Confession time: I’ve lived in San Diego for 18 years, and I hardly ever go to the beach. You have to find parking, there’s frequently large groups of people, you get sand in weird places, and hanging out at the beach usually means long periods of sitting still in the hot sun… I mean, I don’t hate it or anything, but aside from taking the dogs to run loose on Fiesta Island, when we’re looking to get outside we pretty much always choose to go hiking rather than hitting the beach.
But then comes summer, and it gets too hot to enjoy most of our favorite hiking trails. If only there were some magical way to combine the cooler temperatures and refreshing ocean waters found at the beach with our preferred activity of hiking… Duh. We can hike at the beach! Continue reading Border Field State Park – Coast Trail→
Hollenbeck Canyon is a 3,200 acre wildlife area in Jamul managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The trails are open to hikers, leashed dogs, horses, and mountain bikers. Be aware that hunting is allowed from September through January. The area includes coastal sage scrub, chaparral, oak woodlands, riparian forests, freshwater marshes and grasslands. A seasonal creek runs along the canyon floor during wetter periods. Continue reading Hollenbeck Canyon→
Across the road from a sprawling strip mall in Rancho San Diego lies a hidden gem of San Diego Hiking. The San Diego National Wildlife Refuge encompasses the majority of San Miguel Mountain (aka Mount Miguel, Mount San Miguel, etc) and surrounding areas. The Sweetwater River runs along the northwestern edge of the Refuge which provides riparian as well as coastal scrub habitat for a number of threatened and endangered species. This is a short, easy hike that provides a surprising amount of quiet solitude considering how close it is to civilization. Continue reading San Diego National Wildlife Refuge – Sweetwater River Trail→
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→
Oakoasis is a small preserve in Lakeside that offers a short, relatively easy hike through a mix of tall chaparral and a peaceful oak grove. Some great views of San Vicente Reservoir can be found from a scenic overlook near the halfway point. Oakoasis is part of the growing San Diego Trans County Trail, which will provide a 110 mile trail from the coast to the desert once its completed. This is one of our favorite hikes to take our dogs on because the trail is wide and in generally good shape, the distance is just about right for our older dogs, and its never crowded when we go early in the morning. Continue reading Oakoasis Preserve Trail→
Confession time: I’ve lived in San Diego for 18 years, and I hardly ever go to the beach. You have to find parking, there’s frequently large groups of people, you get sand in weird places, and hanging out at the beach usually means long periods of sitting still in the hot sun… I mean, I don’t hate it or anything, but aside from taking the dogs to run loose on Fiesta Island, when we’re looking to get outside we pretty much always choose to go hiking rather than hitting the beach.
