BASE “DOD Bike Pass” Required
Beginning October 1, 2018, all cyclists who wish to access the cycling route at Camp Pendleton are required to register with the new Department of Defense Biometric Identification System before they enter the base.
To register for a DBIDS bicycle pass, individuals need to go to the Main/Vandegrift Boulevard visitors center (Oceanside gate) and are required to show an acceptable identity source document such as a valid government issued photo ID (I.E. Real ID ACT compliant driver's license, state identification card, or passport) to establish their identity and submit to a criminal background check as well as having their photograph and fingerprint taken.
The visitor's center hours are Monday to Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Bicycle passes will be valid for one year and will be restricted to bicycle access; any attempt to enter the base in a motor vehicle with a bike pass will be turned around. Recreational cyclists may not sponsor another adult cyclist. Adult cyclists may be accompanied by minors for whom they are directly responsible.
The cycling route through Camp Pendleton has not changed [North/South from the Las Pulgas gate to the Main gate (Stuart Mesa Rd to Vandergrift Blvd) and South/North from the Main gate to the Las Pulgas gate (Vandergrift Blvd to Stuart Mesa Rd)] and access via the DBIDS bicycle pass is limited to the Main and Las Pulgas gates.
MCB Camp Pendleton will continue to foster positive relationships with our neighbors by allowing access to cyclists and we appreciate that most cyclists have been good visitors during their time on the base. We encourage cyclists who wish to enjoy uninterrupted access to the base to come in as soon as possible to obtain their DBIDS ID. We anticipate that the volume of passes issued in late September and early October will require long waits, so don't procrastinate.
The new system will increase installation security and communications by receiving frequent database updates on changes to personnel/credential status, law enforcement warrants, lost/stolen cards, and force protection conditions. The system provides a continuous vetting anytime the DBIDS card is scanned at an installation entry point.
On-line registration of recreational cyclists ended on July 22, 2018. No matter when you registered under the old system, that form of access to the base ended on September 30, 2018. After that date only a DBIDS bicycle pass holder will be allowed aboard the base.
For questions regarding base access, please call 760-763-8435.
The USMC have advised the cycling community that failure to obey their single file riding rule and leaving the designated route from Las Pulgas gate to the Main Gate may jeopardize continued access to non-military cyclists.
CalTrans has made the shoulders wide along the 5 Freeway and as there is no other way to get from LAs Pulgas to Oceanside, it is always legal to ride on the freeway shoulder if the base is closed to you...
Remember also to renew your pass registration to ride through the base in person. The USMC no longer has an on-line renewal option.
NOTE - Due to flood damage 2 winters ago, the visitor center has been closed and no passes have been issued or renewed for a very long time. The USMC may resume issuing passes in July 2024….
Base Access Information: https://www.pendleton.marines.mil/Main-Menu/Base-Access/
There are details of the route posted on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/BicyclePendleton
