Hello Hikers!

I hope everyone was able to get out and hit the trails this weekend. Currently the National Weather Service is forecasting “unsettled” weather for later this week, implying that there might actually be a few showers. I’ll believe it when I see it, but here’s hoping!

If you’re looking for a challenge, next Sunday you can enjoy an Early Morning Fitness Hike at Daley Ranch.  On this hike, Naturalist Rita Ospelt will go to the north end and west side of Daley Ranch. Some of the hills to be tackled are on the Hidden Spring, Cougar Ridge, and Boulder Loop trails. The total distance is 11 miles and we will be hiking at a brisk pace. Not suited for children. Check out the City of Escondido’s Daley Ranch page for more information, or visit our Events Page to find even more upcoming hikes and activities.

Mark your calendars for the weekends of May 9-10 and May 16-17 for San Diego River Days 2015! There are over 30 different events scheduled at locations all along the river, from Santa Ysabel to Ocean Beach. Events include guided hikes, nature walks, bike rides, volunteer opportunities, and more!

This Wednesday, April 22, you can subscribe to Backpacker magazine for just $4.99/year at DiscountMags.com when you use Promo Code 2682.

Today only at Eddie Bauer, get an extra 30% off clearance + Free Shipping on orders $99+ when you use code DIRT.

This week Amazon has nice deals on some camping gear and lots of workout clothing:

• Chromo Inc® Immedia-Light Hand Crank Flashlight 4 Pack only $12.74
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• Up to 30% Off Select Women’s Running Shorts

Have a good week!

Hello Hikers!

As you may have already heard, there’s another missing hiker in the San Diego area. Isac Molina of El Cajon was last seen about 3pm Sunday when he left home. His vehicle was found at Kwaaymii Point in the Laguna Mountain area. Molina is described as Latino, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 120 pounds, with brown hair and eyes, and reportedly was wearing brown shorts and a white T-shirt with a brown emblem on the front. Anyone with information about Molina may call El Cajon police at (619) 579-3311.

In happier news, San Diego County and the City of Poway have partnered to pursue grants and other funding to acquire 800 acres of land near Iron Mountain. The land purchase would help connect a number of trail systems in the area, including Mount Woodson, Iron Mountain, and Dos Picos County Park.

Throughout April and May, you can enjoy a series of free Bird Walks in Rose Canyon Open Space Preserve with the Friends of Rose Canyon. Walks are led by skilled birders and are open to adults and kids 9 and older. They will even provide binoculars if you need them! Check out the full schedule and other information here, or visit our Events Page to find even more upcoming hikes and activities.

Right now you can save up to 40% on Hiking Gear and Apparel at Altrec.com!

Amazon has a couple of interesting deals on tents, binoculars, and healthy trail snacks:

• Save $20 on Your $100 Purchase of Select Lightspeed Tents and Sleeping Pads
• Up to 50% Off Select Alpen Optics Products
• 20% Off Raw Revolution Bars

If you’re looking for food or gear for your favorite four-legged hiking companion, you can get 15% off your first order at Wag.com when you use the code SKRA2183 at checkout, and you will always get FREE 2-DAY DELIVERY on orders of $49 or more!

Have a good week!

Hello Hikers!

I hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend and got some hiking in. Did you get out to see the eclipse on Saturday morning? I slept in, and I don’t regret it one bit.

Next Saturday, you can Hike All the Way Across  the Santa Ysabel East Preserve. Join Park Attendant Bill Augustus through the trails of Santa Ysabel East Preserve. Enjoy discussions about the history, plants and wildlife of the preserve, while seeing places in the preserve you normally don’t get to see. We will meet at the Highway 79 staging area and carpool to the Farmer Road staging area while leaving half the vehicles at Highway 79. We will hike from the east end of the preserve to the west end stopping at scenic spots along the Santa Ysabel Creek. At the end of the hike, we will carpool back up to the Farmers staging area and pick up the remaining vehicles. This hike will include an elevation gain and loss of approximately 1500 feet in 8 miles. Dress in layers as the temperature will vary throughout the hike. Wear sturdy hiking shoes, and bring plenty of water. Inclement weather will cancel event. Visit the San Diego County Parks and Recreation Program Guide for more information, or visit our Events Page to find even more awesome upcoming hikes and events.

If you’re not already following us on Facebook, you might want to head over there and Like our page. In addition to extra hiking pictures, we share lots of news articles, volunteer opportunities, trail closure notices, and tons of other good information related to hiking around San Diego.

Right now at RockyMountainTrail.com you can get 20% off one full priced item when you use code SPRING2015. (Limited Time Offer)

Amazon has a few worthy deals this week:

• Up to 70% Off Merrell Women’s Shoes
• Up to 60% Off Merrell Men’s Shoes
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• Up to 50% Off Select Men’s Running Tops
• Up to 50% Off Select Men’s Running Shorts
• Up to 50% Off Select Women’s Running Shorts

Have a good week!

Hello Hikers!

Can you believe it’s almost April already? We’ve got some great things to look forward to in the upcoming month:

• This Saturday, April 4th, will be a full moon! Stay out a little later since its the weekend, and try a full moon hike. Iron Mountain and Cowles Mountain are two popular spots for night hikes. Moonrise is at 7:38 pm on Saturday.
• National Park Week is April 18 – 26 this year. For opening weekend (the 18th – 19th), we’ll get free admission to all National Parks!

Next Sunday you can join the San Diego Natural History Museum Canyoneers as they hike the Rim Trail at Mission Trails Regional Park. This is a difficult 6 mile hike with elevation change of up to 1000 feet. The Rim Trail on the western edge of Mission Trails Regional Park highlights views of Fortuna and Cowles Mountains, Suycott Wash, and the Peninsular Ranges to the east. Look for threatened species of variegated Dudleya, summer holly, barrel cactus, johnny jump-ups, and shooting stars. Directions: (Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego) From I-15 or CA-163, exit east on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. and park at the trailhead at the end of the road. No facilities. Visit the Canyoneers Web Page for more information, or check out our Events Page to find even more upcoming hikes and activities.

Last week we mentioned the recent increase in rattlesnake activity on local trails. CBS 8 has recently posted a story on the same subject, and the message is worth repeating. Be alert while you’re hiking, and stay on the trail where its easier to spot snakes. Keep dogs on leash and children under close supervision for the next couple of months while snake activity is at its peak.

Altrec.com is having a Spring Fleece sale – Shop Fleece from Mountain Hardwear, Columbia, Marmot and more only at Altrec.com!

Eddie Bauer is giving you 30% Off Everything + Free Shipping On Orders Of $99 Or More when you use code: EPIC.

Here’s the latest outdoor and fitness deals from Amazon:

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Have a good week!

Hello Hikers!

I hope everyone was able to get out and enjoy the pleasant weekend. We’ve been seeing numerous reports of snakes, especially rattlesnakes, on local trails, so it appears that hibernation season has officially ended. Make sure to keep your eyes and ears open and stay on the trails to avoid an unwanted encounter.  Keep dogs on leash and children close by. Snakes don’t want anything to do with you, so if you give them space they will leave you alone.

Next Saturday, you can join the San Diego Audubon Society for a Field Trip to Tecolote Canyon. Tecolote Canyon is one of several protected urban canyons in the San Diego area that support native plant communities and associated bird life. Birds that are here for the entire year include hawks, Anna’s Hummingbird, California Thrasher, House Wren, Wrentit, and both California and Spotted Towhees. At this time wintering White-crowned Sparrows, and Yellow-rumped Warblers may still be here. Easy walking. Restrooms at the trailhead. Visit the San Diego Audubon Society Field Trips page for more information, or check out our Events Page for even more upcoming hikes and activities.

The San Diego River Park Foundation recently announced an effort to acquire and preserve a property along the South Rim of the Upper San Diego River. An anonymous donor has pledged to match $20,000 in donations, so if you donate now your contribution will effectively be doubled! Visit the SDRP’s South Rim Acquisition page for more information about this important project.

This Wednesday, March 25, you can get a subscription to Runner’s World Magazine for just $5.99/year from DiscountMags.com! Use Promo Code: 2509

Ladies – check out the new Fitness for Women app now available for iOS. This app comes with 80+ pre-installed workouts designed specially for women by professional instructors for different levels: beginners, intermediate and advanced. You can also customize your own workouts by adding new exercises or deleting the ones you don’t need, or create your own routines with just a few taps. For a limited time, you can get both the iPhone and iPad version for just $3.99!

Have a good week!

Hello hikers!

Well now that the weekend’s over and we all have to go back to work, it looks like the weather should start cooling down. Thanks Mother Nature! I can’t manage to be too upset however, because we just secured campground reservations for our summer trip to Yosemite Valley in July, and our lottery applications for Half Dome permits have been submitted! We’re already planning our training regime so you can look forward to some posts on that in the upcoming months.

It also looks like next weekend should have some more reasonable temperatures, so start planning! On Saturday, you can Discover Daley Ranch. Meet Naturalist William Sherrard for a moderately paced hike on the trails of Daley Ranch. The planned hike is between 8 and 10 miles in length and will last about four hours. Check out the Daley Ranch Hikes page for more information, or visit our Events Page to find even more upcoming hikes and activities.

Looking for some new gear? Right now you can get FREE SHIPPING on orders over $50 at Sunnysports.com.

Amazon also has some nice deals on outdoor products this week:

• Save 25% When You Buy 2 or More ExOfficio Underwear Products
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And if you need some snacks for your next hike, check out Vitacost.com. They’ve got loads of snack/energy bars, trail mix,  and other healthy snack foods that are perfect to take along on your hike to keep yourself fueled. And, if you sign up through this link, you can get $10 off your first purchase of $30 or more!

Have a good week!

Happy Daylight Savings everyone! We all know what this means: more time to hike! Sunset will be around 7:00 pm for the rest of the month so this means more opportunity to get some trail time in after work! Where will you be going first?

Next Saturday join the San Diego Natural History Museum Canyoneers as they hike Mount Gower County Open Space Preserve. This is an intermediate 4 mile hike with elevation change up to 500 feet. Chaparral and oak woodland provide corridors for diverse wildlife. We hope to see woolly blue curls and canchalaguas along the trail. This walk involves a moderate climb to a viewpoint. Directions: (Ramona) From Hwy. 67, go east on Mapleview St. 0.5 miles to Ashwood St. Turn north (left) on Ashwood St. (it changes to Wildcat Canyon Rd.) and continue 12.3 miles to San Vicente Rd. Go east (right) on San Vicente Rd. 1.6 miles to Gunn Stage Rd. Go north (left) on Gunn Stage Rd. for 1.8 miles to the entrance of the Preserve and park in the staging area. Facilities. Visit the Canyoneers web page for more information, or check out our Events Page to find even more upcoming hikes and activities.

The Forest Service has recently announced they are planning some changes at the Three Sisters Falls trail. The current route to the falls is a rather challenging user created trail where numerous injuries and rescues have occurred over the years. The Forest Service is proposing to build a safer and more sustainable trail to the falls, close and restore the existing use trails, and establish a formal parking area. Comments can be made by following the instructions here.

Help support Hiking San Diego County! You can help support our website everytime you shop at Amazon.com by just using this link to begin your shopping trip. When you access Amazon through this link, we’ll get a small commission on any items you purchase at no additional cost to you. This helps us defray the cost of web hosting and domain name registration and continue to provide information about all the awesome hikes around San Diego. Thanks for your support!

Have a good week!

By now you’ve probably heard about the hiker that’s been missing near Warner Springs for nearly two weeks. Sadly, search efforts have been suspended due to the weather. Chris Sylvia began a southbound solo hike on the PCT starting from Anza, CA on February 12. He was supposed to meet a friend at the Buddhist Temple on Chihuahua Valley Road near Warner Springs to pick up provisions, but never showed for the meeting. Other hikers subsequently found his ID and equipment in the area.  Sylvia is white, 5 feet 8 and around 155 pounds with brown hair, hazel eyes, a goatee and a mustache. He left on his trip wearing green camouflage pants, a dark fleece jacket and brown hiking boots. If you have any information related to his whereabouts, please contact the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department at (858) 565-5200.

The current storm also means wet and muddy trails, plus snow in the mountains. Keep in mind that a number of local parks and trails may be closed due to the rain and poor trail conditions, so you may want to check before you head out. The County Parks and Recreation News and Updates Page is a good resource for information about County Park closures. For other locations, check their local website or call ahead.

If you or anyone you know is headed up to the mountains for some snow play, please remember to exercise Leave No Trace principles and be respectful of the local residents in those areas. After the last snow storm on New Year’s, thousands of visitors flocked to mountain areas to play in the snow, and many people were trespassing on private property, blocking private driveways, climbing fences, and leaving piles of trash behind. I’ve even read reports that people were sledding in the Julian cemetery.

The long range forecast is showing nice weather for next weekend, so if you’re stuck inside because of the weather its a perfect opportunity to start making plans for next week! Next Sunday you can head out to William Heise County Park for the Sunday Hike with Ranger Dave. Join Ranger Dave for an easy to moderate guided hike to the beautiful Fern Trail. Our final destination will be the bubbling waters of Cedar Creek where sights and sounds of nature dominate the surroundings. Weather permitting, this hike will cover approximately one mile and last one hour. Bring hiking shoes, water and appropriate clothing. Participants can meet at the ranger station. Check out the County Parks and Recreation Events Guide for more information, or visit our Events Page for even more upcoming hikes.

Another place you might be interested in visiting is Torrey Pines State Reserve. After 4.5 years, the Parry Grove Trail has finally been reopened. There are reports of wildflowers beginning to bloom along the trail there, so this would be a great hike if you’re looking for something new.

Here’s your weekly roundup of Amazon deals:

• Save 50% or More Off Select Outdoor Clothing
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• Up to 40% Off Women’s Hiking and Trail Shoes

Eddie Bauer‘s got some great deals this week as well:

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Have a good week, and stay safe out there!

Hello Hikers!

Well, at last we finally got a little bit of rain! Hopefully there’s even more precipitation in the future because the local lakes and streams have been looking downright sad. On the plus side, the recent warm weather has caused flowers to begin blooming at a number of local hiking spots. Next weekend you can check them out for yourself at the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge when you Hike with a Ranger. The topic will be Native Plants and Wildflowers in Bloom with FWS Ranger Debby Good. Meet at the Par 4 Drive Trail. For more information, please call USFWS Interpretive Ranger Lisa Cox at: (619) 476-9150 X 106 or email Lisa_Cox@fws.gov. For more information check out the SD National Wildlife Refuge’s Monthly Tours page, or visit our Events Page to find even more upcoming hikes.

Starting today, Eddie Bauer has some great deals on clearance items:

• 30% Off Clearance Tops for Women + Free Shipping On Orders Over $99 with code 30CLEAR
• 30% Off All Clearance Shirts for Men + Free Shipping On Orders Over $99 with code 30CLEAR

And the Under Armour outlet has added a bunch of new items for your shopping pleasure:

• UA Outlet: New Items Just Added! Better Hustle, This Gear Goes Fast.

And here’s a roundup of our favorite Amazon deals this week:

• Up to 20% Off Select Athletic Socks
• 50% or More Off Merrell Women’s Shoes & Apparel
• Up to 60% Off Teva Women’s Shoes
• Up to 40% Off Select Women’s Running Shorts
• 50% or More Off Merrell Men’s Shoes & Apparel
• Up to 40% Off Select Men’s Running Shorts
• Up to 60% Off Teva Men’s Shoes

Have a good week!

Hello Hikers, and Happy President’s Day!

If you missed the memo last week, today is a Free Entrance day to all National Parks and National Forests. You can head out to Joshua Tree for a day trip, or if that’s too far check out Cabrillo National Monument where you can look for whales migrating off the coast, or hike the Bayside Trail. If mountains are more your thing, you can leave the Adventure Pass at home and go for a hike anywhere in the Cleveland National Forest for free.

And when you’re done hiking today, you can start planning next weekend. Saturday morning you can check out the Wintering and Resident Birds of Lake Wohlford. Naturalist Sally Sanderson will lead an easy-paced bird walk of about 3 miles, lasting two to three hours at Lake Wohlford. They will follow the southern and eastern shoreline from the parking lot on Oakvale Road. They hope to see a Bald Eagle perching on its favorite tree or hunting over the lake. The Common Mergansers as well as a number of other duck species should be back from their northern breeding grounds. Bring binoculars, hat, water, and wear layered clothing. Heavy rain cancels. Visit the Daley Ranch Naturalist Hikes page for more information, or visit our Events Page to find even more upcoming hikes and activities.

CBS news 8 has a story about a Valentine’s Day rescue on the Pyle’s Peak trail at Mission Trails. A hiker called 911 after becoming too weak to continue. This is a good reminder that even in the middle of February we should always check the weather report before heading out – it got up into the mid 80’s Saturday afternoon at Mission Trails. And of course, always bring LOTS of water and make sure you drink it, and eat some salty snacks while you hike!

Amazon has all kinds of nice deals on hiking and fitness apparel this week:

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• Up to 40% Off Select Women’s Running Shorts
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Get great deals on great brands – new Sierra Trading Post customers can get $10 off their first order by signing up here.

Have a good week!