When I was a kid, we used to drive to our vacation destination as a family. We did not fly, too expensive at the time, so we used to pack the car and drive 10 – 12 hours. I loved it, to this day I prefer driving to flying. The best part of the whole journey was when I knew we were getting close to the sea, I knew right after the next drive up the hill, I was going to be able to see the ocean. That initial view of the ocean when you clear that hill, or make the next turn has always been my favorite “high”. I am smiling as I am writing this, I can vividly picture it in my head.

It is probably why I get such a rush, I feel alive when I get to hike or bike where there is an ocean view. I have always loved being next to or in the water (I guess that is why swimming is my favorite form of exercise 🙂 ), so I decided to find some great bike trails with an ocean view all over the United States.

I know there are tons more than the 17 I will be talking about here, but these are the ones that caught my attention while I was researching. No surprise, a lot from California.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did, I am mostly going to do the photos do the talking.

Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Trail, CA

This 18 mile trail offers beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean.  You will see a lot of bikers, inline skaters, hikers, people walking, fishing, overall enjoying life.

image by mikeccross

image by Ben Fish

image by Lucy Shen

For more information on Monterey Bay coastal recreation trail click here.

Shoreline Pedestrian/Bicycle Path, Long Beach, CA

This trail is pretty much a “tourist attraction” , but still a very nice 4.1 trail that runs from Long Beach Shoreline Marina to Long Beach’s Belmont Shore. It is a concrete and you are not in the middle of nature so to speak, but right next to the beach, Pacific ocean, I’ll take it any day of the week.

image by Michael Zampelli

Click here if you would like more information on this trail.

Huntington Beach Bicycle Trail, CA

This is another classic, and yes again asphalt, concrete however, Huntington beach and Manhattan Beach are my two favorite spots in California, so I had to at least include on of them. Trail runs about 8 miles, with gorgeous ocean views.

image by orangetuwie

Here is more info on Huntington Beach bike trail.

Redondo Beach, CA

How can you not want to ride here every day after work?

image by billallred

image by tabats

Marvin Braude Bike Trail, LA to Torrence, CA

Also known as The Strand, maybe the most famous bike trail in CA. Has been featured in countless movies, TV shows. 21 miles long, good workout if you can finish it one day or a week:)

image by Graham

image by SethHikes

For more information on Marvin Braude bike trail, click here

McKinleyville Hammond Trail, CA

This trail is great for walking, biking, mountain biking, horse back riding. 5.5 miles, asphalt and dirt.

image by bliu

image by Ryder Dschida

You can get more information on this trail here.

Ormond Beach Trails, FL

Ormond Beach has many trails to offer. Here is a link to find out more about all the trial in this area.

image by twila miller

image by Quinn deEskimo

Here is another link you might find useful if you are looking for more information on Ormond Beach trails. 

Daytona beach, Daytona, FL

World famous, no need to add to much info here.

image by Joe Shlabotnik

New Smyrna Beach Trails, FL

New Smyrna Beach offers a variety of options. You can click here to view all of them.

image by Joe Flood

Jacksonville Beach, FL

Florida is another obvious states for someone looking to bike on the beach or find a trail with an ocean view. Miles of sand, great views of the Atlantic Ocean, what more do you need?

image by grepsalot

image by Jon Dawson

Sanibel Island, FL

Sanibel is a beautiful little island in southwest Florida with gorgeous beaches. Roughly around 15 miles.

image by Adventures In Paradise

image by Leslie Schaaf

image by Jim Pare

More information on Sanibel Island can be found here.

Ke Ala Hele Makalae, Kauai, HI

“The Path that Goes by the Coast” (Ka Ala Hele Makalae) is a 7 mile path on the island of Kauai.

image by Janice

image by Michael <snakDaddy>

For more information on Ka Ala Hele Makalae click here.

Madaket Bike Path, MA

This 5.6 mile bike path is between  Nantucket Town and Madaket Beach.

image by Fred

image by Jay Colbath

Bandon, OR

Fatbiking is my new obsession. I even wrote about why I am saving money to buy one (still working on it). These photos will explain one of the major reasons.

image by Jeff Moser

image by Jeff Moser

image by burp4olive

Lopez Island, WA

Lopez Island is the first stop on the Washington State Ferry from Anacortes.  The island is 15 miles long and 8 miles wide.

image by Jean-Pierre Chamberland

image by jrag07

Discovery Trail, Long Beach, WA

The ocean overlook at Beard’s Hollow offers a great view of the Pacific ocean. This is 8.3 mile trail. Looks like another great place to fatbike.

image by Heather Harvey

Here is more detailed information about the Discovery trail.

Esperance, WA

Esperance has a bunch of trails for you to pick from. You can find a map of all the trails here.

image by LeahRR

I am pretty sure I am going to update this list over time. The ideal would be actually visiting most of these places personally, some for the first time, and to take pictures of myself biking while enjoying the calming beauty of the sea. Until then, this blog post will have to do:)

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