We had slowly been tackling small segments of the portion of the Coast to Crest Trail that runs through the San Pasqual Valley, and were down to the final leg. The segment that runs from the San Pasqual Staging Area just off of Highway 78 to the Ysabel Creek Staging Area a few miles away is at the eastern end of a 22-mile contiguous stretch of the Coast to Crest Trail. Hopefully someday, we’ll be able to continue east through the valley to connect with the Santa Ysabel truck trail near Boden Canyon. For now, we were just happy to check this one off the list.
We decided to hike east to west for no particular reason, and started at the San Pasqual staging area. We found the trailhead in the northwest corner of the parking lot and set off on our way.
The trail led us past into a shady eucalyptus grove. While eucalyptus trees aren’t native to San Diego, we still appreciated the shade they provided on a warm day.
Once past the eucalyptus, the trail followed a wooden fence along an orange grove. 
To our right was the dry Ysabel Creek.
I think we were still a bit early for a real spring flower show, but things were getting started.
Around .45 miles the trail made a sharp left, leaving the creek behind. On our left was the orange grove, and on our right were huge fields of a turf farm, where they were growing sod (I guess because San Diego’s super wet climate is so well suited for lawns).
The trail was sandwiched between a fence on either side.
We continued along the fence until about .9 mile, where the hiker corral ended. We could see the continuation of the trail up ahead and to the right, just on the other side of the dirt driveway.
Here the trail made a sharp right to follow the course of Bandy Canyon Road.
Fortunately the road was pretty quiet, with only the occasional UPS truck flying by. And to the south we had some interesting views of the fields.
The trail dipped down for a bit, so we were no longer immediately adjacent to the road.
But then around 1.45 miles, we passed through a gate and found ourselves on the shoulder of the road.
This was admittedly not our favorite section of the Coast to Crest Trail, but I suppose when you’re trying to make 70+ miles of contiguous trail, you’re going to have to compromise in a few spots.
We followed the trail/road as it passed by several residences and a slightly more interesting dairy building (which did not appear to be in operation).
The stretch of buildings didn’t last long, and soon we had plenty of greenery to enjoy.
A little past 2 miles we reached a bridge spanning Santa Maria Creek.
From the middle of the bridge we could look down to the dry creek below.
Across the road was the impressive entrance to The Ranch at Bandy Canyon. This was once a homestead and cattle ranch, and is now a privately owned venue that hosts weddings and other special events.
On the far side of the bridge, the trail turned to the right, roughly following the course of the creek. Here we had some beautiful grassy fields.
As we neared the Ysabel Creek staging area, the trail climbed up a small hill covered in prickly pear cactus and swaths of beautiful sunflowers.
Around 2.75 miles we reached the Ysabel Creek staging area. There was a picnic table where we sat for a few minutes to have a snack and watch the birds before turning around heading back.
If you’re looking for a longer hike, you can continue west to Raptor Ridge or even further.
Directions:
From I-15, take the Via Rancho Parkway exit. Head east on Via Rancho Parkway towards the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Wild Animal Park). Continue as Via Rancho Parkway turns into Bear Valley Parkway. Turn right onto San Pasqual Road, then turn right onto Highway 78, still following signs for San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Continue on Highway 78 for 4.5 miles then turn right onto Bandy Canyon Road. Almost immediately, turn right on a dirt road and find the entrance for the San Pasqual Staging Area to the right. map
| Total Distance: | 5.5 miles |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Total Ascent: | 245 feet |
| Dog Friendly?: | Leashed dogs allowed |
| Bike Friendly?: | Bikes allowed |
| Facilities: | None |
| Fees/Permits: | None |
For more information, visit:
San Dieguito River Park
Trail Map
View route or download GPX from CalTopo
