Lost Abbey to Stone Anniversary without a Car

So you’re going to the Stone Brewing 15th Anniversary celebration at Cal State San Marcos on Saturday, and you’d like to drop by Lost Abbey to enjoy a hearty breakfast and perhaps a beer or two before you head off to attend your Session.

It's easy to travel without a car

Problem is, you really don’t want to deal with the hassles of driving between the two locations.

Good news. You don’t have to.

The Lost Abbey is actually very close to the party’s location at Cal state San Marcos (a mere 4,800 ft as the crow flies), and there’s a number of options including the train, bike trails and walking paths that are just about as quick as driving your car between places. Here’s how to get there from here (or vice versa) without climbing in a car:

The Train

One of the best kept secrets around here is the Sprinter — the light rail system that runs between Oceanside on the coast, and Escondido inland. You can hop on the train at San Marcos city center (Lost Abbey’s station) and off it again 3 minutes later at Cal State San Marcos (for the festival). The Sprinter is also bike friendly, so if you’d rather pedal than hoof it, you can.

Lost Abbey is a few minute(s) walk from the San Marcos City Center station, as is the Cal State San Marcos station from the festival. With a bike it’s less than half that time.

Trains run once an hour and the fare is $2 each way, or you can buy a $5 round trip pass that will take you from Oceanside to Escondido and back again (very convenient if you’d rather leave your car at the transit station or if you’re going all train via the Coaster, MetroLink or Amtrak).

Tip: Take the Inland Rail Trail (it’s on the map) to/from Sprinter and Lost Abbey. The trail avoids the street lights and a steep hill, so you’ll travel all that much quicker.

MAP: Travel via the Sprinter

View Lost Abbey to Stone 14th in a larger map

Walking / Biking

If you’re into the whole human-powered thing, it’s still pretty easy to go between Lost Abbey and the Anniversary Party just using your feet or a bike. (The distance is actually shorter than driving because you can cut through the parking lots and use the sidewalks and bike paths to avoid car routes.) If you’re driving and then hoofing/pedaling, make sure to park your car at Cal State San Marcos early and roll down the hill to Lost Abbey. You can have breakfast and burn a few carbs going back to the Stone event. When your Session is over your car will be waiting nearby.

Tip: Cut through the Old Spaghetti Factory / LA Fitness parking lot between Twin Oaks & Rancheros (it’s on the map). Cars have to drive around it, but you’ll cut 1/2 a mile off your trip each way.

MAP: Travel via foot or bike

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