The Kumeyaay Trail is a trail that hugs Lake Wohlford's North shore…read more Parking is free at the Lake Wohlford Ranger Station so just park and walk East to find the trail entrance. Note that the trail isn't marked very well, and you'll have to use trail intuition to find your way in the overgrown areas. The trail is mostly dirt, small boulders, and large flat smooth rocks. Expect mud and sand in some areas next to the lake. Not the best hike if you have bad knees. The actual hike was fun ( early spring after many large rainstorms). You'll walk by several Oak Trees and many wildflowers blooming. This is a birders paradise as many waterfowl make their homes here. It's about 4.5 miles there and back unless you are foolish and decided to walk around the ENTIRE LAKE.. That will make your hike 5.5 total. Note there is NO TRAIL to connect Kumeyaay to the South trails on the other side of the lake. Foolishness - So, once you walk to the end of the Kumeyaay Trail ( there is a private property gate) you might get the harebrained idea to cut through the swamp to get to the south side of the lake.. Okay, we did it ( with three kids).. There are a few things to know before deciding to cut across the mash to the other side.. Much of your hike will be through a large stinging nettle forest. If you're wearing shorts forget about going to the other side of the lake. If you have long pants / jeans you should be okay. Next you'll have to go through various reeds and muck. Then you'll have to cross a small stream about ten feet wide, a few feet deep.. You're going to get your shoes wet unless you're one hell of a long jumper. Finally, you'll have to ascend up a vertical cliff to get up to a road..One you're on the South Side of Lake Wohlford you still have a long way to hike to get back to your car. There is no shortcut and you'll have to walk along the busy Lake Wholford Rd for over a mile. Worth it?? Yeah it was pretty adventurous. - Tips I wouldn't kike this trail in the summer. There are soooo many places for rattlesnakes to hide.

One of my favorite late winter early spring hikes in San Diego. If you time it just right, you will…read moresee the most gorgeous flowers all over the trail. I was a little bit early this spring, the flowers are just starting to come out! My guess is two weeks from now it's going to pop. You do not want to come out here and hike in the summer, it's got the name Hellhole Canyon for a reason. It gets dangerously hot and there is no guarantee that anyone's going to rescue you. You can put together a monster hike in this canyon. I've done it twice over 10 miles with an ass blaster of a climb. But today I did the shorter loop which is 5.25 miles. It's got everything, views, climbing and descending and varied terrain! We rarely see anybody out here but today we actually passed three small groups on the trail. You can tell that a lot of people use the trails also with horses because we saw some horse poop and in the distance we could hear horse whinnies- so cute!!! Another bonus is at this trailhead. There are two pit toilets that are the nicest pit toilets I have ever been in. The people that maintain this canyon do an excellent job. They are always clean, stocked with toilet paper and have hand sanitizer. I will 100% be back to this trail, possibly in two weeks! If you're going to do it, I highly recommend downloading the AllTrails app and following the trail as marked. No way you'll get lost.

Super sweet hike for me and my pups. Pretty steep but gorgeous when the weather is right!read more

The "Star" of Palomar Mountain State Park is the California Institute of Technology's Hale…read moreTelescope at the Palomar Mountain Observatory, but there is also a rare bit (for San Diego) of Alpine terrain to explore with hiking trails in the trees and meadows with pounds and lakes. The views are always spectacular, and adventure awaits for those willing to get out and explore. Plan ahead for camping, the campgrounds fill up fast on weekends when the weather is nice.

A beautiful state park and such amazing campgrounds. There are a few campground options, but during…read moremy recent visit, we stayed at the Doane Valley Campground. It was very easy to book ahead online and pay for our daily parking pass once we checked-in. The campsite itself is tucked into the forest, very high up on Palomar Mountain. We found it easy to park our one SUV at our campsite and pitch our tents. The sites do have water, tables, and food boxes. The bathrooms were kept quite nice and tidy. We were all very impressed with the simple but clean and well maintained facilities. We did do a dog friendly hike that starts in the Doane Valley Campground and it's about 4 miles round trip. We had a lovely hike with a decent amount of incline along with beautiful weather. They also have a lovely stop/view area at the beginning of the campgrounds with picnic tables. Palomar mountain is great for camping, hiking, a nice Sunday cruise up the mountain for the beauty, etc. Cell phone service is spotty up there so make sure to either download your map ahead of time or use satellite service.

Woodland Park is a nice place to walk your dog....they keep the park nice....there is a playground…read morefor the kids....they have tables with benches scattered around...on the weekends especially, people reserve tables for parties..

We came upon Woodland Park today on our way to pick up dragon fruit cuttings in San Marcos, and I…read morehad to check it out. This City of San Marcos park is modest in size. It has a beautiful perimeter of trees and shrubs. Inside, there's open green space with a pond, covered picnic tables, and playground equipment. There's a swimming pool at the northern end, but I didn't explore that end of the park. Next time we come out this way, we'll have to enjoy a picnic here. Street parking only.

This is a nice good walk. Excellent lake view lots of ducks to watch too. I love it when the cactus…read morebloom they are so beautiful! I start at the bottom near Silver Shadow and walk up to the recreation center. They're are restrooms and a faucet if you need water for your pups. I like to use the trails instead of the main walking road it gives me more of a workout. Keep an eye out for rattlesnakes from March through October. If you let them pass they aren't a threat. I do this walk/hike by myself it's never stopped me. I love it here

Well being in San Marcos we decided on coming to Jacks Pond Park . Let me tell you this park has a…read moresmall parking lot . Next lots of families have Birthday parties here and there are a few Barns here . With a couple of benches for you to sit . There is a trail here but the trail is not too long pretty easy . There is a Playground for kids also . Lots of greenery and Barn style design . Lots of trees and leaves everywhere . But this park is not as big as the others I have been to . Overall nice park and good for families or just to relax and enjoy the park . I can see myself coming back and enjoying again !!

This easy hike is a 5 minute drive from Pala Casino off of Hwy 76…read more We spent about an hour and a half on the trails, which included stopping a few times for photos and views. Other than one slight elevation, it was all flat, wide trails. NOTE: $5 FEE. Highlights: A pond, elevated views of the surrounding area, shrubs, trees, cacti, a few flowers, museum (which wasn't open when we went). PROS: ~Plenty of parking on site (go through the gates) ~Porta potties on site. A couple in the parking lot and a couple on the trails. The one I used was clean and didn't smell. Antibacterial gel and toilet paper provided. No sink. ~Picnic benches available, although most were not in the shade. Trash and recycling containers provided. ~Most trails were wide and flat. There was one part where we walked up an elevation which provided views of the surrounding area. ~A few benches were available on the trail. ~Well sign-posted from the road. ~There was a caretaker on site, keeping everything well maintained. ~It wasn't busy when we went in May 2026. We saw about 5 other people. CONS: ~$5 entry fee (May 2026) ~The museum wasn't open when we were there. We walked by twice. I felt for our $5 we should have had entry to the museum. ~Somewhat underwhelming, but easy and well maintained. MAKE A DAY OF IT We stopped in at the nearby Pala Casino afterwards and dropped in at a winery on the way home. See my photos for more details.

So last week was my second time to this spot. I enjoyed it the first time that I asked my friend…read moreto join me again for another leisurely hike/walk. There is a small fee of $3 to park and enjoy a walk or hike. Each time of our visit it seemed like they were maintaining certain areas. This spot is located right off the main road of Pala, which you must give a enough time to give the driver behind you with a warning brake and use your signal. This turn will sneak up on you as you are coming downhill at a decent speed. I like this area because it is not too far from where I live and it has a lot of nature habitat that I feel like I am deep in a canyon. You can make this a leisure walk or a moderate hike by taking a different trail. There is a small pond nearby and a couple of benches to sit and enjoy the pond. While on this walk we watched a healthy coyote roam the area. We didn't feel threatened by it. We opted to head up the hill which we managed much better than my first time. There are areas that have soft soil/sand. We didn't come across any snakes, but I see a Yelper had encountered one. We are in their territory. During our walk at mid morning there was a constant breeze, that was a plus. There is a porta potty available if needed. During our first visit rangers were driving the roads periodically, which this time we didn't seen anyone driving in the area. I hope to do another leisure walk or hike here again soon. Come check it out! Be cautious turning into the entrance and also exiting the Preserve.

This is a nice little park if you want to see the view of the Hollywood sign…read more Once again, Yelp doesn't like it if I only give you my opinion. They want me to go on and on and on for no reason. So here's some extra words so the review will be posted.

Mountain view park is an East Escondido park where you might attend a birthday party once in a…read morewhile.. This park has some picnic ( party areas), nice playground sets, and a really cool climbing spiderweb orb. Grass is pretty well maintained and there are some city tennis courts. There is also a soccer and a little league field too, but seeing I live in another part of Escondido we've never used those for league play. Just know in the summer that the playground slides get very hot ( like hot lava), so be careful. Good to know - There's an abandoned white house next to this park that's always used for wedding / family pictures. I know this all too well :(

Dry ground. fun Park to walk around. $5 parking. Camp Cajon replicas and 300 year old trees planted…read moreby indigenous and with indigenous stewardship these live coast oaks grew and offer a year round green canopy. There is a stone lined ditch and an amphitheater.

Hubs and I found this community park while driving by on a Saturday afternoon. We paid the small…read morefee, parked and took a walk throughout the winding trails. It was small, but so cute. And not crowded especially for a Saturday. We were pretty impressed with all the amenities. There are tons of places to BBQ, have group gatherings or just hang with your own family. We even found a small amphitheater! So cool. There are at least 2 baseball fields, a volleyball court, soccer field etc... We saw a strong park ranger presence as well. I like how this creates a safe environment. The bathrooms we went to were simple, yet clean and there are trees all throughout. It's such a perfect place to be for outside air, family time and small gatherings.

Love this park, been coming for over a decade. It's the only place we come for fireworks show every…read moreyear. Love the live bands & dance floor. It's a great time every time!

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars…read more This review is strictly for Baseball fields. There are 4 major fields and few practice fields. The park is huge including a BMX bick tracks, which is spread across lot of areas. ApApart from that, this park features baseball diamonds, a soccer field, a playground, picnic areas, and more. It's a really nice sports park that's bustling in the evenings. There are some good baseball fields and ample space for soccer and football. However, parking can be a bit tight, and the bathrooms are just okay. There are water fountains and place to fill bottle. Overall, the park is well-maintained. But the baseball, the outfields leave much to be desired, with numerous bumpy patches causing the ball to bounce instead of roll. Parking on streets close to home base it's a risk. Beware.

A Hidden Gem for Fishing in San Diego County…read more I've been fishing at Dixon Lake for 17 years--it's one of the most peaceful and productive fishing spots in Southern California. The lake is beautiful, the water is well-stocked, and it's perfect for both seasoned anglers and families. I've caught some amazing trout here over the years. That said, it's kind of funny how the "world record" largemouth bass legend still hangs over this place. Props to the catch, but some folks here act like they personally landed it every day. The fishing's great--you don't need the ego trip to enjoy it. Overall, Dixon is a gem. Bring your gear, enjoy the view, and let the fish do the talking.

This is a beautiful place, we came to fish, hike around the lake and just enjoy some peace. We…read moredidn't see many people catching fish, yet it was nice just to cast a pole and sit for a while. They have nice picnic areas and boats to rent. We will definitely check it out again and hopefully catch something next time. Great place for some family fun