Pretty flat... Meh. Met up with some people here... If you want to just get a little fresh air and some steps in, this could work but it's not strenuous by any means... Saw a bunch of guys on mountain bikes... Maybe that's the best way to enjoy this trail system.. read more

Marian Bear Memorial Park - Hiking Near Me - San Diego, California

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I love coming to this park and exploring the trails. Been going here for years now and I've never seen any sketchy activity. Great brisk afternoon hike. PARK SECRET: Be on the lookout for the family of "turtles" going across a small tree branch along the creek. They're been in the same spot on the east side of Genesse for at least 10 years now. Whenever I visit, I always check to see if they're still there. read more

Marian Bear Memorial Park - The turtle family of Marian Bear Park. Can you find them? - Hiking Near Me - San Diego, California

We entered through the Biltmore Trailhead to connect to the main walkways. I've always driven by this area on the 52 but never imagined that it would be such an open space. Of course, it's not filled with nature sounds since it's so close to the freeway but, especially after rain, the hills are covered in vibrant greens and some wildflowers too! There's even a river that flows along the 52 and you can branch off from the main path to explore the banks. Unfortunately, the water looks disgusting and I would highly advise against going in. Most of the path is fairly flat and the small amount of inclines on the trail are pretty short. I was surprised to see as many people as we did. I don't know how crowded it can get but it looks like there are some regular joggers and dog walkers here. At the time of visit, we had just experienced a series of storms so the river was actually high enough where you couldn't complete the whole thing without stepping in it. read more

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I took a short hike in the middle of this recent humid summer weather (by San Diego standards). Marian Bear Memorial Park straddles the lower edge of SR-52 starting at Regents Rd. You can go eastbound on the trail for about a mile one-way to Genesee Ave or westwards until you hit I-5. It's quite flat in either direction, and there is a creek that runs parallel to SR-52. I chose to just do the eastern route for a brisk walk to stretch out my legs. The parking below the south side of SR-52 was plentiful. There were numerous large potholes that made the drive into the lot very, very bumpy. With plenty of shade along parts of the trek, I encountered several dog walkers. It's definitely a fido friendly place for walking. I didn't notice any illicit activity during my stroll, but I can envision how such a situation could arise. Overall, this is an okay neighborhood "park" for some light exercise. read more

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Haven't been back to this trail in a a long while. My pops and 2 boys made it out today and it was just so nice.. aside from the part where my pops flew into a bush trapped and my youngest running to his aid it was a swell day. Ps.. keep a close eye on your elderly who believe they can still do the things the roe grandkids can... anyhow I'm pretty sure the swelling will go down and and my kids and old man will have some forever memories.... Plus I have some on tape should they happen to forget. Anyhow the level of difficulty is fate to medium, watch out for other bike trailers the paths are slim in some areas. Remember to use your left and rights and ALWAYS!! Pick up after your nasty disgusting selves! Seriously a handful of ppl including us picking up trash. This is why we can't have nice more free things! read more

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Great hiking especially during the hot months of the year. There is quite a bit of shade and an ocean breeze.

Convenient and easy to reach trail that I frequent. The trail is varied with trees and fair amount of shade. Downside is that it runs along the 52 freeway, so it's a bit noisy. Also, after the recent rains the creek is still fairly full, so you might have a problem doing the whole length of the trail. And the grass is tall and overgrown, so you might want to wear pants as a precaution against ticks. read more

Marian Bear Memorial Park - On the trail - Hiking Near Me - San Diego, California

Great little hidden area with some easy trails (flat) and a few steep options as well. This location is apparently within the San Clemente canyon. The trail opens open i to major neighborhoods as well. Pros: - bathroom availability - parking - trail options - easy/ moderate - shaded with trees - family friendly read more

Easy mostly flat trail hike. Trail head at a cul-de-sac and descend short steep stairs. initial forest-type canopy over the wide dirt trail alongside a little creek with ponds, until coming out into the main broad hiking trail in the center of San Clemente Canyon/Marion Bear Park.Many huge sycamores and oaks in this City open-space park with a wide main trail and small stream with some ponds that may have minnows and some orange crawdads. the Trail can become redundant. You can extend your hike to four miles by combining trails. Watch for a cyclists. read more

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We made our way over to Marian Bear Memorial Park after finding out another hike wasn't dog friendly. There are a lot of different trails you can take but several of them end up in dead ends along the creek. It's a pretty flat, easy hike which was great to take our 1 year old puppy on. The trail we went on didn't seem to loop back to the parking lot so we had to turn around and walk back the same trail we came from. In addition, the trails don't seem to be well marked, and there are a lot of forks where it's unclear where they will lead to (some taking you to dead ends or paths impossible to continue on). There are a lot of lizards and rabbits you see along the path and there's a lot of greenery. One thing to note is that there's a lot of poison oak around the park as well as rattlesnakes. Overall, decent hike but nothing too special or scenic about it. read more

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WOW! I finally got the chance to go to my neighborhood park. Honestly, I REALLY want to like this park. I loved the different narrow paths weaving across from one side of the park to the other and the diversity of different plants and sights along the way that you can discover on your hike... but this park needs some serious maintenance. Unfortunately, there are some problems that I just cannot overlook in this nice neighborhood park. 1) There a good amount of trash in this park. 2) Though I mentioned there are different trails to take, some of them take you to some... suspicious places. Adventure is out there- but when it involves a gnarled up wire fence or a standing pool you can slip into, I think a little more security is important to keep in mind. 3) OMG... I didn't discover this until a few weeks later... but there is A LOT of Poison Oak in this park. HIKE. WITH. CAUTION. My skin is raised in this itchy, blistering rash, and it has not gone away yet!!! All in all, if you decide to go to this park, really stick to the trails that are a lot wider, and stay away from any suspicious looking bushes or trees. There are some lovely sights out there, with plenty of beautiful flowers and trees. But, you don't want to take a nasty souvenir home in the form of a itchy rash either! read more

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I saw all the reviews saying about"all these men sitting in cars"since when is it a crime for men to sit alone in a car!!! or go for walks on there own!!so its ok for women to do it not men!!ridiculous all these comments...its a beautiful park with a river running threw it...ive seen men and women,couples,families,people on bikes,people with dogs,men alone,women alone..you get my drift!!!good grief people live and let live. read more

It started nice but towards going to Genesee Ave. i encountered bikers and it's hard to move on side bc there's a part of the road that is narrow. And there's no warning about the poison oaks. read more

Eh. I've never been to a trail in the city area and decided to check this one out with my dog because it's about 6 minutes away from where I live. I normally check out trails further away for a more nature vibe. This trail was a giant inconvenience. Just a heads up you have to cross water and there's no bridge or crossing so you'll have to step in the water and walk across in order to reach the hiking routes. Some may enjoy that but I think it's a really unnecessary step to get all wet then step you dirty wet feet back into your shoes to continue your hike or run. Uncomfortable for sure and a waste of time at the start of read more

What a gorgeous and well taken care of park! Tons of paths to lose yourself on but not enough to actually get lost. Seems like the thing to do here is mountain biking and I so wish I had one cause it looks like so much fun! There's two clear paths you can take from the the parking lot off Clairemont headed west. One is more shaded and the other is full sun. Shade on the left. Plenty of trash cans at the entrance so don't forget to bring your trash out! read more

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Beautiful park! We went there at 10AM and photos came out amazing. Easy hike, great place to bring your dog, parking was easy too. Highly recommend! read more

Weirdos here, bring a pocket knife if you go alone. Was just starting the trail and was followed in by some weird guy who was just at the entrance looking for people to enter the trail? I stopped to let him pass and instead he also stops like 20ft in front of me. I confronted him and he was just being weird so I exit the trail and walk the trail on the other side and there were like 3 guys just hanging out on the trail?? So I leave there and the first weirdo is following behind a couple entering?? read more

I decided to go for a hike somewhere not too far from me and picked Marian Bear. It seemed like a good location and had plenty of geocaches on the trail, but one thing I should have done beforehand is read the Yelp reviews... The trails themselves are so-so. Some are shaded with trees and go over creeks, but for the majority of the hike you're just out in the open. The proximity of the freeway and cars everywhere you look deters from the nature-like atmosphere and just doesn't feel right. It's a good place for a quick hike or a bike ride, but not somewhere you would go to enjoy nature. Plus, the constant sudden sounds of birds, rattlesnakes, rabbits, and very possibly humans lurking in the bushes is pretty disturbing at times. Which brings me to my next point... This is one shady ass place! My encounter started as I was walking along one of the trails and I spotted a guy in sunglasses (it was a cloudy day) standing by the creek as if he was waiting for a drug deal to go down. As I continued walking, his eyes were locked on me and he even began following me for a while. If that wasn't enough to freak me out, the same guy slowly followed me in his car as I was crossing under the Regent St. bridge. I signaled for him to pass me, thinking I was just blocking the road for him, but he insisted I keep walking. After he finally passed me, he did so very slowly and just kept staring at me. No wonder this place has "Phone Patrol" signs everywhere that tell you to report suspicious activity. Only once I got home did I read the reviews and figure out how this place is notorious for illegal activity. Definitely not coming back here ever again... read more

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My boyfriend and I were looking for a nice hike to explore SD with my dog, Cody. I loved how this trail was mostly shaded and had open areas for Cody to roam. He had some trouble in the parts of the road that were made of stone but otherwise was fine. Once you park (small parking lot that fits about 20 cars), the trail is shaded and bigger but the further you walk, the skinnier the paths get with less shade. There wasn't too many people today (Monday, July 3rd), only a couple of people and some bikers. And the total hike took about 1 hr 25 min. We basically went as far as we could then walked the same trail back (it doesn't loop back to the parking lot). But this trail had many forks so you could end up somewhere completely different from where we ended. Beautiful flowers, no small rivers during this time, and some wildlife (saw a bunny!) Overall, a good easy hike! read more

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I usually don't leave reviews but this page could use a few more. I parked on the east side of the park and as one reviewer noted, there were several parked cars with guys in them just hanging out in the parking lot. I unfortunately had to use the facilities because I drank too much coffee prior to getting there. As I approached the bathroom I could hear a slapping, rhythmic sound (kinda like flesh on flesh). I remembered that I had read in a review about this place being some kind of homosexual hook up spot. All i gotta say to that is that it very well could be. Nobody bothered me and I didn't physically see any butt sex going on so its all good. I proceeded to take my two very small children to the other side of the park cause I was advised it was more scenic. I had them in a double off roading jogging stroller. We hiked about a mile west. There was only one spot where it was too steep for the jogging stroller and both there and back I was assisted by other park goers in carrying my double jogger up the stairs. It was a very scenic little hike with some magnificent old twisty oaks and intermittent carpets of bright red flowers. The canopy was nice as it was a sunny day. It was a good short hike for getting back out after having two kids and mostly stroller accessible. I'll post some pics. read more

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I must say that I am a little shocked by all the negative comments that I have read here and, frankly, I'm glad that I didn't read them beforehand or I likely would have not made it to this trail. This is a new find for me and I love it! :) I volunteer for a pit bull rescue and took one of the boarded pit mixes for a trail run twice this week, late afternoon. I can count on one hand how many people we encountered, all runners like us. I not once saw any "gay sexual activity" taking place, nor drug deals nor shady looking people loitering in the parking lot. Not once did I feel unsafe. And sure, there is some freeway noise, but it's right off the freeway. What did you expect? I'm thinking most people here are just "trolling". Don't believe the negativity and give this trail a try. :) read more

Marian Bear Memorial Park - Side trail off the main path. - Hiking Near Me - San Diego, California

I came here alone, on a whim, in silly shoes, and had an absolute blast. (To be fair, my gauge of a good time is the number of awesome pictures I'm able to take.) This is one of those rare places in San Diego where you're NOT bumping into people on a weekend. On my two-hour hike I saw exactly 5 people, and at no point was I concerned for my personal safety. (This would indeed be a great place for the homeless to camp out, but a.) I didn't see any, and b.) the wealthy scare me much more than do the homeless.) The only reason I don't give this gem 5 stars is because of traffic noise. The park hugs a highway though - no one should be surprised that they can HEAR the highway. read more

Marian Bear Memorial Park - Hiking Near Me - San Diego, California

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I went on a hike this trail twice so far. It is loud but it has good scenery. Not crowded. The first time I went on a hike alone during the weekday. I didn't know anything about weird activities have been going on at this place. I did see a white car slowly following to my direction while I was walking across the parking lot near Regents, but I started walking faster and the car drove away. The second time, I was with my boyfriend on the late Saturday morning to afternoon. At the same parking lot and near by roads, we saw many suspicious cars driving around and parked. A very creepy big old guy parked his van at the corner of the lot. He was standing next to his van and staring at us while we were hiking. After an hour later, when we passed the lot again, he was still same spot but this time, he was sitting inside of his van, in the back seat but the doors are wide open like welcoming someone, again staring at us as we were walking passed. Many other suspicious cars were just driving around the parking lot and they were talking on the phone. After I came home I read reviews here, it all made senses! I never go on this trail alone again. There should be a warning sign for new people like me. read more

Marian Bear Memorial Park - Hiking Near Me - San Diego, California

I love going on long walks with my dogs here. The Ranger keeps the place spotless with the occasional person dumping illegally in the area. For the most part it is clean and beautiful and green and it helps you escape from the city life of living downtown San Diego. I love it when the stream is flowing because the sound of the water is peaceful especially on a sunny day. read more

First and foremost I need to point out the facilities. Most public parks have disgusting facilities and it makes it hard (even in necessity) to use them. I made the mistake of not using my own before I left for this hike but I was pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness of the facilities as well as its stock on T.P. and soap (very rare for most parks.) Now as far as the trail goes, you have a few options for paths to travel. The scenery is beautiful and worth the amount of time it takes to get through it. My bf and I found a path up the side of a small mountain and the view was absolutely breathtaking. It really makes you appreciate living in San Diego ...being so enveloped by the city yet hidden treasures are sprinkled throughout. The path is littered with some slippery rocks so make sure you tie your shoes tight to avoid a rolled ankle. Also, this trail is PERFECT for mountain bikes so I suggest that as an option as well. The biggest annoyance I had was still being able to hear the traffic nearby and the lack of clear path labeling. Overall, it was a great experience for me and I wouldn't mind going back. I know the other yelp reviews state that this is a pick up spot, but I didn't notice anything of the sort... in fact, on my hike, several girl scout troops were on the trail and had no complaints either. I think your experience here is what you make of it... so, I'd say give it a shot. The worst that can happen is you decide not to come back. read more

Lovely hike. Take heed of the signs warning about rattlesnakes and keep your dogs on leash. read more

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Only dry brush throughout the entire hike. Nice breezes but that's about it. The hike was muddy, but it had rained about a week ago. Also, the highway is right there. Overall good if you want a short quick place to walk, but if you are looking for a scenic hike, not the place for you! read more

Marian Bear Memorial Park - Entrance to Marian Bear - Hiking Near Me - San Diego, California

I come here a lot. My dog likes it. The trails are nice on both sides. Most of the time I don't see anyone on the trails and it can get a little creepy as the trails in the back are woodsy and isolated. I've never seen a coyote but I see their scat so that's a bit worrisome with a small dog. I have noticed the men in cars especially on the East side parking area. Today was the first time I've seen two creepy guys go into the bushes. I thought it must be drugs sex or both. I've decided to not hike back too far alone especially after reading all the reviews here today. read more

I like this park/trail, used to walk it a lot 15 years ago. Took the kids today (a Monday) and there was dog poo all over the place near the parking lot. My toddler stepped in a fresh one. There was poo all around the picnic tables and bathroom too. Nasty. We just went home. read more

Do not go to this park--except maybe weekends mid-day--especially not alone! Ok this is a tough review to make. I've ran there at least 50 times in the last year, and after yet another experience, I'm done. Super sketch people almost every weekday or evening I've been. I've come across men performing sexual acts on the trails and naked men several times. Many other times there are groups of men acting suspiciously or an obvious lookout that just stands there hiding who-knows-what in the woods or bathrooms. If you don't believe me, just drive through the parking lot and observe all the men sitting in their cars alone--obviously not there to hike/bike/run. The non-emergency police line does not care. I talked with a park ranger and they know the problem, but can't do anything about it. It's a shame. Otherwise, the trails are nice for running. They wind under big trees and really transport you out of the city except for the noisy open parts by the 52. I hope they clean it up one day. read more

Creepy people in the park. I was walking alone on a late afternoon weekend and about 0.5 miles in realized I was being followed by a middle-aged man. I stopped to let him pass, and he also stopped and began talking to me. I got a weird vibe, and began walking back the way I had come, only for him to continue following me. I eventually lost him, but afterwards looked at these yelp reviews and realized all of the gay sex/drug issues here. It's too bad because it's a lovely park, but they need to fix this. There was not enough other hiking/biking traffic to feel safe. read more

I was a little skeptical of this trail after reading some of the reviews... I decided to go anyway. I figured if anything looked sketchy I would just leave. When I got there, I saw a creepy guy just sitting in his truck. I kept driving further down the lot. After I saw a couple hikers, mountain bikers and a family-- I decided to go on my run. Great running trail! You are away from all the traffic and people. The city could clean it up a bit better but good run. read more

Marian Bear Memorial Park - Hiking Near Me - San Diego, California

I remember going here as a kid in the 80's, but I hadn't been back as an adult because of the negative reviews I'd seen regarding the transients, drug activity, and "hook-ups." Last weekend my husband and I finally decided to give it a chance. We entered the trail at the Genesee lot and hiked east. I didn't notice anything too shady in the parking lot. There was a van parked next to the bathrooms that was clearly being lived in. A woman was tinkering in the back with the door open. Maybe it's the bigger lot off Regents Rd. that has more questionable activity. That is in the west direction, which I didn't explore. The trail runs parallel to Route 52, but to me, still felt worlds away from the city. It may be a different experience depending which part of the trail you are on and the direction you are heading. It was cloudy, with a chance of rain, so there weren't many others out on the trail that day. We did pass a few joggers, cyclists, dog walkers, and even a young couple with a kitten on a leash. A couple women were hiking/jogging alone. Because of the reputation of this place, I am not sure I would feel comfortable doing so unless the trail was busy. The trail is well maintained and traveled, but lined with poison oak. It is level and not strenuous, but there are side trails (undesignated?) that offer a little challenge. Cobb Trail detours to a steep stairway up to a housing development on Cobb Dr. that would be good for working the glutes. It's a mixture of canopy and full sun. I'll be back to explore westward, and update my review, if necessary. read more

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Families Beware! Don't bring your kids here. Today, at about 2 PM on a side trail, I witnessed THIS. http://www.popcenter.org/library/awards/goldstein/1994/94-15(F).pdf I won't be biking here in the future. read more

I love running here... but I would never come alone. The park itself is nice and you can head west from here to Rose Canyon. There's some trash around (including a shopping cart halfway down the dry waterfall... how?), but it's mostly off the trails. If you just want a leisurely stroll you can stick to the level parts, but there are a couple of tricky climbs and descents if you're up for more of a challenge. There's also plenty of parking and several decent bathrooms. Poison oak is a problem, but if you watch where you're going and stick to the paths you should be okay. If that were the whole story I would give this place five stars. Unfortunately, it's not. Even if they're not interested in me, men hanging out in their cars in the parking lot still feels threatening. You can find city reports going back 20+ years complaining about Marion Bear as a place for anonymous gay sex. I think there's more than just that though. Several times I've pulled in for an early morning run and there have been people milling around windowless vans, or there have been cars that raced off as soon as people arrived. By 7 there's usually a police officer parked in the west lot. This place is definitely worth visiting. Just come with friends. Plural. read more

Fun hike for the kids. We walked though creeks, with lots of trees to keep you cool while hiking! read more

Marian Bear Memorial Park - Hiking Near Me - San Diego, California

Marian Bear Park is a great place to hike with your pup (on-leash) if you are looking for an easy hike. When you first arrive you will notice there is a trail on the left and also one on the right. The one on the left has better scenery and has a few small hills. The trail on the right is better for people looking for a flat hike. My dog absolutely loved this place! The parking situation is pretty simple... lots of space to park. read more

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I'm always up for hiking a new trail, hiked here over the weekend with my family. Parts of the trail are really enjoyable, but it's definitely not serene since you can hear the freeway the entire time. I don't see much trash and was paying attention since another reviewer mentioned that. The info board at the trail head was beat up, broken plastic and had very little info. Trails are not well marked and we got a little lost, ended up hiking for 5 miles which was not the plan with our 6 year old in tow. Wouldn't return, but glad we checked it out. read more

Marian Bear Memorial Park - Some nice tree covering and lots of leaves to stomp through. - Hiking Near Me - San Diego, California

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So after reading the yelp reviews, I see everyone else also heard about men meeting here for sex. I have avoided this place for years as it looked nice, but who knew what could be lurking. But then we got a dog, and dogs like new places to walk and we get sick of the going to all same places too. We saw nothing remotely weird or creepy in the parking lot, just a few parked cars, and we usually avoid public restrooms, so no report on what those are like. This place is so nice. Dogs are on-leash only. As with any trail-like place, I would go with a buddy or two and/or a dog in the daylight. Biking around/through here would be fun too. We took the dog a few times over the holidays. He absolutely loved it. After the first visit, he now sees the trees and hears the gravel and up he jumps up in his seat completely thrilled. The first time we went on the east side of Regents. There are several trails here, one goes through a grassy flat with hills to the right area and then to a darker wooded area with a stream (it was getting muddy so we turned around here), another you go in the woody area just north of the lot and it says trail on a sign, then there is a wood slab to cross a creek. The second time we went under Regents (one lane was flooded under the bridge so we drove in the dry one.) This got us to the west lot. This was nice too. More of a walk in a open forest then there is a stream you cross on a wooden plank. The walks are short distance for us as we usually are there about 30 - 45 minutes but only get so far with mister sniffs-a-lot who slows down the walk considerably. You could probably make it much further without a dog sniffing every single blade of grass. But we do come here specifically for him to sniff new things. In both lots, you barely know that you are right next to the 52. Both sides have ample parking, restroom facilities and seem to be well marked. The parking is gravel and maybe a few dips in it, so drive slowly. There are some benches and tables for sitting/eating. We encountered many people with dogs (on-leash),many serious mountain biker types and families just biking along. There were also many couples and families just walking. It's not necessarily a hike, more of a nature trail, though there might be some areas you might need to navigate. The only problem I had with it: although most people apparently collect their dogs waste, there are no trashcans on the trail, only by the restroom facilities and spaces throughout the parking lot, so at times you see abandoned doggie bags on the trail. I also worry about the dog getting into poison oak, so we are extra vigilant. There are postings on the boards of what all the plants look like so that is helpful. There were not a lot of cars in either lot (maybe 5 or so), but the place was not lonely as people seem bike through here regularly. There was a park ranger hanging out and driving around in the parking lot on one Sunday afternoon that we went. Just noticed that another parking lot in Marian Bear Park is over off Genesee. We actually went there too. The parking is right south of the 52 at Genesee. It was nice there too. There was a stream there, but as we plodded along with the dog, we didn't see an obvious wood slab to cross the stream as we rounded the curve part, so we turned back (we were also there at 4:30pm and it was starting to get dark.) This parking area was populated with about 5 or so cars and there was a restroom building. It was a bit louder at this part of the park than the Regents location as it was directly beside the highway and you walked under the 52 off-ramp. We will definitely go again to check out all of the parts of this park. read more

We had a very positive hiking trip here. We parked in the Rose Canyon hiking trail lot and headed west towards the 5. The trail quickly has two routes -- left through the woods and up some stairs, or right across a wooden walkway over the creek. We did both. If the water level is high like it currently is due to all the rain we've had, I would recommend going left. If you go right, there is a good amount of trail that eventually gets blocked by a large section of creek that is hard to cross without either jumping or getting wet. This path also had much more poison oak than going left, and less of a view. The path going left was well traveled, with brief sections of shade. It eventually narrowed to wrap south around the hill. It was still passable, although it definitely requires a single file approach. Our dog loved it too. There were a few spots that had benches and a few picnic tables closer to the lot. Overall, it was clean and well maintained. Just beware the bumps and the poison oak. read more