San Diego River Bicycle and Pedestrian Path

There are beautiful and scenic views along this path. I also spied security traversing the area which is reassuring. My review is consistent with the others here. There are less maintained areas along the path prior to arriving at Fashion Valley Mall.
Overall I’m pleased to have a hiking and biking resource here in this area and will definitely make weekly use of it.
«Happy trails!»

Since I became prego I’ve been keeping the high intensity exercising to a minimum so I’m always looking for a new walking trail. I saw this one on Unilocal but was a bit skeptical because some of the pictures near the underpass were less than appealing.
It’s at the intersection of Hazard Center Drive and Mission Center Rd. I’m directionally challenged so just following the directions that are currently on the Unilocal page left me a few blocks off.
The beginning of the trail is lovely. Walking alongside the river with several signs along the way letting you know the origin of the river, a little bit about some of the wildlife found here, etc. Once you hit the first underpass it starts to loose its charm. I was skeptical about walking under the underpasses but there were lots of other people (including families) walking, biking and running by which made me feel better. There are also lamps under the underpass which I assume come on at night for those interested in a sunset stroll.
All in all it was a good path. My fave part is that it runs into Fashion Valley Mall lol. All this walking made me want to stop by Lulu lemon :)

Nice urban walk. Most of it is paved — but there are also plenty of places at each end that lead to dirt trails — probably used most by the homeless in the area. Most people driving along Interstate 8 never notice the river they are driving parallel to. Even if you just come to the area to shop, take a short walk — along this trail.

We live in a condo and look down on the bicycle /​pedestrian path. It’s my main form of exercise and I walk a mile or so every day with my dog. Nice view of the river and scenery. The city takes pretty good care of the pathway, picking up trash and trimming the trees and bushes.

We run or walk on the San Diego River Bicycle and Pedestrian Path whenever we are trapped in Mission Valley due to traffic or we don’t feel like jumping in the car to drive somewhere else to get some exercise.
I do not think I would ever bike around this path unless I am connecting to the bike path that starts from Friars/​Fashion Valley Rd and goes all the way west to the bay and ocean. There are just too many cross streets and stop lights. It would be nice to have bridges crossing over some of the busier streets along this path but that is probably just wishful thinking on my part. So that is why we use this path mostly to walk or run for exercise or to visit stores nearby rather than for biking.
Unfortunately this is really the only free open space in Mission Valley to get some exercise until the park at Civita is completed which is currently scheduled to finish sometime in the summer of 2015. With all the development in the area, it is hard to believe there is very little free open space for MV residents. This path does serve as a nice break from the hustle and bustle of MV. It presents a piece of nature in what is otherwise an incredibly busy area.
There are two sides to this path. The south side of the path which continues along Camino De La Reina to Fashion Valley Mall and the north side of the path which currently stops before the 163 along Hazard Center Drive. The north side has been under construction for the past couple of months and goes most of the way to the 163. Eventually it will connect to Fashion Valley Mall as well.
I am giving this path three stars because I do not think I would ever recommend this path to anyone unless they live in the area and need a place to exercise without driving or they enjoy bird watching. Most of the time, we prefer to drive a few miles west and exercise around the bay or beach.

This place really isn’t half bad. In fact, once you get on the trail, it’s a nice reminder that though the hustle and bustle of San Diego’s freeways are still close by, there is definitely still a place to go and appreciate the more natural things the city has to offer.
I’d definitely suggest walking along this path anytime during December or January (aka right now) because this is the time when the leaves of the trees have begun to change color.
It’s not a difficult walk and the path is scenic. (In parts) If you were really willing, you could even park it on a bench and read while absorbing some of that glorious vitamin D.

Really, and sadly, this is the best that Mission Valley has to offer when it comes to biking and running. Mission Valley is ridiculously car friendly, and notoriously pedestrian unfriendly, and there is nothing more evident of that than this path. The path that crosses multiple streets, all of which point you to go a block out of your way to cross at a light. As a runner, it’s almost okay… as a biker, I cannot imagine, because you wouldn’t be able to go more than a few minutes, at most, before having to stop for a street. Not only that, but the path just ends. I mean… it just freakin’ ends. Not cool.
You’ll also have to weave around a few sleeping homeless people. Meh, that’s no big deal.

A very nice path created by San Diego City, I wish my taxes went more towards this stuff than other stuff they waste their money on. The path on the north side of the river is very upkept and clean. This is an awesome place to take an afternoon stroll or walk your dog on. However, there is no lights on this path, so taking it at night is not a good idea.

Honestly, the walk itself is nice. I really enjoy walking on cement road and looking to either side of me and seeing water, trees, dirt, ducks, etc. I don’t like seeing dog poop everywhere because people decided to not pick up their dog’s feces.
You can walk your dogs here, you can go on a bike ride, you can walk/​run/​jog here, I’ve even seen people fishing here. It’s pretty relaxing to put on your headphones and just run through the place. It’s not a really long walk. There are other prettier places, but if this is close by, you should try it at least once.

In the mornings, I’ve run on the north east side of the river (opposite side from Best Buy and on the InCahoots side) and have never had a bad experience. It’s typically fairly quiet with enough sunshine to be well lit but enough shade to keep cool. I have yet to see any evidence of homelessness on this side of the river. On the other sides, yes, I have encountered non threatening homeless men, but if I were a woman, I could understand their hesitation.

I had lovely run this morning on the path on the north side of the river, from the famous feral cats at the west end to the bird sanctuary on the east end. Loads of birders were out on the east end with their binocs and notebooks, writing ‘em down and checking ‘em twice.
And there were loads of birds hanging out, fishing, flirting and sunning. If I knew their names I’d tell you.
Note to the folks who warned about homeless people: if there were any, I didn’t see them.
Happy 2013 to all of you.

Do yourself a favor and don’t use this bike or pedestrian path. Homeless people live in the bushes and while most of them are harmless — some are on drugs and harass you. Watch out!

The San Diego River Bicycle & Pedestrian Path is actually two parallel paved paths, one on each side of the San Diego River, through Mission Valley — roughly around 163 and 805, and near the different malls. There is a parking lot to access the path on Mission Center Road at Hazard Center Drive, just south of the Carl’s Jr and north of Best Buy.
What’s good: a chance to walk or bike and actually experience a slice of the natural world. I was trapped in Mission Valley yesterday and took a walk on both the north and south paths between Mission Center Road and Camino Del Este and got to see and hear a bunch of birds in the trees and in the water, as well as chat with a fellow nature lover. There’s a couple of benches along the north side, and some picnic tables on the south side, which also connects to the Mission Valley Center trolley station. Nature interpretation signs can be found at the different path access points.
What’s bad: The path doesn’t smoothly cross every road — be prepared to have to walk to the nearest intersection to safely cross Mission Center Road, Camino Del Este, and Qualcomm Way. While the path along the river is an oasis in car-​focused Mission Valley, the sound of quiet nature doesn’t quite drown out the lull of traffic on the neighboring roads and freeways.
Still if you live, work, or otherwise need a break in the area, take a walk or bike ride on the smooth, wide path, which is popular with the locals.
EDIT: one of my friends points out that the some parts of the path, usually picnic tables are also popular with the local homeless population.