50 Best Short Hikes: San Diego. Jerry Schad
south along California’s coast helps keep the area pleasantly air-conditioned on summer days. Mountain ranges north and east hold cold-air masses at bay during the winter. The bottom line is that daytime coastal temperatures nearly always hover within the 60˚F–75˚F range. The winter-wet season isn’t all that wet: only about 10 inches of rainfall per year, most coming in December–February, and there is no snow! Farther inland, up to 20 miles from the coast for these hiking routes, temperatures aren’t quite as mild, with some summer days reaching the 90s, and some winter nights dipping below freezing.
However, where and when heat is a factor, this guidebook coaches you to hike in early mornings or late afternoons—or to save those areas for fall, winter, or spring excursions. And as it is all about day hikes in these pages, you won’t have to concern yourself with bundling up in sleeping bags. (Well, a few trails in this book are suggested for enchanting full-moon excursions, but night hiking is recommended only in comfortable weather.)
Another comfort factor is elevation, which is the leading determinant for easy versus difficult trails. While coastal San Diego County isn’t highly mountainous, the landscape does rise and fall in a dramatic fashion here and there. As a consequence, the most demanding trails in this book may involve hundreds (but never thousands) of feet of elevation gain and loss—cumulative elevation change—over the course of the hike.
Your payoff for elevation gain in this region is views, views, and views. San Diego is not only highly scenic, but it’s also scenically diverse. One route offers a vista of waves and ocean bluffs, while a nearby trail darts into a fragrant eucalyptus grove, and yet another threads through oak woods next to a trickling stream. One trailside panorama encompasses square miles of boulder-frosted mountainsides, while an urban vista frames downtown San Diego’s glimmering skyline over the sparkling waters of San Diego Bay.
For a healthy mix of flora and fauna, city and country, you’re in the right place when you hike here. The whole of San Diego County (4,526 square miles) is home to more than 2,000 species of native plants and has more biodiversity than any area of comparable size within the continental United States. Some 500 species of birds have been spotted in San Diego County, more than most other counties or parishes in the nation, including Hawaii. Among the 50 routes covered in this book, you will come upon enough living things to not disappoint. And the hike descriptions tell you what to especially look for among plant and animal species along that trail. Also among these 50 routes, at least a quarter of the hikes weave through some of San Diego’s most interesting urban neighborhoods. You’ll enjoy the inner city’s treasure trove of historical, architectural, and cultural points of interest.
Coast prickly pear cactus
Lastly, from and around the city core, San Diego’s freeway system reaches out to nearly every suburb of consequence. That means that parks and open space areas on the suburban fringe are easily accessible. Barring traffic tie-ups on weekday mornings and afternoons, nearly every hike in this book is accessible within an hour or less of driving from the heart of the city.
USING THIS BOOK
The audience for this book is twofold: One is local residents who seek fresh walking routes—or who want to explore their own metro backyards more thoroughly. The other is tourists or business travelers who want a quick post-afternoon-meeting or post-sightseeing bit of exercise.
Whatever made you reach for this book, 50 Best Short Hikes: San Diego will entice you to the area’s best trails and pathways that are no more than 8 miles in distance and that have no severe elevation gains. Most of the hikes actually fall within the 1- to 4-mile range, which makes them quite suitable for casual hikers.
The most challenging hikes included in this book typically are located inland, rather far from the most densely settled and tourist-friendly sections of San Diego. Such routes may be perfect for half-daylong jaunts, especially on weekends. In some cases, you may have physical limitations to consider. In others, perhaps small children will accompany your walk. Whatever your particular needs or interests, there are hikes for you. Peruse “The Very Best Short Hikes” section to help you decide where to start.
To select hikes geographically, check the locator map. It depicts all five regions that are covered in this book and pinpoints the location of each of the 50 numbered hikes. The regional designations—Coastal North County, Inland North County, Coastal & Central San Diego, East County, and South County—are fairly common terms around San Diego. They refer to the metropolitan area of greater San Diego, not to the whole of San Diego County. (The latter includes about 2 million acres of remote mountains and desert that make up the true eastern half of the county, as well as Camp Pendleton, a large Marine Corps base on the county’s northernmost coast.) In addition to their positions on the overall locator map, the five regions cited earlier each have a map and brief introduction preceding the trail profiles for that area. See for the map legend.
To select hikes based on elevation, please note that the “Elevation Range” in each hike profile’s at-a-glance information refers to the highest and lowest elevation reached on that hike. For hikes involving a substantial amount of cumulative elevation gain and loss during the trip—meaning that you’ll walk up and down a lot—such ascents and descents are noted in the main hike description.
STAYING SAFE
Every route in this book is safe in the sense that it is a designated public trail or access route, and it is typically popular with other users. Still, you must always be mindful of trail conditions that can change over time and due to weather.
Trails profiled herein vary from dead flat and paved to steep, rutty, and rocky. Please carefully read each trail description before you set out on any of these 50 hikes, and prepare for all of those on uneven surfaces by wearing hiking boots or sturdy walking shoes. If you know that you do not have a good sense of balance, please avoid hikes that could put you at risk of falling.
An example for such caution is the popular route up Cowles Mountain (Hike 42), the highest point in the city of San Diego. Though there are well over 100,000 separate ascents yearly up the 1.4-mile main trail, the billions of past footsteps on the unpaved path have worn deep grooves into the bedrock of the mountainside, creating an obstacle course of jutting rocks. The danger of tripping and falling isn’t such a factor on the ascent, but it is more so on the descent, where stepping down on an uneven surface can result in a fall or a twisted ankle.
A narrow boulder passage on Woodson Mountain
In general, you should be as mindful of precautions for these hikes as you are for any trail trekking:
For all but the very short hikes, wear a lightweight backpack for carrying plenty of water and some snacks. Lack of adequate drinking water can sometimes be a critical issue on any of the hikes located in the hotter, inland areas. It’s best to avoid inland hikes anytime the sun is high in the sky during the warmer months of the year. Walking will not be enjoyable at those times anyway.
Your backpack is a good receptacle for extra clothing as well. Because inland San Diego County experiences wider swings in day and night temperatures than coastal areas, layering your attire is a good idea: take along two or more middleweight outer garments rather than relying on a single heavy or bulky jacket to keep you comfortable at all times.
Raingear, however, finds only occasional use on the coastal trails of San Diego. Usually, there’s plenty of advance warning when a rainstorm is brewing; it is highly unusual for fair weather to turn stormy within a short period of time. But always check the weather forecast.
When the sun