Traveling The Scenic Route, there are times when you find a place that seems so ideal you can hardly bring yourself to hitch up the trailer and motor on out of town. For me, San Diego has always been one of those places.
Mountain View Anza-Borrego – Courtesy Joanne DiBona, SanDiego.org
Blessed with a balmy climate, a laid-back attitude and an overabundance of interesting diversions, there’s a reason San Diego consistently makes lists of top travel destinations. Based on personal experience, I can say it’s probably a safe bet that this town will set its hook in you faster than it takes you to utter its “America’s Finest City” nickname.
Of course visiting any major city while pulling a good-sized trailer like our 36-foot Kodiak 300BHSL is often fraught with challenges, from navigating crowded streets to finding an attractive and well-located RV park. On our most recent visit, we found that and more at San Diego’s Campland on The Bay.
Located on the tranquil shores of San Diego’s expansive Mission Bay, Campland On The Bay offers a number of drop-dead gorgeous sites, a long list of amenities and a herd of very friendly ducks that took up residence under our trailer after my son threw them a few crusts of stale bread one morning. While all the usual amenities are here, Campland goes further with kayak, sailboat and personal watercraft rentals, a skateboard park, organized activities and entertainment and a full-on arcade-quality game room that would make a teenager drool.
Silver Strand Coronado Beach Sunset -Courtesy Joanne DiBona, SanDiego.org
While we could easily have spent all-day, every-day hanging out here, we did manage to get out of the park to tool along some of our favorite San Diego county scenic byways. Here are some can’t-miss drives I’d highly recommend:
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Road
Yes, this is a desert, but it’s also the site of an annual explosion of springtime wildflowers. Visit in the fall and you’re likely to spot the park’s male tarantulas out cruising around in search of a mate or, as a park naturalist once told me, “It’s like a single bar—all the boys are out looking for love.”
Coronado Silver Strand Beach Pt Loma View -Courtesy Joanne DiBona, SanDiego.org
Silver Strand Highway
For a different kind of sand, check out the Silver Strand. Besides the miles of often deserted beach at the state park here, you’ll can explore the quaint seaside town of Coronado and cross the graceful arc of the 200-foot-tall Coronado Bridge.
Cabrillo Freeway
This short tree-lined stretch of divided highway between downtown and Mission Valley is lovely enough in its own right, but taking the Park Blvd. exit takes you to 1,200-acre Balboa Park with more than a dozen world-class museums, gardens and preforming arts venues.
