Alltrails lists this as 'Horse thief Canyon', then I saw that I had this listing bookmarked on Yelp…read morefor sometime and noticed that they were the same thing! Distance: ~3.3mi., reverse out-and-back (you will be going uphill on the return trip) Difficulty: easy-intermediate-ish (~0.5mi ascent on your way out which can get the heart pumping!) Time: 1.5-2 hours Permit required?: No (according to permit site - https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/r5/passes-permits/?cid=stelprdb5208699&width=full) Sights of Interest: Mini waterfall and pool Parking is in a big dirt lot just off of Japatul Lyons Valley Rd.. Turn in at Forest Rt 16S04. No bathrooms, so bring some T.P.! There are three gates as you approach - two smaller ones and a large one leading to a service road. Take the gate with a sign marking the 'Epinosa Trail to Secret Canyon Trail'. You'll end up on the service road either way. Continue on the service road until you see a sign off to the right that says 'Trail'. This is where you'll begin the descent into Horse thief Canyon. Eventually it evens out into a nice shady area alongside a stream. Lots of vegetation and growth everywhere, so make sure to *bring the bug spray*! There's a stream crossing after which you'll come upon the pool! Lots of great places to hang out on and relax on boulders. Water is pretty clean for swimming too. Awesome place to bring your dogs to cool off after the dusty trail. Just remember to pack your trash out if you plan on picnic-ing down at the pool! Most of your journey is on the Epinosa Trail and supposedly the Secret Canyon Trail is just beyond the pool, but the trail doesn't seem to continue anywhere beyond it. Great trail either way that experiences very little foot traffic so the area is very well preserved and wild! FYI, apparently this area experiences an influx of illegal immigrants and smugglers, but I think that was in earlier years. It was pretty safe when I went and I only had my dog in tow. But, I like to live life on the edge, so if you are wary come with a group!

If you go during the week during normal business hours this trail is dead! It was our 2nd time here…read moreand there was only 1 car in the parking lot and we never even ran into the people. This is nice but also kind of scary especially since it's kind of in the middle of nowhere and you don't have great service but luckily I am alive today to write this review. The first time we went on this hike we missed the path and ended up just heading straight through on a dirt road so pay attention on your right hand side for a sign marked trail. This trail would have gotten more stars if it wasn't for the ridiculous amount of flies. I almost turned back because I couldn't stand them constantly flying in my face and in my ears. Maybe I am not an outdoorsy person if I cant handle that but it was hard to enjoy this hike when I was having to smack flies away the whole time. This is also one of those hikes that is fairly easy on the way down but tough on the way back because you have to go back up. I will say though that it was a really pretty hike and there is a creek at the bottom. We didn't go the whole way but did about a little over 3 miles of it. It's about a mile and a half to see the beginning of the creek. Maybe wearing bug spray might help with the flies?

This hike is TRICKY. I definitely recommend downloading a GPS app on your phone to help navigate…read morethe trails (I had not done this before, but will do so next time). You're suppose to follow the cairns (stacks of rocks) to help guide you on the trail but to be honest, there are so many small little paths it's easy to lose your way even if you think you were following a marker. Fortunately, my friend and I were able to tag along with some friendly ladies who had done the hike once before. We wouldn't have made it up to the peak if it weren't for them. There is a specific part of the trail (right when you pass the dam) where you need to climb up pretty steep and are pretty much rock climbing at some point. I made the mistake of wearing Nikes on this hike and will never do that again. You need shoes with traction or straight up hiking boots for this climb. It was scary going up and going down. The trails are VERY NARROW. We got scratched up pretty bad and I was still wearing long leggings and a long sleeve. My hands were full of scratches. It was particularly windy on the day that we went which was at the end of January so do check the weather forecast and dress accordingly. The boulders at the top are BEAUTIFUL and there are plenty of photo opportunities. On a side note, I did end up with a tick attached at the back of my neck when I got home. So again, dress appropriately and definitely recommend doing a "tick check" after every hike now. :)

Nestled between Lake Morena to the north and Hauser Canyon to the south is an unassuming mountain…read morecalled Morena Butte. I get the feeling a lot of people don't know it is even there. It is neither particularly tall, or even distinctive given its surroundings, but it makes for a memorable hike for those willing to put in a few miles to see it and the unique hiking experience it has to offer. The payoff is multi-hued granitic outcroppings, boat loads of exposed boulders and a dizzying cliff-side summit overlooking Hauser Canyon, Barrett Lake and points west and south. The hike starts in Lake Morena County Park. If you GPS it, it will take you right to the park entrance. (If you don't have GPS, take the Buckman Springs Rd exit off of I-8, turn right towards Campo, right on Oak Dr, slight right on Lake Morena Dr to the park. Follow the signs.) You may park in the PTC trail-head lot just outside the county park entrance. No fee or permit is required in this lot- parking inside the park will cost you $3. The southbound PTC trail-head is at the west end of the lot and is marked. Begin the hike there and proceed SW for about 4 miles. The PTC will wind and twist around for a bit, but you will eventually end up westbound coming up from a small creek-bed onto a slight rise before the trail starts its decent into Hauser Canyon. The trail heading up to the butte T's from the right at the top of this rise and at this writing was unmarked. (There was a trail marker at one time, but it was gone this last time I hiked it.) We left a rock cairn to mark the spot. **Important: If you start descending down into Hauser Canyon, you have gone too far. Turn around and go back!** Proceed up the butte trail for about two miles, being careful to follow the numerous cairns marking your way. Vegetation becomes more sparse and rocks more numerous the farther you go so it becomes real easy to get off-trail. If that happens to you, just make sure you continue along the ridge-line in a general westerly direction and keep an eye out for those cairns. You are headed for a summit overlooking Hauser Canyon on the far end of the butte, so keep close to the canyon side of the mountain and keep following the ridge. You will go around to the left of a large rocky rise and will end up on a massive granite outcropping. After gaping at the spectacle for a few minutes, look west-ish and you should see the summit poking up from the far corner of the mountain with a crazy over-hanging rock at its high point. Follow the cairns on the outcropping opposite that, staying generally to the right side of it, then follow the cairns down into a depression at the end of the outcropping. From there you will cut west-ish again and go up a rise where it is real easy to lose the cairns. Most of them are down low and easy to miss in the vegetation. The summit should be ahead of you so just continue and head straight for it. There is nothing wrong with forging your own trail at this point. You will have to rock-scramble the last 100' or so, but finally you will come to the summit. If you go to the far corner of the summit, you are literally standing on the edge of the mountain with a mind bending drop in front of you. If you get up on the highest summit rock it's even better. Enjoy the views of Hauser Canyon and Barrett Lake and have a rest because it is a long way back to the park!

I just stayed at Lake Morena last weekend and I'm obsessed. It may be my favorite campground or at…read moreleast our particular site (20) was amazing. It was perfectly flat and shaded by a huge tree. Close by the restrooms but not right next to them. The restrooms also were pretty well maintained, only running out of tp on Sunday morning, but kept clean throughout the weekend. The restrooms are also heated, which was much appreciated in the evening and early morning when the temperature dipped into the 50s. We plan to return and book a few of the spots around the area for a group camping trip with friends in the future. Only downside was the amount of foxtails but I'm hoping that a spring visit will lessen the amount of those and possibly bring some grass instead. We also liked all the activities around here, including dog friendly hikes and the boat rental. We also happened to be there on a night where they were showing an outdoor movie (Hocus Pocus) and they had a hawk talk during the afternoon.

It's a beautiful well kept quiet campground. We saw wild turkeys walking around each day. Lots…read moreof hiking, walking and bike trails. Fishing and boat rentals

Great camping spot Dog friendly…read more Clean toilet Fun activities hiking and bicycling I love the experience with my family, it is a beautiful place to camp, very relaxing and quiet. Be aware for some rattle snakes.

This is a peaceful campground only an hour from San Diego. The small town of Pine Valley is nearby…read moreand is a good stop for the basics. Cibbetts Flat is first-come first-serve and I got here early enough to be choosy and find a good spot before my friends arrived. The requisite bench, fire pit, water access, and primitive restrooms are all in good condition.

I love it when I can bring my dogs camping! Potrero County Park Campground is located on the East…read moreSide of San Diego. The surrounding areas are mountains and small towns. We went at the beginning of October. The weather in the daytime was cool, it rained for one day at night, and it got chilly. At night you can hear frogs and crickets. Dogs are welcome, but they must be leased at all times. There are hot showers available in the park bathrooms. Make sure to bring quarters to feed the machine. There are unruly campers at night. They blast the music up during quiet hours and drink. The best time to camp here is during the weekdays, and it's tranquil. The nature trail is easy to hike. It was a nice getaway! You can find more information about Potrero at - https://reservations.sdparks.org/reservation/camping/

Quiet well maintained county park. Bathrooms were clean. Showers were rust stained so I'm glad we…read morewere in an RV. We had space 15 which had lots of shade and room for our slide out. 31' class C RV. No real path to the bathroom so you have to cross across others campsites if you are in a, ah, hurry. Lots of ground squirrels, blue jays, vultures, crows and woodpeckers. ***COYOTES at night **** we had our dogs wear their coyote vests any time we went out. Serious sticker burr challenge for our dogs. Will bring a rake next time. Super friendly ranger. They have a little free library. We will come again in winter

5 mile round trip trail along PCT. Definatly moderate trail and expect wildlife. Falls were very…read moreactive and super cold (refreshing). Recommend this trail for persons who have hiked local trails. A lot of traffic on trail so you wont be alone.

I did an internet search on places to picnic & fish and found Lake Moreno. We finally decided to go…read moresee what was there. I was surprised to find that Lake Moreno was 3,000 feet and would be 68 degrees for its high today. Lake Morena is the highest in elevation and the most remote of the San Diego's reservoirs. You go through the guard gate and stop at the Ranger Station to pay for day use parking, fishing and boat rentals. If you bring your own boat or float tube, they do a check for, the invasive, zebra mussels. You can also get a card for entrance to all county parks. There are restrooms and a really nice little museum at the ranger station that is worth stopping to see. You drive into the park and pass a cute little children's playground and a youth area. It would be a fun place to let kids play at the lake. You see the lake as you drive farther in. You can see the darkened area on the dam where the water level was so much higher in the past. The dam dates to the late 19th century and, when it was full, the lake had a depth of 157 feet. San Diego (and all CA are in a huge drought causing serious water shortages) withdrew 2.1 billion gallons water from the reservoir causing the lake to drop to its current 83 feet. As you drive, you pass an lower boat launch where the water level is now and a upper launch where it prior, you can see how different the lake is today. There are cabins to rent and many other camping areas nearby the entrance to the Lake. The cabins are really barebones-you need to even bring a air bed or topper for the wooden frames to both the double bed and the bunk bed in each cabin. They are cute and would be fun to stay. Lake Morena is one of San Diego's reservoirs holding water for the city. Not sure if it's true but-they reduced the lake water level to half to fill a lake for the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, I was told by someone who's camped here for years. The lake is below 50% level and this caused it to get warm and cause an algae bloom. Fishing is not great except for carp and maybe catfish. Boating was fun although since the lake is down, it's much smaller leaving less places to go. The boat launch has many row & motorboats to rent. The lake was extremely green. Maybe a spring turnover or algae bloom. You can't swim-and I wouldn't if I could! I still recommend Lake Morena- Reservoir very much for a day to be on the water or just relax or spend a few nights where it's cooler than being in the desert!

In honor of my 100th Yelp review I decided to do something special. Rather than review yet another…read morecoffee shop, provide an insipid cronut review, or be forced to witness others plow through a middling brunch offering where I inevitably end up listening to every third person complaining about some poor schmuck who's unfortunate enough to work in the hospitality industry and fails to get a bespoke mojito order just right in the face of constant criticism and complaints. I've had enough. So, I've decided to travel the length of the Pacific Crest Trail. I'm doing the hike during the off-season, so as to avoid the crowds. The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,653 miles long and runs north through the Sierra Nevadas from the California-Mexico border in Campo, California to the Washington-Canada border. My hike will take me through 7 eco-zones, 3 states, 25 national forests and 7 national parks. The midpoint of the journey is near Chester, California, which is where I intend to stop at "Cravings" - a lovely little brunch place that serves the fluffiest eggs around and lean crispy bacon. I'm also hoping they have cronuts by the time I arrive, and that the service is attentive without being overbearing. Sure, there are a few dangers on the Pacific Crest Trail, but I'm willing to brave severe weather, dehydration, landslides, black bears, diarrhea from tainted water, mountain lions, lightning strikes, snakes, bugs, and the dreaded poodle-dog bush for the benefit of those who may want to make the same trek - and my 12 followers on Yelp. The "dirty dozen" deserve it for sticking with me and my nonsense for the last several years. See you on the trail! Keep an eye out for me. I'll be wearing a black bucket hat and I'm traveling light with just a backpack, tent roll, and small carry-on suitcase.

Friendly staff, peaceful and quiet . Many things to do and…read moresee. For kids and adults. Restrooms clean and stocked. We will for sure be back.

From day one Jacob and his crew have been amazing! The campground is lovely and there is plenty to…read moredo on site. There are 2 great areas for dogs to relax and play. They have a farm tour that my 9yo enjoyed so much! We will definitely be back for another stay!

We had a great time with Emil on a 1 hr ride through rain and snow flurries. The ride was safe,…read morewell paced and super fun. I would recommend wearing some waterproof pants/jacket if you are going during such weather. This is my new favorite activity! Can't wait to do it again.

I booked this adventure for 2 reasons: (1) to FINALLY get out of the house during this pandemic…read moreespecially since all we have been doing is working and we have been working more than ever since our job is considered 'essential', and (2) celebrate my boyfriends 30th birthday. This was my first time on a quad/ATV and my boyfriend has been riding dirt bikes since he was like 6yrs old. I love being outdoors & going on new adventures, and he loves riding ... so the mixture of those things i came upon this place. For birthdays I love and prefer creating memories instead of giving materialistic gifts. Example: For his 28th birthday I booked us a little personal speed boat in San Diego. Upon arrival check-in was easy, quick, and they gave us hand sanitizer so we felt assured. They had helmets and other PPE lined up and available for us to use, however we had brought our own (riding gloves, riding jerseys, riding DOT certified helmets, and googles) which they allow. Our guide Jorge was funny and very easy going. The ride overall was really fun!! During our ride our guide also took pictures of us and he took some awesome ones with amazing backdrops! The only complaint I have was that I only booked us the 1 hour ride. Next time we are doing the 2 hour ride for sure! And maybe the Big Bear location as well.