This was a pleasant hike that was north of the more famous Mount Woodson Trail (aka Potato Chip Rock) in Poway. You can actually choose your own adventure about 0.6 mile in with a less strenuous trek that headed south to Lake Poway or a tougher path east and then north that ascended to Lake Ramona. I chose the latter as it was only a round trip of about five miles. There were several switchbacks during the climb towards the summit. The hardest part came just short of Lake Ramona when the dirt became a black top pavement. The footing became better, but the steepness and stiff, swirling breezes made it a challenge. Once you reached the top, the reward was a beautiful view of the lake. There were a few folks who had arrived earlier, and they were armed with fishing poles. I had no idea how they were going to cast their lines because large boulders blocked the way down to the water. It took me exactly two hours from start to finish which included a little rest time at the peak to appreciate the view of the serene water. A bonus of the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve was that the parking lot at the trailhead was very well maintained. If this trail was longer, then I likely would have rated it with five stars. read more

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Great spot for a peaceful hike. There are plenty of trails to explore. We ended up doing a 2-mile loop. The path has informative placards throughout, and I loved all the beautiful greenery along the way. There's a large parking lot nearby, and it wasn't crowded. We only saw a few other hikers. A lovely place to get outside and enjoy nature. read more

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This review is for Blue Sky Canyon Trail which was a ~5.3 miles round trip that took ~2.5 hours to complete. Blue Sky Ecological Reserve is a popular and well maintained hiking spot that takes you to Lake Poway and Lake Ramona; located near Poway, California. Trail was mostly flat and slightly rocky near the beginning. The trail will eventually become an incline towards the top as you get closer to Lake Poway. Stunning views of the lake as you loop around it! No restrooms at the trailhead. However, there are restrooms at Lake Poway. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/FzeUhB761RU read more

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My friend and I hike blue sky weekly and enjoy all the trail selections. Whether you want a leisurely stroll or a grueling hike, blue sky has it all. We meet up around 8 AM and there's always plenty of parking - by the time we leave people are waiting for our spots. The views and wildlife are beautiful and you often run into a docent on the weekends. read more

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Parking available when we arrived at 12:30PM on an early March Sunday. The trail to Lake Ramona is well maintained and an easy, wide trail; except the last 15 mins or so was a steep incline to the top. Good view of Lake Poway and Lake Ramona at the top. Wild flowers are also blooming at this time of the year. Not much shade on this trail; however this early March Sunday was cool with temperature at mid 50s. Actually it was windy and cold at the top. It was a good hike if you have never been in n this trail. But I feel once is enough for me. read more

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We did the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve Hike to Lake Ramona, approximately 6mi moderate intensity. It was a convenient hike to get to (it's in Poway) but gets very busy really early on Temperature: The majority of the hike is unshaded. We did the hike on a winter morning and for the first mile, my nose and lips were so cold I couldn't move them. I should have worn a mask to keep my face warm. Thereafter, I was able to shed my sweatshirt and build up a very light sweat. I wore sunglasses almost the whole time because there was a lot of glare from the sun. Difficulty: All sorts of terrain but primarily clearly marked dirt trail covered with pebbles. There were several sections with steep incline (my favorite part of hiking) but it was interspersed with more than enough periods of flat ground. Parking: Free lot. We arrived at 730 AM on a weekend and the lot was empty. By the time we left at 10:30 a.m., the lot was completely full. read more

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve - Approaching the midpoint of where you turn around for the out-and-back portion of the hike. Just over the climb is Lake Ramona - Hiking Near Me - Poway, California

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I love the place. Great place to take the kids or go by yourself, though you never know what kind of psycho you could bin into anywhere you go. Bring protection (maybe a big, thick waking stick with a wrist wrap, as you are never truly alone. Great place to go, though. read more

Found this spot today and it was BEAUTIFUL. I love all the signs so you know where you're always at. read more

I haven't been here in years, but it's still a magical place. If you don't see wildlife here, you may have been sprayed with wildlife repellent. The Overlook trail is a short out and back with a great view of the area, but there is no shade. Only Porta potties in the parking lot, and another on the trail. Farther up towards poway lake are bathrooms but they've never been open when we've been here. read more

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If you don't want to pay the $10 Lake Poway parking fee, you can park here! You'll have to walk 2 miles to the lake... so it's not useful if you want to like have a picnic or bring things to hang out. We do this because we love the extra 4 miles (round trip) added on top of Mount Woodson/Potato Chip hike. Parking here and starting here elevates our hike to 11 miles round trip (instead of the 7 miles to the rock)! It's a damn good hike, burns like over 1200 calories. Also the reserve is beautiful. It easy to walk to, just flat until you ascend up to the lake. read more

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Really nicely done habitat conversation area albeit a bit small. Parking lot is a big plus vs. some other reserves where it's street parking only. One caveat, when you hike through here, most trails end up leaving the Blue Sky Reserve. The trail to Lake Poway ends up connecting up with the trailhead to Mt. Woodson, the most crowded trail in SD County. The trail to Lake Ramona also leaves the reserve. So, inside the reserve itself, there's only a small out and back trail. But the trail is unusually shaded by native oak forest. It's a great place for an easy, flat nature walk where you can spot acorn woodpeckers, etc. There are several informational placards, fairly wide and easily marked trails, and good signage too. Overall, Blue Sky nice place to enjoy the outdoors, but limited in terms of trails. read more

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This is a very beautiful reserve. The views are impressive and it is not a long hike. We didn't do the full distance. read more

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This is a very nice open trail. It is located very close to Mt. Woodson and I believe you can get to the Mt. Woodson hike on one of the side trails. If you feel like changing it up or adding 2+ miles, start here. The flat part is nice and shaded most of the way. At least 3 different routes to take off the main trail. If you do not take the side trail to Ramona or Lake Poway this is an easy 2.67 mile round trip walk. Took it easy this time since we did Iron Mountain the day before but next time we will hit a side trail for sure. read more

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve - Nice and shaded for part of the trail. - Hiking Near Me - Poway, California

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Gorgeous hiking area. Very well maintained south a dg path so you don't really need hiking shoes. Lake Ramona trail gets pretty steep so make sure you have packable layers if it's cold. You're going to get hot. There are porter potties at the beginning and middle of the trail and placards naming some of the plants. Right now there's a massive poppy bloom. It's really unbelievable, with the south facing hills on the Ramona trail looking completely orange. From the top of the trail near lake Ramona you can see the ocean. The end of the trail gets pretty steep so prepare for a cardio workout! Very beautiful trail. I think the poppies are going to be blooming for a while in a wave. Btw dogs allowed in leash. read more

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A challenging family-friendly trail that can offer you a warm up to the other more challenging Poway hikes. Blue Sky Reserve starts off on the right foot with a nice parking lot. The trails here are wide and time tested. At about a mile in you'll get a path choice. I suggest you take the Ramona Lake path if you're looking for a nice uphill climb with great views on top of the Dam. The one bummer is that the trail itself is pretty crowded but not too bad. - There's a side trail called the Creekside Trail which should be considered mandatory because it's a great walk along oaks and thick green vegetation. The annoying - People blasting music while they hike. The stupid - People taking strollers to the top. read more

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I've been looking for a running trail for a long time. This one is perfect. Beginning is pretty flat but if you want a challenge you will eventually get some nice hill work. Views are beautiful. Many hikers on the trail with their dogs. This trail can get really hot so bring water for hydration and lots of sun screen. The poway sun can really beat down on ya. Have been back multiple times to run this trail. Plenty of parking and a clean portable potty at the entrance. read more

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In order to find reeeeally beautiful hikes in San Diego, it always seems that you have to go fairly far from the city. Blue Sky Reserve is one of those unassuming spots that you would never expect would feel "nature-y," and yet some parts of it definitely make you feel like you're far from civilization. I checked out both lakes (Poway and Ramona) and the views were definitely worth it. I guess that San Diegans crave bodies of water (that are not the ocean), so maybe I was easily impressed, but if the cool lake views are not your thing, it was also a decent walk/workout towards the end. I would definitely recommend it! read more

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve - Hiking Near Me - Poway, California

Such a beautiful hike! We went last Saturday with my sister and her three little ones, it was perfect for the kids and our four-legged family members! It's an easy enough trail to where you don't need super fancy hiking shoes, I wore my trainers and they worked perfectly! I definitely recommend this hike. read more

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve - A quick pic of our hike - Hiking Near Me - Poway, California

The hike at Blue Sky is a short but steep one. The 5 mile round-trip hike took roughly 2 hours (but we got lost on the way up haha). It's a very rewarding view of the calm lake at the end. Definitely recommend for a quick, morning hike. read more

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve - Hiking Near Me - Poway, California

Nice trails with dense oak trees along a creek. Sage brush and other native plants were present. Trails are wide and roomy. I went in winter when it was green. It had rained, but the creek was dry. There's a paved parking lot where the trailhead is. I am glad this area is being preserved, and it won't be bulldozed and paved over for tract home suburbia. read more

I love running here. It has a nice flat trail for a little while then it takes you up to Ramona's Lake. There are so many birds (quail) and beautiful plants to look at! I also enjoy the tree coverage for the first mile or so! read more

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve - Lake Poway at the bottom! - Hiking Near Me - Poway, California

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Great hike! The way to Lake Poway I call a miniature Iron Mountain and try way to Lake Ramona is like a mini Mt. Woodson read more

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Wait! Where's Potato Chip Rock? Is this the wrong place? There was a nice wide easy path to go down, easy enough for the old folks. Got bored, so we turned around. The shaggies and I leave in search of more challenging hikes. read more

This is a nice little park! I walked up to Lake Ramona - to the back gate and back for a distance of a little over 7.5 miles. The "trail" is a road and it is nearly all flat until you get to the dam, then there is a climb up the road for about a mile. There are some very nice signs that tell what the vegetation is - and if you check out the parking lot, you can go on guided tours. There was a flyer for an upcoming "star gazing" walk at night that also looked interesting. There were a few interesting birds - but I didn't see anymore living creatures except the hikers that kept passing me up. I enjoyed this place and may come back! read more

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Seeing that this reserve was about 10 minutes from my lodging at Suzie's Bed, Breakfast, and Bistro and that it was a beautiful spring day we decided a hike was in order. This is a great place for a casual walk or for a nice stamina test if you venture up the hills. Since we had the hounds with us we went for a leisurely 4 mile jaunt. I liked that there were some port-o-potties on the trail as well as water and doggy poop bag stations. I only wish people would utilize those bags more. Be aware that parking can be a challenge read more

Pretty quiet trail for the most part which I appreciated. Not overrun with people like Cowles and Iron Mountain. There are also a lot more people on Mount Woodson. (Which I have an extreme hatred for ... my experience was NOT a good one... I should write up that review next!) For being an ecological reserve, we didn't see anything particularly out of the ordinary. For the start of the hike, the trail is nicely covered with some shade and is relatively flat. Towards the middle, it splits off to either Lake Ramona or Lake Poway. From the trail heads, Lake Poway I believe was 1.2 mi, and Lake Ramona was 1.4mi - so, not much of a difference in between the two. We ended up taking the Lake Ramona trail, which has a few switchbacks, but in general was a fairly good and moderate climb. It's only when you reach the end where the hike becomes steep, and then part of that is also paved. I would imagine the view on the Lake Poway side would be more beautiful. There's a small Oak Tree Trail that one can almost pretend they are hiking in a different city where it's relatively "lush". We hiked this trail on our way back and it was a welcome reprieve from the very sandy dirt path. And as always, go earlier so the heat doesn't start to hit you in the middle of the day. read more

It's a beautiful trail, what more can I say? The more you explore the more secret spots you can discover. The best parts of the trail are the ones off of the main spots. I live close so I frequently come here (once a week, some weeks every day) to read and relax. Of course depending on your preference this can lead to Ramona lake, which is AMAZING and you can swim in it, or Poway Lake, equally amazing though no swimming but it has a family picnic area. Would recommend to any San Diegans to come check it out! read more

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Came here last weekend and boy was that a hike. Not as crazy as ones I've been on. But that uphill, gets me every time. We went on both trails, to Lake Ramona and to Lake Poway. Lake Ramona was much more uphill than Poway. My knees were giving up on me by the end. We should have taken Lake Ramona first. But it's a beautiful hike first walking in, and the end game is even better. Good thing we didn't bring our little dog, he would hate us and have us carry him. Hah read more

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Great views, and atmosphere. Beautiful sights. It's a very clean hiking trail and well maintained. read more

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Feelin hot hot hot! There were heat advisory signs telling visitors to bring lots of water and they were no joke! I did go around noon so I can't complain. It was a lovely hike, take the Creekside trail for a little off shoot with more shade. There are cool informative signs describing some of the local plants as you walk along a very well maintained easy hike. We ended up going to Lake Poway, the breeze when we headed down toward the lake was fantastic. The views were amazing! read more

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we could not find parking at iron mountain, and so drove a bit and found this surprise. a moderate trail, we got winded at a few points. a most gorgeous hike with lake view, dam view, forest type trails, and open trails. we loved it and couldn't believe we stumbled on it. lots of ways to go and lots of way to add in more hiking. overall we did the 5.9 mile loop, and really enjoyed it. read more

A few friends and I hiked around Blue Sky this weekend and we loved it. It was a nice change of pace and the nature was pretty. The actual hiking in Blue Sky is quite easy, but still relaxing and gets the blood going. We took the "Creekside" trail which is a sun-dappled trail that takes you through some lovely vegetation and I would imagine it would be very nice in the summer since it's mostly in shade. The damage from the Witch Fire is still quite evident and it's sombering to see the devastation. If you reach the end of Blue Sky, you can actually take the Lake Poway or Lake Ramona trails up the hill and go to the respective lakes. My friends and I went up the Lake Poway trail, which got quite steep in some parts, but the views were beautiful once at the top. We saw families, hikers young and old, and people with dogs, so I think this is suitable for all. This was a great weekend hike with beautiful views. read more

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Cannot believe this place was a short 15 min drive from home! The walk through the woods was lovely, and did not feel like it was an in close proximity to urbanization. We did the lake poway trail, and throughout the hike we saw amazing wildflowers. There was quite high foot traffic when we went, but not too crowded or congested. The views were lovely, and a great hike to do when you are on a time crunch but still want to be outside. read more

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There are so many different trails to explore! This was a fun and super easy 4 mile hike with many nice views. I chose the Lake Poway route & will come check out the Ramona scenery. read more

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BSER is a great 'gateway' to a hand full of cool hikes, depending on your level of ambition. - Main trail / Creekside trail - nice little 1 mile stroll, mostly shaded, with some lush greenery. Great for kids or dogs - Lake Ramona - Once you leave the creek, things get toasty. Trek an additional 1.5 miles up a steady but never too steep incline to beautiful Lake Ramona. When I went last Saturday, there seemed to be a dozen or so people total at the lake. Much better than Lake Poway when you want a little solitude - Lake Poway - Just over a mile to get to Lake Poway off the main trail. Again, it gets hot, but the trail is not technically challenging. You can continue up to Mt. Woodson, which is a challenging hike, or hang out at the lake BSER is great because parking is free, vs. $5 on the weekends at Lake Poway. Might as well save the cash and get a little extra fresh air and walk to Lake Poway or Lake Ramona. They also do guided hikes, though I have not been on one. read more

Nice wide trails, partially shaded by trees for the first mile, then uphill switchbacks in full sun to the top of the dam. Yes, the last 1/2 mile to the top is steep, but that's why you hike it. Great views and plenty of wildlife. Sure, plenty of swimmers, but only seen a truck 2-3 times on the trail in the years we have been hiking it. Perks: no speeding mountain bikers devoid of any wilderness etiquette. Downside: rarely cleaned port-o-potties, and too many irresponsible dog owners. Worth a trip. Only available drinking water is in the parking lot, so heed the signs and bring it with you. read more

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Somewhat vigorous. All fantastic. With a lake view reward at the top! 5 miles of scenery where I've seen deer, snakes, Hawks, coyote, birds and bugs of all kinds. Bring the kids for the first two miles and do the long, steep last mile with adults only. read more

Nice easy hike for kids and families. Also is popular with dog lovers; no wonder I saw lots of dog poops everywhere too! We started at the trail head at Espola. Parts of the trail are shaded. The creekside hike (10-15 min loop) is a nice diversion from the main trail. Could hear lots of birds chirping that made my kid smile. And don't forget there also are lizards and watch out for rattlesnakes. After the Chelsea King tragedy, there are signs posted to look out for criminal activity and don't hike alone. Keep safe. The trail splits after a mile or so going towards Lake Poway or Lake Ramona. The hike towards Lake Poway is boring and completely exposed to sun - hardly any shade. Poway and this trail gets quite hot and uncomfortable with the sun - so keep the hiking early in the morning, before 9 am or so, unless you don't mind the heat. read more

Great place to hike if it wasn't so hot and in the middle of summer. They have many path that leads to Lake Poway. I wished we made it to the Lake, but it was in the middle of the afternoon with a toddler so we had to turn back. Also all the rattle you can hear near by from the rattlesnakes started to freak me out. I will be back to hike during the winter. read more

The area seems vegetatively pretty well recovered from the Witch Creek Fire. But the species count seems unusually low. Which may be a vestige of the fire. Or more likely, it's because the scores of people who seem to primarily use the area as an exercise venue, are so numerous and so loud that they scare off anything interesting. With 50+ parking spaces full and overflow parking in the aisles, the place was jammed when we got at 8:30am on the 4th of July, and still was when we left at 11:00am. But with all those users, we passed only two other people in this "ecological reserve" who were clearly there to be birding or botanizing. It's a sad commentary that we've set aside these small islands of habitat to mitigate for too many people and too much development ... then the 'islands' themselves have become over-crowded with too many people out for a place to exercise, dog-walk, or walk-talk far to loudly on their cell phones. At any rate, not a place we're likely to re-visit. There are just too many other quieter, more 'natural' places to go around here. read more