California Road Trips Guide - 2021 - 20

ROAD TRIPS 2021
SAN DIEGO TO BORREGO SPRINGS
OCEANSIDE
DISTANCE: 136 MILES * DAYS: 2-3
San Diego Sojourn
VIBRANT CULTURE MINGLES WITH BREATHTAKING
OCEAN VIEWS, ARTSY TOWNS, AND WILD DESERT
S
tart your drive with a
caffeine fix: Try a
cappuccino at Cafe
Virtuoso, cold brew at Dark
Horse, or Mexican mocha at
James Coffee. Then cruise up
I-5 to North County, where the
locals live by the surf report. First
stop: Stylish Del Mar overflows
with boutiques and bistros
tucked into Tudor-style buildings.
Save time to see the thoroughbreds
at Del Mar Racetrack, talk
to the parrots at Free Flight Bird
Sanctuary, or soar through the
sky in a hot-air balloon.
In Solana Beach, laidback
1960s beach culture mixes with
vibrant shopping and eateries.
Browse Cedros Avenue for hip
clothing and housewares, then
fill up at Pizza Port. Just north
in Encinitas, try any (or all) of
the many chicken sandwiches
at The Crack Shack. See a lush
collection of palms, bamboo,
and succulents at the San Diego
Botanic Garden.
A few miles north, Carlsbad
is home to kid-fave LEGOLAND
California and the colorful
flower fields at Carlsbad Ranch.
Even if you don't have kids, plan
on an overnight at Cape Rey
Carlsbad for easy access to the
beach. Take a tour of the
Museum of Making Music or
shop at Carlsbad Premium
Outlets, then enjoy wood-fired
dining at Campfire.
For your last coastal stop,
linger a while in Oceanside.
Get schooled on surfing history
at the California Surf Museum,
then walk along San Diego's longest
wooden pier (1,942 feet) to
watch the surfers below.
Winding Highway 78 carries
you inland to Escondido, where
20 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM
more than 3,000 animals roam
around San Diego Zoo Safari
Park. Hop on the Africa Tram
to see giraffes and rhinos, or
zipline above grazing gazelles
and elephants. Afterward, stop
for burgers and brews at Stone
Brewing World Bistro and Gardens,
a monument to craft beer.
Forge eastward, pausing in
Ramona to snap a selfie with
a camel and buy camel-milk
soaps at Oasis Camel Dairy.
End the day in Julian, a mining
town famous for apple pie (dig
in at Mom's Pie House or Apple
Alley). Tour the Eagle and High
Peak Mine, a key player in the
1870s Gold Rush, then order
a flight at Julian Hard Cider's
Miners Saloon, housed in a
former apple-packing facility.
The final leg zigzags down
Banner Grade into the valley
of Anza-Borrego Desert State
Park. Hike to the fan palm oasis
in Borrego Palm Canyon and
Pacific
Ocean
LEGOLAND California
San Diego Zoo
Safari Park
Borrego
Palm
The Crack
Shack
Cedros
Avenue
Del Mar
Racetrack
Dark Horse Coffee
SAN DIEGO
WORTH A DETOUR
Flour power: Stock up on jalapeño cheddar
bread from Dudley's Bakery in Santa Ysabel.
Chill out: Go snorkeling
in La Jolla, then taste
Bobboi's artisanal
gelato flavors: dragon
lemon, charcoal vanilla,
and vegan pistachio.
AREA OF DETAIL
San
Francisco
ancis
Los
Angeles
San
Diego
look for bighorn sheep clinging
to the cliffs. Marvel at the
colorful Carrizo Badlands at
sunset or sunrise. Drive around
Borrego Springs to see largescale
animal sculptures. After
sundown, lay out a blanket for
Borrego's dazzling star show.
With almost no light pollution,
you'll have a horizon-to-horizon
scope on the Milky Way.
Torrey Pines State Beach
Oasis
Camel
Dairy
Mom's
Pie
House
Canyon
BORREGO
SPRINGS
THOM MORRIS/GETTY IMAGES
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California Road Trips Guide - 2021

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