Lake Hodges is one of San Diego’s many water reservoirs, created in 1918 when the San Dieguito River was dammed. In addition to storing water, Lake Hodges is an important habitat for resident and migratory birds. The hills surrounding the reservoir are primarily coastal sage scrub, and are also home to the coastal cactus wren, who nest in exclusively in prickly pear cactus. Continue reading Lake Hodges
Category Archives: Dog Friendly
Famosa Slough
Famosa Slough is a 37 acre Marine Conservation Area which protects fragile wetland habitat near the point where the San Diego River meets the Pacific Ocean. While the surrounding area has been heavily developed, this small portion of wetland provides a peaceful patch of nature. The Slough is a popular spot for birdwatchers year-round, and a frequent stopover point for migrating birds in the winter. Over 190 species of birds have been spotted here. Continue reading Famosa Slough
Boulder Loop Trail (Daley Ranch)
Once threatened by development, Daley Ranch is now a 3058 acre habitat conservation area in northeastern Escondido. With over 20 miles of trails to explore, it is a popular spot for hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers. The Boulder Loop Trail is a scenic hike in the southwestern portion of the property with some decent hills to conquer. Continue reading Boulder Loop Trail (Daley Ranch)
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is a small pair of peaks just north of Silverset Park in Poway. The taller, western peak gets the “Twin Peaks” label on topographic maps and appears to be the more popular destination. The smaller peak, a short distance to the east, is an easy side trip worth visiting at least once. Overall its a relatively short hike (just over 2 miles round trip for both summits), but the steep, rugged terrain makes for a worthy climb. Continue reading Twin Peaks
San Diego National Wildlife Refuge – Par 4 Trail
Although we’ve been frequent visitors to the western portion of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge in Rancho San Diego, we’d never managed to make it over to the eastern side. In fact, for many years we had no idea there was another part of the refuge, as the main trailhead to the area lies a the end of a remote suburban cul-de-sac.
The Par 4 trailhead leads to a nice little loop trail that runs along the Sweetwater River near the Cottonwood Golf Course and along the hills just north of Steele Canyon High School. There’s a network of use trails running through the area so you can do some exploring. We ended up doing something of a figure-8 loop that seemed to incorporate most of the highlights of the area. Continue reading San Diego National Wildlife Refuge – Par 4 Trail
Lopez Canyon
Lopez Canyon is a small offshoot of western Los Penasquitos Canyon. The seasonal Lopez Creek runs through it, with an accompanying lush riparian habitat. Lopez Canyon is usually less busy than neighboring Penasquitos, so its a great alternative if you’re seeking a bit of quiet solitude, or you can combine the two trails if you’re looking for some extra mileage.
Starting from the western Penasquitos parking area, we passed through the gate at the trailhead, and followed the trail through the thick riparian brush.
In several hundred feet, we came to a “T” junction. We turned right, following the signs for Lopez Canyon. (Los Penasquitos Canyon lies to the left.)
The trail ran through an open grassy area for a short stretch before bending to the right and crossing over the dry creek. Thick tangles of willow, mule fat and other riparian vegetation grew along the creek bed.
On the far side of the creek, we found ourselves flanked by the dry, grassy slopes of the canyon wall on one side and the lush green of the creek on the other.
Abundant patches of Sacred datura, with its large trumpet-shaped white flowers lined the trail.
Around .65 miles we found ourselves passing through a field of enormous, dried flower stalks.
In the midst of this field we came to a “Y” junction in the trail. The right fork was an old dirt road (Lopez Road) leading up to another trailhead near an office park. If you’re looking for a slightly more challenging route, you can get a bit of climbing in by following this trail up to the canyon rim. We were more interested in scenery today, however, so turned left to continue along the creek.
We emerged from the field of dry stalks and continued along the narrow footpath.
As with just about all riparian areas, there was a considerable amount of poison oak along the trail.
Just shy of the 1 mile point, we crossed the dry creek bed again.
We were deep in the canyon now, and despite the fact that we could occasionally glimpse houses and buildings on the canyon rim above us, we felt blissfully secluded on the quiet canyon floor.
Tall Sycamore trees provided a leafy canopy overhead, and flowering buckwheat dotted the trailside.
Around 1.15 mile a side trail branched off to the right, leading up towards more office buildings above. We took the left fork to maintain our course along the creek.
At 1.3 miles we crossed the rocky creek bed again, the smooth river rock crunching loudly beneath our feet.
As we continued, the sound of snapping branches made us look up to the hillside on our left. A small herd of deer was grazing in the brush. Most of them ran off upon noticing us, but one doe hung around for a couple of minutes, staring back at us as we stared at her.
She finally wandered off to find the rest of her herd, and we continued on our way. More beautiful Sycamores awaited us.
At 1.5 miles, the trail we had been following led to an open, rocky expanse and disappeared. You can follow the rocky creek bed for awhile and pick up the trail again as it leads towards a bridge where Camino Santa Fe Road passes over the canyon. But as the sun was quickly burning off the cooling marine layer and the high humidity was sapping our energy, hiking along the exposed creekbed just to reach a road wasn’t sounding especially appealing to us. So, we decided to make this our turnaround point and headed back the way we had come.
Directions:
From 805-N, take exit 27B for Sorrento Valley Road. Turn left onto Vista Sorrento Parkway and continue for approximately 1 mile. Turn right onto Sorrento Valley Blvd. The trailhead will be on your right in just under 1 mile. map
| Total Distance: | 3 miles |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Total Ascent: | 110 feet |
| Dog Friendly?: | Leashed dogs allowed |
| Bike Friendly?: | Bikes allowed |
| Facilities: | Port-a-potty at trailhead; no water |
| Fees/Permits: | None |
For more information, visit:
View route or download GPX from CalTopo
City of San Diego Parks & Recreation: Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve
County of San Diego Parks & Recreation: Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve
Friends of Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve
Trail Map
Black Mountain via the Miner’s Ridge Loop
Black Mountain is a nice little peak in the Rancho Penasquitos area of northern San Diego. There’s a good network of trails that offer several different potential routes to the summit. We previously hiked Black Mountain via the Nighthawk Trail and have had this route on our list for awhile. The warm summer months seemed like a good time to get up early and tackle this relatively short hike before the midday heat set in.
Blue Sky Ecological Reserve
Blue Sky Ecological Reserve is a 700 acre canyon just north of Lake Poway, containing a beautiful mix of riparian, oak woodland, coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats. Green Valley Truck Trail runs through the reserve, leading up to Lake Ramona, and several side trails offer further opportunities for exploration. Continue reading Blue Sky Ecological Reserve
Knott Grove
In 1986, college student Cara Knott was murdered by an on-duty CHP Officer and her body was dumped from an abandoned bridge above Penasquitos Creek. Her father, Sam Knott, channelled his grief and spent the next decade lobbying to have the area near where her body was found dedicated to his daughter. In 1996, the site was set aside as the Cara Knott Memorial Oak Garden, and several years later was re-dedicated as the San Diego Crime Victims Memorial Oak Garden. Continue reading Knott Grove
Big Laguna/PCT Loop
Of the many hikes in San Diego we’ve done, this 10 mile loop through the Mount Laguna Recreation Area might just be my favorite. The first half traverses the Big Laguna Trail, which takes you through some beautiful pine tree forests that are becoming so hard to find in San Diego after the many devastating wildfires of the past decade. It passes the wide, open fields of Big Laguna Meadow and the sometimes wet Big Laguna Lake. Eventually it meets up with the Pacific Crest Trail which traverses the boundary of the forested mountains and the arid Anza-Borrego desert below. If you’re lucky enough to hike it at the right time of year (late spring or early summer), you will enjoy colorful displays of wildflowers along the way. It really showcases the wide variety of landscapes in San Diego. Continue reading Big Laguna/PCT Loop