A nice section of the Coast to Crest trail system that takes you right next to Lake Hodges Dam…read more - The trail goes mostly along the Del Dios Highway. So be prepared for loud car noises. - Many rattlesnake signs, and even a lookout called rattlesnake viewpoint.. - From the parking lot across from Cielo Rancho Fe, it's about 2 miles to the lookout. A few hills, but any family should be able to make it. Watch out for bikers tho... I challenge you! - It's 20 miles from this trail to the Wild Animal Park in Escondido...Do it in one day! Tip - Check out the website Hidden San Diego and look up the Lake Hodges Dam. Really cool photography (all trespassing mind you).

You can go east or west on this trail. We went west…read more The first few miles are beside a golf course, so you hear a lot of voices but don't actually see anyone. We didn't go far, but it was a nicely groomed trail, easy to walk side by side for most of it. There were several picturesque bridges and waterways with water, but it's winter so it might be much drier in other months. There's a little hidden pond on the right, you won't see it if you're not looking. We saw more bikers than hikers. They were very courteous and shared the trail. Although there is signage saying dogs must be leashed there were two separate instances of dogs exploding from the brush onto the trail while their owners gave us "yea what are you going to do about it" looks. There was only one abandoned dog poop bag on the trail. Surprisingly I didn't see any doggie doo on the actual trail. This was a nice change of pace. However, the coyotes have not been trained to do their business off trail. I need to speak to their manager. I wished we'd had more time to walk further. And I really want to walk the east side next. Oh, best part is the fruit stand. If they are open, the chocolate covered strawberries were good, but the raspberries were amazing!

For starters, I wouldn't call this a mountain. It's more like a hill, and at 1150 feet, it is…read morenothing in comparison to some of the Adirondack hikes I've been on late That said, this was a really great hike. I parked at the Piedra Pintada trailhead on the other side of Lake Hodge (which can hardly be called a lake at this point given the drought). I chose this primarily because it was a relatively easy place to park and the distance you have to walk on the bike trail isn't too bad once you reach the bike/pedestrian bridge. This area has a bit of traffic even on a morning mid-week. I arrived around 8:30 and made my way up the main bike trail to the Bernardo Mountain Peak trailhead. The trail is labeled only in two places that I noticed, but it is a well maintained trail and if you've got an app or map, you're not going to get lost. The trail to the summit is mixed with gradual increase in elevation over the entire 3.3 miles from the Piedra Pintada Trailhead parking. If you go in the morning, you're definitely going to get good portions of the trail in shade. The trail is narrow in parts as you get further up, but it wasn't overgrown. The summit is rather smallish - but there are enough spots to sit especially if there's not too many people there. You get really nice 360 views down to Lake Hodges, the neighborhoods surrounding the area, and of course I-15. I would rate this as an easy-moderate hike. It's really manageable, but on those sunny SoCal days (which are plentiful) you still need to prepare by bringing plenty of water to stay hydrated. I hiked with a 2L camelbak and an additional 1K nalgene to drink my hydration pack with. This was plenty for the 6.6mile roundtrip trek today.

This review is for the Bernardo Mountain Summit Via Coast To Crest Trail. Total miles was ~7 miles…read morethat took ~3 hours or so to complete. Small parking lot of maybe 20 cars and possibly some street parking as well. The first ~0.6 miles of the trail involves walking next to the freeway. Trail was mostly dirt and rocky for some areas with some inclines to the top. In addition, the trail was mostly exposed to the sun so be prepared. Overall, nice views of Lake Hodges and the distant landscapes near the summit! For those interested in the video of the hike! https://youtu.be/hkqN8VEalWM

Great moderate hike! There are several trails to choose from, but the one we did was just over 3…read moremiles with over 800 ft of elevation gain. The trail is well maintained and rewards you with a beautiful panoramic view of Poway.

Short and sweet out-and-back trail. ~1.9 miles total, can finish in about an hour. Start in…read moreSilverset Park where there's a nice parking lot, a bathroom and a lot of families walking around. The hike itself is very quiet, I was expecting bigger crowds on a Sunday afternoon with beautiful weather but only ran into 2 solo hikers the entire trail. This could be a pro or a con depending on if you're seeking solitude or have some concerns about safety (e.g. a female solo hiker), but the area itself feels extremely peaceful and safe and embedded in a lovely suburban neighborhood. I also had cell service the whole time on this trail too which was nice. Gets steeper closer to the top and might have to climb over a good number of rocks (some of which are a bit loose) but nothing that you can't handle with a good pair of hiking shoes and a bit of caution. Agree with the other posted reviews that there's a network of trails that is not super well labeled and the signs are not helpful. Still, you can see the summit from the trail pretty much the entire time and that helped me orient myself, just choose the path leading in the direction of that summit. Great workout, views at the top are beautiful and completely worth it!

Super quick hike, a big incline, but not a long distance so it was t bad. I would do this one againread more

My little hiking phase brought me to this mountain. I always see this mountain right off the 15…read morewith the cross on top in RB. I thought it's a good way to conquer my fear of hills since I read the reviews and it takes about 20 minutes to get to the top. I thought piece of cake! I can do this... When I stood at the bottom and looked at the top I thought maybe I should just turn around. I usually have a hard time breathing when it comes to hills but I need to practice. I am glad I did it. I got to the top in 15 minutes! A few times I was scared because I looked behind me to see how far I went up. Man it's a long way down. The incline was steep but manageable. It was very rocky and the trail is eroded so watch your step. I was always scared I was going to slip and fall because I have horrible balance but I made it up! The view at the top is phenomenal and well worth it. You can see everything at the top. I always love seeing the view of lake hodges. So beautiful. I had to think about getting down after I enjoyed the view at the top. I swear it took me way longer to get down. It took me 25 minutes just to get down. My fear of sliding down the mountain made me take my time. I took the tiniest steps. I fall when the road is flat and I have the scars to prove it so me falling down may have happened so I had to take my time and watch my step. This is a great hike with a great view. If you want a quick hike then this is the one for you.

My 1000th review goes to the Coast to Crest Trail which is the path of the coast of Del Mar going…read moreall the way inland towards Volcan Mountain by Julian! I love this hike within the San Dieguito River Park especially the San Pasqual Valley segment. I've been doing this particular hike along the trail the past four years and it's awesome. Parking is plentiful and a cinch to find! I start this at the *San Pasqual Staging Area* which starts by a citrus grove, then passes a large turf grass farm, abandoned buildings, a closed dairy, and scenic views from afar amidst the vegetation and unique species of plants along the path headed towards *Ysabel Staging Area* which is about 6 miles out and back. I definitely enjoy exploring the San Pasqual Agricultural Preserve and all of it's beauty and history. There are more bicyclists than hikers along this route, which is pretty sweet for it being a mellow path. Next time I definitely want to turn it up a notch by doing one of the longer hikes which I believe will be about 12- 22 miles if I go further out. :)

This is a nice hiking (and bicycle) trail that roughly follows the San Diequito River from the San…read moreDiequito Lagoon eastward. The area around the Lake Hodges one of my favorites. Sadly, the Lake is considerably smaller that we moved here 20+ years ago because of droughts and Dam repairs. Recently, the Lake Hodges Dam has been found to have very serious problems that will require significant reconstruction or replacement. The water level will kept at the 280 foot level. It may be 2034 before the Lake returns to "normal".

Great 2.5 hour trail with the friends. The first half a mile is challenging, but worth it ! I love…read morerunning the last portion of this. I've been going here since I was a child and the trail has always been pristine.

Scenic 4 mile hike located in Daley Ranch. Part of the trail is paved until you branch left to get…read moreonto the boulder trail. There were quite a bit of people on the paved trail but once on the boulder trail we only saw one hiker. There were plenty of views along the way and from the top. Pretty mountain ranges. It's best to go in the morning as it does get hot. Bring plenty of water as there isn't any shade on this trail. Also, the parking lot is busier on the weekends so parking can be challenging. There are lots of trails here to make your hike longer.

I like the view but the only thing that I didn't know which didn't mention on the reviews is that…read moreit's not good for strollers.

Would give the Del Dios trail itself at least a four out of five, but given all the other trails…read morethat are accessible from the end of this trail, the over all hiking and exploration of this area with the Lake Hodges view might earn the combined trails in this area a five if there were more greenery or overhanging dense trees. The Del Dios Highlands trail itself is more of a hard packed dirt walking path than a hiking trail, but is challenging because of its steepness (towards the end the equivalent incline of an intermediate-advanced ski chute) and more or less continual upwards grade. There is no warm up and the incline starts right from the dirt parking area (behind the gate - closes at 4:30pm don't get locked in), and other than some short level portions is 1.3 miles of continuous uphill to the summit. Once we got to the summit we kept going on the trail, around and down to the Lake Hodge Overlook trail which we took not to its conclusion, but close, and then back to the summit and back down the Del Dios trail, making the total hike 6 miles. We didn't stop much and made the walk in about 2 1/2 hours. If we had had more time or the inclination, we could have explored other trails, including one that goes to the Harmony Grove parking lot. But as far as getting back to the exact Del Dios Preserve parking lot, the only way back is the same way in. Dogs must be kept on maximum 6 foot leashes and please bag and Remove from the trail your dog's poop - hate seeing any of that on the trail! Great experience, worth exploring, especially on a moderate sunny 70s day.

Miner's is considered a moderate level trail, but I found it to be quite easy. I still had a great…read moretime!

Nice hike trail. It was approximately 2.5 miles and just under 500 elevation gain. Some sections…read moreare very rocky. Dogs on leashes are allowed. Parking lot is easy to miss.