San Diego County
Motorcycle rides near San Diego
2 mapped rides and 5 riding roads in San Diego County, each with what it's like to ride, what to watch for, this week's weather and the motorcycle crashes reported along it.
Rides
Palomar Mountain: South Grade and East GradeFrom SR-76 at South Grade Road · 27.6 mi · 3,350 ft of climbingA short loop over Palomar Mountain: the tight switchbacks of South Grade up, the faster sweepers of East Grade down, and the valley road back along SR-76.
Julian, Cuyamaca and Sunrise HighwayFrom Julian · 56.6 mi · 5,290 ft of climbingA loop through the Cuyamaca and Laguna Mountains from Julian: the rolling road through Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, a stretch of Old Highway 80, and Sunrise Highway along the ridge with views east over the desert.
Riding roads near San Diego
- Palomar Mountain (South & East Grade)Tight switchbacks on South Grade, faster sweepers on East Grade.19.4 mi · 45 crashes
- Sunrise Highway (S1)Flowing mountain road through the Laguna Mountains with desert views.26.1 mi · 9 crashes
- Banner Grade (SR-78)Steep, winding descent from Julian down to the desert at Banner.19.4 mi · 29 crashes
- Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian)Rolling road through Cuyamaca Rancho State Park between Descanso and Julian.32.2 mi · 122 crashes
- Campo Road (SR-94)Backcountry highway from the San Diego suburbs east past Campo, near the border.55.1 mi · 143 crashes
Common questions
- What are good motorcycle rides near San Diego?
- The rides we've mapped near San Diego: Palomar Mountain: South Grade and East Grade (27.6 mi from SR-76 at South Grade Road); Julian, Cuyamaca and Sunrise Highway (56.6 mi from Julian). Riding roads near San Diego: Palomar Mountain (South & East Grade), Sunrise Highway (S1), Banner Grade (SR-78), Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian), Campo Road (SR-94). We don't rank them; each page has the route, what the road is like, what to watch for and the crashes reported along it.
- Are the mountain roads near San Diego open?
- Mountain roads close for snow, rockslides, fire and roadwork. Our riding-roads conditions page lists this week’s Caltrans and LA County closures and chain controls for every riding road, and each road page lists the closures for today. Those lists don’t include every closure, so check Caltrans QuickMap (quickmap.dot.ca.gov) before you go.
- How many motorcycle crashes happen on these roads?
- 348 motorcycle crashes were reported along the 5 riding roads near San Diego from 2021–2025. Busier roads have more crashes partly because more people ride them, so the counts don't say which road is riskier.
Other regions
Routes and roads: © OpenStreetMap contributors; maps © Mapbox. Crashes: motorcycle crashes reported along each road or ride, 2021–2025, from the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS). How the data works.