With over 8 miles of trails and 7 different staging areas, Otay Valley Regional Park offers numerous potential hikes of varying lengths. The park is mostly flat, making for easy going, and has several ponds which provide excellent bird watching opportunities. The Park is also home to the Finney Interpretive Overlook, where benches, picnic tables, and interpretive shade structures provide awesome views of the valley, as well as a lesson in the history of aviation in the Otay Mesa area. This 5 mile out and back route hits most of the park’s highlights, including 3 of the larger ponds and the Finney Overlook. Continue reading Otay Valley Regional Park
Category Archives: 5 miles
Lake Jennings
Lake Jennings is a man-made reservoir located in Lakeside. While its main purpose is to provide drinking water, Lake Jennings also provides a wide array of recreational opportunities including fishing, camping, boating, bird-watching, and most importantly, hiking. While the campground is open 7 days a week, the eastern side of the lake is only open Friday – Sunday, so you’ll need to plan accordingly if you want to do this route and go all the way around the lake. Continue reading Lake Jennings
Cuyamaca Peak (Cuyamaca Rancho State Park)
Cuyamaca Peak, the second highest point in San Diego County, looms tall on the western edge of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. There are many trails and fire roads that can be used to craft different routes up the summit, but the most direct and popular course is to climb the Lookout Fire Road, starting at Paso Picacho Campground. This road, being entirely paved asphalt, is also the only hike in the park that dogs are allowed on. Continue reading Cuyamaca Peak (Cuyamaca Rancho State Park)
North Fortuna via Oak Canyon (Mission Trails Regional Park)
We love Mission Trails Regional Park for a variety of reasons. First of all, it’s close by and easy to get to. Second, it has a huge variety of interconnecting trails so you can make as long or as short of a hike as you have time for, and as easy or challenging of a hike as you can handle. The numerous trails also makes it hard to get bored – you can take different routes and constantly mix up your routine. Although we’d hiked North Fortuna Mountain before, we’d never gone up the backside near Highway 52. With recent rains filling up the San Diego River and adjacent creeks, we decided we’d head up Oak Canyon which has an idyllic creek flowing through it wet seasons, then follow the North Perimeter Trail adjacent to Highway 52 up to the summit of North Fortuna. Since it was a nice cool day, perfect for hiking with a dog, we were joined by the ever courageous Khan. Continue reading North Fortuna via Oak Canyon (Mission Trails Regional Park)
Pine Mountain Loop
Pine Mountain is an unassuming peak near the the northern section of the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area. The Pine Mountain Trail travels along the eastern flank of the mountain through dense chaparral, but does not ascend to the peak where a decent sized population of pine trees live (hence the name “Pine Mountain”). After traveling along the Pine Mountain trail and visiting a scenic overlook near Champagne Pass, this loop drops down to Indian Creek then returns to the highway through a lovely meadow. Continue reading Pine Mountain Loop
Santa Ysabel West Preserve
Ever since we had hiked the Kanaka Flat Loop at Santa Ysabel East earlier this year, we’d had it on our list to explore the rest of the Santa Ysabel Preserve. Normally this area wouldn’t be my first choice for an August hike due to the heat, but one weekend the forecast was calling for particularly mild temperatures, so we grabbed the cameras and headed out. Continue reading Santa Ysabel West Preserve
South Fortuna Mountain (Mission Trails Regional Park)
Although South Fortuna is the smallest of Mission Trails’ five peaks, topping out at “only” 1094 feet in elevation, it is still a very popular choice for hikers seeking a workout. The main attraction of South Fortuna is the impressive set of wooden steps that leads up the peak’s western flank. Known by some as the “Stairway to Heaven,” this route travels unapologetically up the steep mountainside and is great for working those leg muscles. Continue reading South Fortuna Mountain (Mission Trails Regional Park)
McGinty Mountain
McGinty Mountain is considerably less popular than some of the county’s more well-known peaks, like Cowles Mountain, Iron Mountain, and Mount Woodson. This can only be due to its comparatively remote location, because it is a beautiful and challenging hike with some amazing views. Continue reading McGinty Mountain
Tijuana River Valley Regional Park (Northeast)
Tijuana River Valley Regional Park (which is NOT actually in Tijuana) is an almost 1700 acre park in the South Bay region of San Diego. The park hosts over 20 miles of interconnected dog-friendly trails open to hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The park is adjacent to the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve and offers some great opportunities for bird-watching. Continue reading Tijuana River Valley Regional Park (Northeast)
Cowles Mountain via Big Rock Park
I feel pretty safe in saying that Cowles Mountain in Mission Trails Regional Park is the most well-known, and well-used hiking trail in San Diego County. It’s easily accessible, provides a great workout, and as the highest point within the City of San Diego, offers some fantastic views. But maybe you’ve hiked the main trail so many times you can do it in your sleep, or perhaps you want a little less company on your next hike. Maybe you want a longer hike, or maybe you just want a change of scenery. Continue reading Cowles Mountain via Big Rock Park