Carmel Mountain Preserve, surrounded by dense housing developments, is home to a multitude of unique habitats including southern maritime chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and vernal pools. While the best time to visit is likely in winter or early spring so you can see the vernal pools, it’s also a good spot to visit in summer since its proximity to the coast means you’ll likely enjoy slightly lower temperatures than the rest of the county on a hot day. Continue reading Carmel Mountain Preserve
It was another hot weekend, and we were looking for a shorter coastal trail that we could bring one of the dogs on – The Dust Devil Nature Trail was a perfect choice. Located on the eastern side of the San Dieguito Lagoon, the trail is named in honor of the Dust Devils – a volunteer group started in the 1990’s who were instrumental in building and improving trails in the San Dieguito River Park. The trail consists of three interconnecting loops, which can seem a tad confusing if you’re just looking at the map, but is easy enough to navigate if you just turn right at every junction. Continue reading Dust Devil Nature Trail
Originally planned to be part of the Torrey Pines Preserve, Crest Canyon is a small open space park nestled among the residential developments of Del Mar. The canyon is now part of the San Dieguito River Park, and offers a beautiful showcase of coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and some magnificent and rare Torrey Pine trees.
Continue reading Crest Canyon
Originating from a spring on Volcan Mountain in Julian, the waters of Santa Ysabel Creek combine with other streams and creeks to form the San Dieguito River. This watershed traverses a 55 mile corridor across the county, eventually flowing into the Pacific Ocean at the San Dieguito Lagoon in Del Mar. Eventually, the Coast to Crest Trail will span that full distance, but as of now it exists as a series of non-contiguous (but ever-growing) series of trail segments. Continue reading San Dieguito Lagoon
