High Point, the top of Palomar Mountain, is home to one of the few fire lookout towers in San Diego that is still currently in use. The tower is staffed by volunteers from the Forest Fire Lookout Association during fire season. While the tower itself is only open to authorized personnel, you can still visit the peak and enjoy the fantastic views. Volunteers and less ambitious visitors make the journey via dirt road with a 4-wheel drive vehicle, but the fun route is a calf-busting 13 mile hike up the northeastern side of the mountain. Naturally, that’s the route we took. Continue reading Oak Grove to High Point→
Los Jilgueros is a small, yet very scenic Preserve located on the south side of Fallbrook. Nestled in between a busy road and residential developments lies a small network of trails which will take you by ponds, freshwater marshland, and grassy fields. The Preserve is owned and maintained by the Fallbrook Land Conservancy who has done an amazing job preserving and protecting native habitat in North County. Continue reading Los Jilgueros Preserve→
Black Mountain is a relatively small yet scenic peak in the Rancho Penasquitos area. It’s antenna clad crest stands out prominently amid its lower lying surroundings, and can be easily seen and identified from other nearby San Diego peaks like Mt. Woodson and Iron Mountain. Continue reading Black Mountain via The Nighthawk Trail→
Palomar Mountain is like a hiking oasis in San Diego County. While much of San Diego is arid and dry, filled with drought tolerant plants adapted to living on only minuscule amounts of water, Palomar is full of ferns, cedars, pine trees, and a multitude of other foliage more reminiscent of the wet and snowy Sierras Nevadas. Palomar Mountain State Park has a number of gorgeous trails that can be explored individually or combined into longer loops. This relatively short trek traverses several of the Park’s trails in the Lower Doane Valley area. Continue reading Weir Trail & French Valley Trail – Palomar Mountain State Park→
Iron Mountain is one of the more popular hikes in San Diego County, maybe second only to Cowles Mountain. The trail head is easily accessible, located right off Highway 67 in Poway, offers a reasonably challenging trek for the average person, and on a clear day has some amazing views of northeast San Diego County. Thus it is a common destination for San Diegans looking for a quick outdoor workout. Continue reading Iron Mountain→
Daley Ranch is a 3000 acre preserve in north eastern Escondido. It has over 25 miles of trails open to hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, and leashed dogs. The preserve contains a variety of habitats including oak woodlands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, grasslands, and riparian areas. It holds several ponds, and sits adjacent to Dixon Lake. You can view a map of the Ranch’s trails here. Continue reading Daley Ranch – Engelmann Oak Loop→
The Lake Hodges area in Escondido is a popular destination for mountain bikers and hikers looking for a a good trek not too far from home. While its convenient location means you’ll be amid freeways and homes for much the hike, they’re far enough away that reasonable peace and solitude is achievable. The climb up Bernardo Mountain provides both a good workout and expansive views. Continue reading Bernardo Mountain→
Guajome Regional Park in Oceanside offers a variety of scenery on a short easy day hike. By looping together the park’s various trails into a figure “8” pattern, you can take an approximately 4 mile hike which passes by a lake and a pond, through a marsh, beneath hanging willow trees, and through San Diego’s trademark chapparal. Continue reading Hiking Guajome County Park in Oceanside→
