Not a bad little walking trail. Probably better in the winter and after some good rainfall because…read morethere is a little creek that runs through some of it. Overall I walked about 1.4 miles, could have gone further through a little bunny trail but decided to turn back as I was unsure where it was going to lead me. Saw one other person walking there as well.

I would definitely consider this one of my top five trails in San Diego! The Greenbelt Hiking Trail…read morewas an easy walking trail with tons of greenery. I felt like I was transported out of San Diego and into a far-away forest. I only saw two other people on my walk, which was nice. I felt at one with nature! *A little tricky to find via maps directions. For this trailhead you will need to park in the residential area at the intersection, as there is no parking permitted along Antigua Blvd.

Beautiful views. Good amount of gain on a well maintained trail. 3.2 mi around the lake. Prefer…read moregoing in on the Northwest side of the lake loop. Small cafe at the trailhead/fish dock. No swimming allowed.

This review is for the Lake Poway Loop Trail, not for Mt. Woodson Trail which is 7.8 miles…read moreroundtrip. Lake Poway Loop Trail is a great easy hike! It's labeled as moderate but it is quite easy with only a few slight inclines. If you go clockwise on the loop and turn left on the trailhead, the beginning is more challenging than the end. There's not much shade on the trail so I suggest going in the morning or on a cooler day. There's views of the mountains and the greenery in the beginning and views of the lake on the second half of the trail. The trail itself is very well maintained with clean benches for seating, port-a potties, and a few trash cans along the way especially near the lake. $10 parking fee on weekends and holidays, but free on weekdays. When parking, walk towards the snack bar building and the boat rentals on the water and you'll see the start of the trailhead. It is 2.8 miles round trip and about one hour long. Dog friendly with dogs on leash.

Carmel Mountain Preserve is an extension of the Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve located in the…read moreneighborhoods of Carmel Country and Torrey Hills. The area that I hiked was further south than the trailhead off Carmel Country Rd just south of Hwy 56. My starting point was the southwest corner of Ocean Air Community Park and Recreation Center. There was plenty of available parking because of this local recreational facility. According to a hiking app, the circuit was a loop of about 2.75 miles that took a little over an hour to complete. I noticed that by going counterclockwise, the trail started very wide with plenty of space for bicyclists and horses. There was a couple that was horseback riding during my stroll. Most of the path was clean although occasional land mines of horse dung were present. As the trek extended west and south, the walk became narrow to the point in which I was following a gully down a slope. Except for one hill in the southwest section, this trail was quite flat. Houses on the edges of the bluffs were visible and lined the perimeter of this preserve. The number of trail markers/signs was minimal, and none of them indicated a distance from the trailheads. If you live nearby, then it's a nice escape to take the kids and/or pets on a walk of minimal difficulty.

Nice relatively easy evening walk. Dog friendly. Dust path with a few scenic views overlooking…read moreCarmel Valley neighborhoods. Walking paths get a bit narrow and steep in some places (children would need help).

This trail was very lovely once you pop out next to the San Dieguito River and wetlands, there were…read moretons of great waterbirds and coastal scrub birds so if you are big into birding this is a great spot to do it. Also the huge amounts of California Brittlebush (flowers) along the landside of the path were gorgeous. There is lots of parking at the trailhead. There are also Porta potties along with trash cans at the beginning and end of the trail.

This trail is very close to el camino real in Carmel Valley , it has ample parking and some nice…read moreviews of the area. The five freeway is just west of this trail so when looking towards the ocean you tend to see the freeway. There are three trails roughly all around .5 miles which has benches on all trails and are wide enough for large groups of people. I use to take my dog down to the trails and there is plenty of space for him as well. Great place for a nice easy hike !

At 1,369 ft, Pyles Peak is located near Cowles Mountain…read more There are a couple of ways to get to this hike, but I went through Cowles. I believe the other way is going to less trafficked route, the Barker Trail. At Cowles summit, if you follow the path near the antenna, it will lead you to Pyles Peak--a quieter 1.5+ mile out-and-back hike from Cowles summit. To get to Cowles summit you can either take the scenic route, which is a 1.5 mile hike to the summit or the service road, which is a 1 mile hike. There is a parking lot you can park in or street parking. There's restrooms at the entrance near the scenic side. There is not much shade so be aware of that. This hike is kept very clean. I just find it to be a little more on the boring side. This was the last hike I did for the five peak challenge! That could have influenced my feelings towards this hike.

Instead of following the traditional route of hiking up the front (south) side of Cowles Mountain,…read moreI started my trek from the end of the Mesa Service Road on the east side of Mission Trials Regional Park. The Mesa Trail actually had more shade to protect you from the heat and sunlight than if you started from the main trail head at the corner of Golfcrest Drive and Navajo Road. The tough part began when you ascended west on the Cowles Service Road towards the summit of Cowles Mountain. It was nearly a mile stretch in which the incline became rather steep in a couple of spots. As soon as you pass the top of Cowles Mountain, you keep going west for a few hundred more yards before you see a sign that directs you to a trail towards Pyles Peak. From that point, it was another 1.5 miles of decline and incline before you reached the summit of Pyles Peak. About halfway into this part of the trek, there was a view point (i.e. Pyles View Peak) where you could branch off back east for maybe a 1/4 mile until the path ended in a cul de sac. At that location, you get a wonderful view looking back towards the top of Cowles Mountain. It's a nice rest stop and photo opportunity. There was about 3/4 mile left to hike before reaching Pyles Peak. A sign posted 1/4 mile from the summit warned hikers that this was a difficult climb. I actually didn't find it any worse than the ascent up the Cowles Service Road. The sign at the Pyles Peak summit indicated you were 1379 feet above sea level. After taking several pictures and eating some snacks, I started my journey back to where my vehicle was. In total, this hike took approximately 3.5 hours with breaks to cover about 6.5 miles.

Fun place to walk with my pup. Was attacked by a bee colony one time and we sustained my stings and…read morethe dogs freaked out as well... and have to watch out for ticks, but otherwise a great place to run or walk

This is a trail system running through UCSD Ecological Park (aka Black Canyon Open Space) within…read morethe UCSD campus in La Jolla. The trail starts near the Hopkins Parking Structure. There is also another entrance near Genesee and Johns Hopkins Drive. Eucalyptus forest provides nice shade for easy walk. Some trails are closed off for habitat restoration but this isn't always marked well

Aside from this place being misspelled I'd like to say the trail is worth the trek and the risk of…read morebeing arrested lol. Not too many people know about it but it's obvious when you get here that the trail is very close to all the other things in the eco environment. If you want to experience something different other than the beach or a hike, this is where you'll want to be. After a rainy day you'll want to wait a day or two for the marsh to dry up so that you can maneuver your way through otherwise you'll get stuck and won't be able to see anything.

This is one of San Diego's hidden secrets. The trail is not promoted by the Torrey Pines park nor…read moreis it maintained, but if you are looking to get up close to some of the only remaining wetlands in San Diego county then this is the place to go. Finding the trailhead is tricky as it is not marked. Park at the South parking lot at the Torrey Pines Reserve then carefully cross the PCH. Head south along the road for a good 200ft and there will be a marker just over the embankment stating no bikes or dogs allowed. This is the Northern trail head from here the complete hike is an out and back type trail approx. 4.75 miles long. Please note that this trail is not maintained and the lower portion along the estuary will be covered in water at high tide. Please stay on the trail as all of the habitat in this area is sensitive and is some of the only remaining coastal sage scrub in the county. Come early and you will see lots of birds and even some mammals if you are lucky. Raccoon tracks, coyote, and bobcat are all along the mudflats, but I have yet to see any. This is not a good hike for little kids or folks with mobility concerns as there are lots of trip hazards and places where erosion has left holes and puddles on the trail. The southern end is at the end of a narrow trail that is paved and used by the Rangers to access the wetlands. You will know your at the Southern terminus when you will come to a large closed metal gate - turn around and head back at that this point as the road beyond the gate goes down into the industrial are of Sorrento valley. Be safe and enjoy the hike!

I Pottery Canyon Natural Park was very pretty little bit of good nature in San Diego would…read moredefinitely recommend going to check out there's only a couple hikes up to the top of a ridge with a nice view but nice little spots to hang out do some meditation and some good trees to climb on as well.

This park is a nice area with trails. I like to do breathing exercises and i enjoy the clean fresh…read moreair. I enjoy the walk around and its great that they have signs of the history of the patter Cornelio Rodriguez. Its shows great history of how this place was designed and the ideas he had. I for one just enjoy taking a nice walk from my house into a park and this one is right next to where I live. Its a nice smaller cozy park but if you have time then swing by to check out the place and read up on the history of the park. You will see a lot of eucalyptus trees there at the park. They have a really nice board with the history of the park and tells you the story of Cornelio Rodriguez. They have have parking here but its off road parking. But if you have a free day to hike and browse around i definitely think you should check out this place. Nature, clean air, historic place, sunny spring weather, makes a nice day out! Definitely check it out!