Category Archives: Canyons of San Diego

Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve (East)


Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve, with its long, looping trail system, year-round creek, and easily accessible waterfall, is a highly popular hiking destination. In addition to all of its many natural attractions, it is also home to the historic Rancho Penasquitos Adobe Ranch House. The Ranch House has a long history as a private residence and bunkhouse for ranch hands. You can incorporate a tour of the Ranch House into your hike if you like, or maybe just stop by to visit some of the barnyard animals that live on the grounds. Even if you bypass the Ranch House, the eastern half of Penasquitos Canyon offers a scenic and interesting hike along Penasquitos Creek to a small but scenic waterfall. Continue reading Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve (East)

Gonzales Canyon


Gonzales Canyon has a modest network of trails that explore several connected canyons. The Torrey Pines Loop Trail, which has only a modest stand of Torrey Pines at the very end, explores two adjacent canyons full of mixed chaparral and coastal sage scrub. We combined this loop with a section of the Lagoon Trail, which travels along a lush riparian belt, for a scenic and varied figure-8 dual loop. Continue reading Gonzales Canyon

Ruffin Canyon


If you’re looking for a quiet wilderness experience, but don’t want to leave town, Ruffin Canyon might be the spot for you. The hike begins with a quaint native plant garden and a well defined trail, but soon descends into a rugged, somewhat overgrown canyon. Despite the proximity to major housing developments, Ruffin Canyon offers a surprising amount of quiet solitude. Continue reading Ruffin Canyon

North Tecolote Canyon


Tecolote Canyon is one of the larger urban canyons in San Diego. It has approximately 6.5 miles of trails, however several major roads and a golf course transect the canyon, making a contiguous hike difficult. We had previously hiked the southern portion of the canyon and set off today to explore the northern portion. Continue reading North Tecolote Canyon

South Clevenger Canyon

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As highway 78 winds through the San Pasqual Valley, the tall slopes Clevenger Canyon Open Space Park loom above. The Park is bisected by the highway, and separate trail heads provide access to trails on either side. We had hiked the North Clevenger Canyon trail over a year ago, and we decided it was high time to get back and finish the job by hiking South Clevenger Canyon. The two trails offer similar terrain and views, and both are enjoyable hikes. The South Clevenger trail splits at the half mile point, with one fork going east and one going west. Our intention was to hike both forks, but if you’re looking for a shorter hike you could certainly just do one. Of the two, I found the eastern fork a little more scenic and interesting. Continue reading South Clevenger Canyon

Navajo Canyon

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Located just north of Interstate 8 in a heavily populated area near SDSU, Navajo Canyon is one of San Diego’s many open spaces that protects a small island of nature within a sea of development. The canyon is home to a small creek with some large groves of palm trees, with a mix of riparian and chaparral habitats. Continue reading Navajo Canyon

San Clemente Canyon

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San Clemente Canyon lies just south of Highway 52, between Interstates 5 and 805. Highway 52 was originally planned to run through the canyon, but thanks to the efforts of Marian Bear, a community leader and environmentalist, 52 was rerouted to its currently location and the canyon was preserved. The area is now known as Marian R. Bear Memorial Park, and preserves a beautiful riparian habitat.  Continue reading San Clemente Canyon

North Clevenger Canyon

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The San Pasqual Valley consists largely of an agricultural preserve owned by the City of San Diego. The San Pasqual/Clevenger Canyon Open Space Park lies within, split into two disparate segments separated by Highway 78. The Open Space is part of the San Dieguito River Park, however it is managed by the City of San Diego. On a lovely, drizzly Sunday morning, we decided we’d tackle the northern portion. Continue reading North Clevenger Canyon

Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve (West)

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Of the many canyon open spaces in the City of San Diego, Los Penasquitos is the largest. Stretching some 7 miles between the 805 and 15 freeways, the Preserve contains a wide array of interesting scenery to enjoy. It is home to grassy hillsides, chaparral covered slopes, enormous groves of Sycamore trees, and expansive stands of oaks. Penasquitos Creek, a year-round stream, runs through the center of the canyon and provides the Preserve’s most alluring feature: an easily accessible waterfall. Continue reading Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve (West)

East Shepherd Canyon

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East Shepherd Canyon is another one of San Diego’s many neighborhood canyon areas that helps maintain a touch of nature in our otherwise urban and suburban neighborhoods. Unlike many hikes in San Diego, however, East Shepherd Canyon has the unique advantage of being fairly well shaded for much of the route. A short, tree-lined hike sounded perfect for one of our monsters, so we were joined by the ever-handsome Apollo. Continue reading East Shepherd Canyon