Picturesque Route Through San Diego

The San Diego Scenic Drive is 52 miles of panoramic views, seascapes, parks and beautiful homes. The route, marked by blue-and-white signs posted every quarter-mile, encompasses some of the city’s most popular attractions.

The tour, which starts at the foot of Broadway on Harbor Drive, goes through Harbor Island and to the tip of Shelter Island. The drive then precedes to such attractions as the Cabrillo National Monument, the Mission Bay Aquatic Park, Mount Soledad Park, La Jolla Cove Park and the Old Town State Historic Park. The trip ends back in downtown San Diego. A tape narrating the Scenic Drive can be purchased at Mission Bay Information Center.

Many San Diegans interviewed on a recent day along the route said they have taken the entire drive. Madeline Anella of Tierrasanta takes all her out-of-town relatives on the tour.

“We’ve been doing this for 10 years now,” she said, while showing a visiting aunt from Italy the view of San Diego from the top of Mount Soledad. “Most of my husband’s family is from Michigan, so this is a really good way to show them what San Diego looks like. They’re always amazed by the diversity of the geography of San Diego.”

Steve Franklin of La Jolla didn’t want to talk about the drive for fear that it would bring too many people into his neck of the woods.

“It’s an incredible drive,” he said. “A lot of famous people, like Joan Kroc and Steve Garvey, live up on Mount Soledad. But now it’s going to be flooded with traffic.”

Many San Diegans who have taken the drive find their own favorite spots, which they return to year-round.

Paul and Cathie Welch, an elderly couple from Pacific Beach, have been coming to Ellen Browning Scripps Park on La Jolla Shores Drive for years.

“We used to celebrate anniversaries here with champagne,” Cathie Welch said. “Sometimes we walk along the cliff’s edge in the winter. No two days are alike here.”

Jim Rodgers, also of Pacific Beach, has ridden parts of the Scenic Drive on his bicycle and thinks it’s a great way to explore the city.

“I usually just take the route from Pacific Beach to Mount Soledad,” he said. “It’s a beautiful ride and a good workout.”