A few weeks ago my cousin and I were looking for a chill way to spend the day. Our plan was to…read morelook for a place without a lot of people, hike for a while... nothing too challenging, but to get some exercise. We also wanted to bring a picnic for after our hike. Goodan Ranch was suggested to us by a family member, as he does regular mountain biking there. Anyway, getting there was relatively easy. We spent a good deal of time on a small, but neatly paved road that lead a ways off a highway to a gravel lot. I know that they do stargazing and other events there, so I imagine the lot can get crowded, but that day, there was ample parking available. I liked that there were several signs mapping the trails around the area. There is a large loop, larger loop and a few ways to cut back for a shorter hikes. The paths are mostly open, providing space for bikers or horses. We only saw a couple bikers and a couple hikers during the time that we were there. I enjoyed the green pastures and variety of colorful wildflowers. It was really quite beautiful. There were a couple of picnic tables. When we had finished our hike, we grabbed our cooler from the car and we were able walk back down a short ways to the picnic table. Another plus is that the restrooms near the parking area were very clean. I look forward to heading back for a stargazing event!

I was looking at hiking trails online and noticed this was a 6.5 mile loop on a preserve just south…read moreof Scripps Poway Parkway and west of Hwy 67. I entered the property on the northeast side off Hwy 67. It was a staging area set up for horses to be unloaded and taken on the trails. The path started off wide for equestrian riders and meandered up and down to the south and west before tailing off. After the descent, the trek followed very flat terrain and headed northbound to a ranger station which was in the middle of the ranch. On my way, there was a historic windmill which I somehow completely missed. I will have to notice that landmark next time and take a photo. I didn't make a stop inside the ranger station, but it was a nice sized building which had outdoor restroom facilities too. Continuing north for another mile or so brought you to the Goodan Ranch Staging Area. That was the main entrance to the Sycamore Canyon Open Space Preserve. A small lot was available for parking. To finish the loop back to where I started, a one-way trail (Martha's Grove) took me east, south and then west before a sharp switchback towards the east again led me up Cardiac Hill. This was the last segment before I arrived where my vehicle was parked on Sycamore Park Drive at the Hwy 67 Staging Area. Overall, this was an easy to moderate difficulty hike. There wasn't much shade until you were near the ranger station and then on the Martha's Grove Trail. I completed the entire circuit in 2.5 hours in beautiful mid-70 degree weather with low humidity.

Beautiful day for an easy walk/hike at San Dieguito River Park! There are a few different trails to…read morechoose from. I opted for an easy out-and-back route that was just under 4 miles total with a little over 200 feet of elevation gain. The trail is well maintained and offers some really nice views along the way. Perfect spot if you're looking for something scenic and not too strenuous. Would definitely come back!

We went on an adventure today and met the nicest Park Ranger Nate. He introduced us to an old…read moretortoise, Harry. We learned about mustard and how it taste like broccoli. We also met a cool rose boa snake. It was awesome. Nate was very informative and it was great for our daughter. He gave us info on the best hikes to take and the best time to go on them. It was defiantly the highlight.

Awesome hiking! Check out the link to get the full map and where to…read more park. The lot is across the road from Bing Crosby Blvd. and Calle Ambiante. You will see the fruit stand and you will have to turn there in order to access the road to take you to the parking lot of the trail. The hike is 2.1 miles from the parking lot to the dam. The trails are pretty flat, but I do not think they are good for a first time hiker. You need to get other hikes under your belt. It was very quiet out here too. I did see a few mountain bikers and a couple of walkers on the trail, but it is not crowded at all. My dog was great on this walk too, so I highly recommend it for your 4-legged friends and family members. There are poop bags available at the start of the trail, so please pick up one (or two) before you set out.

A nice section of the Coast to Crest trail system that takes you right next to Lake Hodges Dam…read more - The trail goes mostly along the Del Dios Highway. So be prepared for loud car noises. - Many rattlesnake signs, and even a lookout called rattlesnake viewpoint.. - From the parking lot across from Cielo Rancho Fe, it's about 2 miles to the lookout. A few hills, but any family should be able to make it. Watch out for bikers tho... I challenge you! - It's 20 miles from this trail to the Wild Animal Park in Escondido...Do it in one day! Tip - Check out the website Hidden San Diego and look up the Lake Hodges Dam. Really cool photography (all trespassing mind you).

For starters, I wouldn't call this a mountain. It's more like a hill, and at 1150 feet, it is…read morenothing in comparison to some of the Adirondack hikes I've been on late That said, this was a really great hike. I parked at the Piedra Pintada trailhead on the other side of Lake Hodge (which can hardly be called a lake at this point given the drought). I chose this primarily because it was a relatively easy place to park and the distance you have to walk on the bike trail isn't too bad once you reach the bike/pedestrian bridge. This area has a bit of traffic even on a morning mid-week. I arrived around 8:30 and made my way up the main bike trail to the Bernardo Mountain Peak trailhead. The trail is labeled only in two places that I noticed, but it is a well maintained trail and if you've got an app or map, you're not going to get lost. The trail to the summit is mixed with gradual increase in elevation over the entire 3.3 miles from the Piedra Pintada Trailhead parking. If you go in the morning, you're definitely going to get good portions of the trail in shade. The trail is narrow in parts as you get further up, but it wasn't overgrown. The summit is rather smallish - but there are enough spots to sit especially if there's not too many people there. You get really nice 360 views down to Lake Hodges, the neighborhoods surrounding the area, and of course I-15. I would rate this as an easy-moderate hike. It's really manageable, but on those sunny SoCal days (which are plentiful) you still need to prepare by bringing plenty of water to stay hydrated. I hiked with a 2L camelbak and an additional 1K nalgene to drink my hydration pack with. This was plenty for the 6.6mile roundtrip trek today.

This review is for the Bernardo Mountain Summit Via Coast To Crest Trail. Total miles was ~7 miles…read morethat took ~3 hours or so to complete. Small parking lot of maybe 20 cars and possibly some street parking as well. The first ~0.6 miles of the trail involves walking next to the freeway. Trail was mostly dirt and rocky for some areas with some inclines to the top. In addition, the trail was mostly exposed to the sun so be prepared. Overall, nice views of Lake Hodges and the distant landscapes near the summit! For those interested in the video of the hike! https://youtu.be/hkqN8VEalWM

Very decent 360 views. The walk up is a 6/10 if you're…read moreaverage shape. Right now there's a lot of wildflowers from the rain. Friendly folks and a nice neighborhood, so be respectful of their privacy.

Super quick hike, a big incline, but not a long distance so it was t bad. I would do this one againread more

This is not for the week it incline but beautiful. Just take water take brake's. It's a long trail…read moreno bathroom soo keep that in mind. I love it haven't made it all the way up yet but I will!!

Easy to get to, right by the humane society. Well defined and quiet (I went middle of the week…read morethough. There isn't a ton of parking and only one port o potty at the beginning. Bring water as it seems like it is pretty long start to Finish. Definitely seems like it is a part of the Daly Ranch trails? It's beautiful right now though .

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.

After spending the better part of the morning coming up with new and creative ways to say "No!" to…read morea Carlsbad timeshare peddler, Mrs. Picante and I really wanted to take a long hike, preferably away from hoards of people. We've all seen the photos of fellow Yelpers posing on Potato Chip Rock, but several reviews referred to how crowded the hike was. Since we were leaving at 11:00 AM, we saw that trailhead from the highway, but passed on it, having read that the Ellie Lane trail--the "secret backway" to the Iron Mountain trail, had a lot fewer people. Parking in the small free lot, we saw only three other cars.... definitely a contrast to the Potato Chip trailhead area and the Park N Ride south of Ellie Lane that also serves as staging for the Iron Mountain main trail. In summary: we were not disappointed! The hike starts relatively flat flanking a small ranch property and a few houses built into the hillside, but quickly turns into a zig-zagging scramble up a rocky trail through the aeons-old boulder field of the Poway hillsides. Recent rains had eroded the trail slightly in a few places, and the cool of December along with the sun tracking lower across the sky left the ground damp-- great, since it can get pretty hot and dusty here in the summer. Plenty of large boulder promontories presented photo ops with the ocean glimmering on the horizon... every bit as pretty as Potato Chip, though arguably not as unique as that eroded land feature. Steady uphill and a quick pace racing the sunset kept our hearts beating well. After a couple of miles, we came to Table Rock. Couldn't connect the drone, and probably not supposed to fly it here anyway, so we kept going. The trail got a little hard to find here, but we recovered it fairly quickly and kept moving towards Iron Mountain. A half mile of downhill brought us to a junction: right to head back towards the Park N Ride, and left to head up towards Iron Mountain. We opted for more uphill, and made it as far as the rock formation at the top, where a sign warns that raptor nesting in the rocks prohibits humans in the winter months. I assumed they didn't mean velociraptors; and besides, I like hawks and eagles and wouldn't want their little babies to jump off the nest ledge on my account. Besides, we were running out of daylight, and had to high tail it back down. On the way back we stayed in the main Iron Mountain trail until the last turn right back to Ellie Lane. We arrived with a little orange left in the sky, and only our truck in the lot. All told, we only passed two other hiking groups: a dad and his kids, and a lone fellow out exploring who was fresh in from Menlo Park. If you're looking for a fairly challenging hike, with plenty of photo ops on big granite boulders... and you'd rather not wait in line to take your picture on said rocks... this is a great place to enjoy some outside time!

This trailhead is located about a mile further north along Hwy 67 from the main staging area where…read morepretty much everyone starts their hike of Iron Mountain. That route is about a six-mile round trip whereas starting from this point makes the trek about 50% harder and longer. The parking lot was located across from a few houses along Ellie Lane, hence the trail name. Only three other vehicles were parked when I arrived. You start off pretty flat along the property line of these houses, but as you continue eastward and then veer north to begin the loop, the route becomes narrower, rockier, and steeper. The terrain was not for beginners. I only saw three sets of hikers during this part of my journey so it was definitely more isolating than the regular Iron Mountain trail. I didn't make a stop at Table Rock, but there were a few spots where you could get great photos of the boulders on the mountainside like when hiking Mt. Woodson. Ramona Viewpoint was another place where you could pause to admire the view of the landscape to the east. The trail had enough twists and climbing that the roughly three miles before reaching the junction with the main path to the Iron Mountain summit was a solid cardio workout. The ascent to the top was about 1.5 miles further which I had done on a few occasions in the past. There were so many more people on this leg including a couple of fools who were wearing flip flops despite the semi-muddy conditions in some spots. On the way back, you make a right turn northward about 1/4 mile before the main staging area to take the western portion of the Wild Horse Trail Loop back to the Ellie Lane trailhead. I really enjoyed the additional challenge and length of this trail. It felt like two hikes for the effort of one. I completed the circuit of nearly nine miles in about 3.5 hours. If there was a drawback, then it would be the lack of more trail markers. I made a couple of wrong turns and had to retrace my steps to stay on track according to the hiking app I was using. I would rate the difficulty level as moderate to hard.