.5 miles you’ll reach Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier—a great place to take a break and make the short walk out to the end of the pier, where there’s a restaurant, and folks fishing for whatever’s biting. Back on the path, you’ll be skirting one of the state’s best kiteboarding beaches. If the wind’s up, it’s quite a show. The path continues past the pier for another mile until you reach a series of boulders with plaques indicating where you are on the path. The path ends at Ocean Boulevard, but you might want to turn right here and ride another mile beside beachfront homes to Alamitos Park at the end of the Alamitos Peninsula, where there’s a restroom and great ocean views.

The body of water at the tip of the peninsula is the entrance to Alamitos Bay, which is framed by a breakwater. On the other side of that breakwater is the mouth of the San Gabriel River, and just across the river is the town of Seal Beach. If you look back the way you came, you’ll see on your left the oceanfront sides of the beautiful homes you’ve been biking past. Savor the view!

JAVA REWARD: On your way back, be sure to take a short 1-mile detour into downtown Long Beach to grab a coffee or an artisan soda from Cuppa Cuppa. The vibe is rustic, the beans sourced locally. And if you’ve ever wondered about the life cycle of coffee or how it’s brewed, all the info is plastered on the walls. Truly a great place for coffee lovers.

From the I-710 S, take Exit 1C toward downtown Long Beach and continue onto W. Shoreline Dr. Make a right turn onto Shoreline Village Dr. If the Shoreline Village lot is full, you’ll find municipal parking structures nearby. Cuppa Cuppa is at 455 E. Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach.