Guides
5.3 mile trail in Mission Trails Regional Park near San Diego, California
This hike is about 5.3 miles long and located near San Diego, California. The trail is great for hiking and normally takes a half day
Moderate 5.1 mile hiking and riding trail near San Miguel Ranch/Bonita, California.
Sweetwater Reservoir to Cactus Hill is about 5.1 miles long and located near San Miguel Ranch, California. The trail is great for hiking and normally takes 1-3 hours. A great hike close to town but with the wide open spaces and views most hikers crave. The trail starts at the Sweetwater County Park and parking for day use is free. While you feel...
Challenging 4.7 mile hike up to the top of San Miguel Mountain near Eastlake, California with great views of San Diego.
San Miguel Mountain is about 4.7 miles long and located near Eastlake, California. The trail is great for hiking and normally takes 1-3 hours. This is one of the most challenging hikes I've done in San Diego. They way up is very steep and there aren't any switchbacks. This is a hot hike, as there is no shade, so best to do it on a cool day and start...
This is the Cowles Mountain Region of the Mission Trails Regional Park. This is an intermediate to advanced ride.
Mission Trails Regional Park is a short distance from downtown San Diego and provides easy access for those who live near San Diego. With over 40 miles of trails, it is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. In this ride guide, I describe the trails in the Cowles Mountain Region. I rate this ride as intermediate to advanced due to the...
0.75mi geological walk through a sandy trail down to the beach
The beach trail brings you from the parking lot across the lodge from the bluff down to the beach. You can choose to visit the Red Butte, the Razor Point and the Yucca Point trails along the way. Of the other trails, this trail seems to provide the most complete walk through of geological features discussed in the park's "Geology Walk" article; it...
Whitaker Garden and then 0.5mi steep hike up and down the hill at Torrey Pines State Park
The Parry Grove trail is a short 0.5 mile loop that starts on the side of the Torrey Pines Park Road, across from the stairs leading to High Point. Starting from the trailhead, walk through the Whitaker Garden area, where you will find the names of many plants in the area. The loop part of the trail is a steep descent down to the grove with a bench...
6.1 mile trail near Rancho Penasquitos, California
Los Penasquitos Canyon is about 6.1 miles roundtrip from the staging area to the waterfall and located near Carmel Valley/Rancho Penasquitos and Mira Mesa, California. The trail is great for hiking, mountain biking, and horse back riding, and can take 2-4 hours. This is a generally flat hike that you can make as long or as short as you like. There...
11.8 mile trail near Lakeside, California
This is an out and back hike of 11+ miles with a nice side trip to the El Capitan cliff area if you've still haven't had enough (14 miles with the side trip). There are some nice views and some interesting points along the trail including an old mine shaft and what looks like either an old military or fire vehicle.
Trips
North and South Rueda Canyon Trails
Tierrasanta, California, United States
Hiking | 3.4 miles (11.3 miles away)
Hiking | 3.4 miles (11.3 miles away)
The Friends of Tierrasanta Canyons improves and maintains hiking trails in just part of the 800 acres of Tierrasanta Open Space. The are many types of wildflowers and shrubs. Amoung them are California Sunflower & California poppy, wild hyacinth, dudleya, barrel cactus, jumping cholla cactus, monkey flower, deer weed, dudleya, lupine, rattleweed, phacelia, blue-eyed grass, dunn mariposa, lemonade berry, laruel sumac and some very large coastal live oaks.
You may see...
New Trail in MTRP
Highlands Mobile Home Park, California, United States
Hiking | 7.9 miles (13.7 miles away)
Hiking | 7.9 miles (13.7 miles away)
Some day this trail will actually be part of MTRP when it is finally given up by the Marines. It is a beauty! We started from the Old Mission Dam and went North through Oak Canyon and kept going when we came to the Rt 52 bridge. From there it was all new territory for me, out a couple of miles and then back down Spring Canyon. After passing under the other...
Sweetwater River Trail - Hwy 94 Section
Spring Valley, California, United States
Hiking | 5.9 miles (14.5 miles away)
Hiking | 5.9 miles (14.5 miles away)
(Draft) Sweetwatwer River Trail, Hwy 94 section. Another gorgous San Diego day, its January and when I pulled up to the trail head outside temp was 81. This section of the trail encompasses the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. I walked this as a loop trail but the path can easily be done as out and back again. I was still feeling the effects of the cruise we just took so I decided to walk...
The Mission Trails 5 Peak Hike
San Diego, California, United States
Hiking | 15.1 miles (11.9 miles away)
Hiking | 15.1 miles (11.9 miles away)
The Codgery took on the five peaks of Mission Trails Regional Park today and prevailed. Of course we cheated a little bit with some well planned car rides from one site to another, but none the less we climbed all 5 peaks in one day. The hike started at the Cowles Mt staging area at Golfcrest and Navajo and proceeded to the Cowles summit and then on to Pyles peak. Then we descended...
This urban canyon starts near Taft Middle School at the corner of Ruffin and Mission Village Rd. The trail starts at a native plant garden and then heads south towards Friars Rd. There is a seasonal stream that is a tributary of the San Diego River. The trails follows the side of a canyon before heading down to the stream bed. The is plenty of lemonade berry, sumac, and monkeyflower in bloom....
Rapid elevation change, very steep in some parts. Could also cliff climb some parts. Great view to the ocean, the islands, Mexico, Point Loma, Downtown San Diego. 1200 foot elevation change in .6 miles.
Mission Trails Regional Park - Clairemont Mesa to Fortuna Saddle & South Fortuna Mountain Summit Loop
San Diego, California, United States
Hiking | 5.4 miles (11.5 miles away)
Hiking | 5.4 miles (11.5 miles away)
We set out on this hike the day after a really soaking overnight rain.. and we paid for it! The Fortuna Saddle Trail was so muddy, slippery, and slow going through the valley that I thought more than once about turning around and heading back for the car.. but I'm glad I didn't in the end. I will say that the mud through this area was heavy with sticky clay that stuck...
