Guide For Cycling Through Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

Riding along North County coastal roads is one of the many wonderful things about living in this beautiful area. One popular North County coastal route is to ride from Oceanside through Camp Pendleton up to San Onofre (and then on to Orange County). The beauty of this ride is that you can always take the train back if your legs run out of steam once you are up in Orange County. Check the Pacific Surfliner schedule for train times. The Camp Pendleton route offers a roadway that is not heavily traveled by motorists. Once you exit the base, you come out at the Las Pulgas Road exit which provides a protected bikeway that leads to the San Onofre parking lot where you can continue on or take a pit stop to enjoy the sweeping coastal views.

Traveling through Camp Pendleton by bike used to require nothing more than presenting your California driver’s license to the main security gate entrance. That is no longer the case. If you are a recreational cyclist, in order to enter Camp Pendleton on your bike you must first obtain a DBIDS Recreational Bicycle pass/credential in person from the Marine Corps Visitor Center. The Camp Pendleton Visitor Center is located in Bldg. 20255T, adjacent to the Main Gate near Interstate 5. You may only obtain a pass during business hours (Mon., Tue., Thur., and Fri. - 7:30am - 3:30pm; Wed. - 7:45am - 3:30pm). Be sure to bring the proper documentation with you or you will not be provided with a pass. See below for what documents they accept for your recreational cycling pass application.

Once you have obtained a DBIDS Recreational Bicycle pass/credential, you are permitted to enter the base, but you are only authorized to access the base for bicycle transit and may not participate in any other activities. Click here for a map of the permissible bike route. The pass is good for one year.

Some cyclists who show up to the base unprepared, decide to take their chances and ride along the side of the freeway from the Camp Pendleton exit to the Las Pulgas Road exit. Not only are cars not expecting to see bikes along the freeway, the side of the freeway is often littered with debris that can easily puncture your tire or cause an accident. This is very dangerous and I highly recommend avoiding riding along the freeway whenever possible.

For additional questions regarding entering Camp Pendleton as a recreational cyclist, contact the Marines.