Otay Lakes County Park is a small park on the southern shore of Lower Otay Lake in Chula Vista. In addition to the usual playground and picnic areas to enjoy, there are some nice views to be gained by hiking to the top of a small hill on the southeastern edge of the park. Hopefully someday Otay Lakes County Park will be connected to the extensive trail system at nearby Otay Valley Regional Park, but for now this little summit is still a fun hike. Continue reading Otay Lakes County Park
Category Archives: Chula Vista
Mother Miguel Mountain (aka The Rock House)
Mother Miguel Mountain is a modest prominatory in the shadow of the much more impressive San Miguel Mountain (aka Mt Miguel). Since San Miguel Mountain is sadly not open to the public, Mother Miguel is one of the few easily accessible hikes with notable elevation gain in Chula Vista. This distinction, along with the photogenic Rock House (a large man made pile of rocks complete with flagpole) at the summit, make Mother Miguel Mountain a highly popular trail. Don’t expect to find solitude on this hike, but you will be rewarded with a great workout and fantastic views of the South Bay. Continue reading Mother Miguel Mountain (aka The Rock House)
Otay Valley Regional Park
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
Rice Canyon
As much as we love San Diego’s back country, we don’t always have the time and energy to drive out to the mountains or desert to hike. Fortunately, even the more developed areas of the County are rich with opportunities for hiking and exploration. Chula Vista’s Rice Canyon Open Space Preserve is home to a two-mile section of the California Riding and Hiking Trail (CR&HT) in the middle of a large suburban residential area. The canyon provides a peaceful patch of natural beauty you can enjoy with minimal effort. Continue reading Rice Canyon
Exploring Otay Valley Regional Park
So I have to admit, when I think of great places to hike in San Diego, Chula Vista doesn’t always pop up real high on the list. But since we often find ourselves with the desire to go outisde and play, but not a lot of time to spend driving out to the mountains, I was happy to find a large swath of green showing up on Google Maps within a short distance of our house.
Further investigation showed that swath of green to be Otay Valley Regional Park, a riparian expanse straddling the southern border of Chula Vista. After a quick perusal of the available trail map, and with Google’s assurance that it was but a brief 15 minutes away, we grabbed our packs and headed out to explore.
Continue reading Exploring Otay Valley Regional Park