Alltrails lists this as 'Horse thief Canyon', then I saw that I had this listing bookmarked on Yelp…read morefor sometime and noticed that they were the same thing! Distance: ~3.3mi., reverse out-and-back (you will be going uphill on the return trip) Difficulty: easy-intermediate-ish (~0.5mi ascent on your way out which can get the heart pumping!) Time: 1.5-2 hours Permit required?: No (according to permit site - https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/r5/passes-permits/?cid=stelprdb5208699&width=full) Sights of Interest: Mini waterfall and pool Parking is in a big dirt lot just off of Japatul Lyons Valley Rd.. Turn in at Forest Rt 16S04. No bathrooms, so bring some T.P.! There are three gates as you approach - two smaller ones and a large one leading to a service road. Take the gate with a sign marking the 'Epinosa Trail to Secret Canyon Trail'. You'll end up on the service road either way. Continue on the service road until you see a sign off to the right that says 'Trail'. This is where you'll begin the descent into Horse thief Canyon. Eventually it evens out into a nice shady area alongside a stream. Lots of vegetation and growth everywhere, so make sure to *bring the bug spray*! There's a stream crossing after which you'll come upon the pool! Lots of great places to hang out on and relax on boulders. Water is pretty clean for swimming too. Awesome place to bring your dogs to cool off after the dusty trail. Just remember to pack your trash out if you plan on picnic-ing down at the pool! Most of your journey is on the Epinosa Trail and supposedly the Secret Canyon Trail is just beyond the pool, but the trail doesn't seem to continue anywhere beyond it. Great trail either way that experiences very little foot traffic so the area is very well preserved and wild! FYI, apparently this area experiences an influx of illegal immigrants and smugglers, but I think that was in earlier years. It was pretty safe when I went and I only had my dog in tow. But, I like to live life on the edge, so if you are wary come with a group!

If you go during the week during normal business hours this trail is dead! It was our 2nd time here…read moreand there was only 1 car in the parking lot and we never even ran into the people. This is nice but also kind of scary especially since it's kind of in the middle of nowhere and you don't have great service but luckily I am alive today to write this review. The first time we went on this hike we missed the path and ended up just heading straight through on a dirt road so pay attention on your right hand side for a sign marked trail. This trail would have gotten more stars if it wasn't for the ridiculous amount of flies. I almost turned back because I couldn't stand them constantly flying in my face and in my ears. Maybe I am not an outdoorsy person if I cant handle that but it was hard to enjoy this hike when I was having to smack flies away the whole time. This is also one of those hikes that is fairly easy on the way down but tough on the way back because you have to go back up. I will say though that it was a really pretty hike and there is a creek at the bottom. We didn't go the whole way but did about a little over 3 miles of it. It's about a mile and a half to see the beginning of the creek. Maybe wearing bug spray might help with the flies?

This mountain is one of the 6 peak San Diego challenge. It's about 7 miles and 1,500 ft elevation…read moregain. It is very doable for folks of all levels. Beginners can take it slow. Beautiful view from the top! I'm all about the summit pictures. Please come and create your own adventure.

I did this hike for the first time on 5/27/18 and REALLY enjoyed the hike. I did this as part of…read morethe Tardigrade Tough 8 Challenge which comprises 8 of the hardest hikes in the San Diego area. If you are interested follow @tt8challenge and/or @resilientsquad on Instagram. Here are the main details of the hike: Name: Corte Madera in Alpine, CA (east of San Diego) Distance: 7 miles Elevation Gain: 1,500 ft Elevation at Peak: 4,657 ft. Duration: 3-4 hrs Difficulty: Moderate *I used the directions from the All Trails App, not the directions here...which the directions are essentially the same up until the last part...basically the 8 East to Exit 51 Buckman Springs Rd, turn right and in 3.3 miles you will turn right on a small side road named Morena Stokes Valley Rd which is a narrow somewhat paved/dirt bumpy road and in 4.8 miles you will see a green metal gate with a red cross on it...parking for about 5 or 6 cars on the left of the road and the hike starts at the metal gate We arrived at 6:15 am and we were the first to park in the parking area. We saw no one on our way to the peak and saw less than 10 people on our return from the peak. I really enjoy hikes where there are little to no people and there are no sounds of cars or noises except for nature. For the first .7 miles of the hike you are on an access road lined with oaks provided cover until you reach a metal garbage can with a wooden sign that says Espinosa Trail on the left, this is the way you need to go and you will now be on a narrow single file trail. At 1.5 miles you will come to an official metal sign which indicates Los Pinos Peak to the left and Espinosa Trail straight, just below this sign is a handmade looking wooden sign with "Corte Madera Mt" and an arrow pointing to the right...follow this sign. At 1.9 miles you will see an official sign indicating you are entering a nesting area for birds of prey with a wooden handmade sign pointing the way to "CM" and an arrow...follow this sign. At about 2.6 miles you will see the destination off to your left and you will see why it is called by some the San Diego Half Dome. The final .9 miles to the peak will curve around to the left and you will make a half circle to the peak when you reach about 3.4 to 3.5 total miles. There was no sign at the peak but there was a green metal container with the name and elevation on it. There is a variation to the scenery on this trail with some shaded and some exposed areas and some cool rocks and there was a nice variety of colors (green, yellow, and violet), but most importantly were the great views at the top. On the day we hiked it was misting in the beginning and lots of fog/low clouds, but by the time we got within a mile from the top we had hiked high enough to be above the clouds and it was clear and beautiful up there. It is definitely worth the drive to do this hike and I highly recommend it.

Nice park and lake in lake morena California. You can camp have get together have lots of space…read moreand a great get away spot. Has a play ground. . This is the first time I been here since I was a kid. I be back again some day atmosphere is amazing

I just stayed at Lake Morena last weekend and I'm obsessed. It may be my favorite campground or at…read moreleast our particular site (20) was amazing. It was perfectly flat and shaded by a huge tree. Close by the restrooms but not right next to them. The restrooms also were pretty well maintained, only running out of tp on Sunday morning, but kept clean throughout the weekend. The restrooms are also heated, which was much appreciated in the evening and early morning when the temperature dipped into the 50s. We plan to return and book a few of the spots around the area for a group camping trip with friends in the future. Only downside was the amount of foxtails but I'm hoping that a spring visit will lessen the amount of those and possibly bring some grass instead. We also liked all the activities around here, including dog friendly hikes and the boat rental. We also happened to be there on a night where they were showing an outdoor movie (Hocus Pocus) and they had a hawk talk during the afternoon.

Great camping spot Dog friendly…read more Clean toilet Fun activities hiking and bicycling I love the experience with my family, it is a beautiful place to camp, very relaxing and quiet. Be aware for some rattle snakes.

This is a peaceful campground only an hour from San Diego. The small town of Pine Valley is nearby…read moreand is a good stop for the basics. Cibbetts Flat is first-come first-serve and I got here early enough to be choosy and find a good spot before my friends arrived. The requisite bench, fire pit, water access, and primitive restrooms are all in good condition.

A little further off the beaten path lies a great place to spend a day or longer. The playground is…read morea good size without being too much for the kids. For camping, trailers or tenting is awesome. There are water and electrical for trailers, as well as single and group sites. All of it is on a relatively level elevation, making the kids' bikes a breeze. Tons of fun to be had, a great place to spend the weekend.

I love it when I can bring my dogs camping! Potrero County Park Campground is located on the East…read moreSide of San Diego. The surrounding areas are mountains and small towns. We went at the beginning of October. The weather in the daytime was cool, it rained for one day at night, and it got chilly. At night you can hear frogs and crickets. Dogs are welcome, but they must be leased at all times. There are hot showers available in the park bathrooms. Make sure to bring quarters to feed the machine. There are unruly campers at night. They blast the music up during quiet hours and drink. The best time to camp here is during the weekdays, and it's tranquil. The nature trail is easy to hike. It was a nice getaway! You can find more information about Potrero at - https://reservations.sdparks.org/reservation/camping/

5 mile round trip trail along PCT. Definatly moderate trail and expect wildlife. Falls were very…read moreactive and super cold (refreshing). Recommend this trail for persons who have hiked local trails. A lot of traffic on trail so you wont be alone.

I did an internet search on places to picnic & fish and found Lake Moreno. We finally decided to go…read moresee what was there. I was surprised to find that Lake Moreno was 3,000 feet and would be 68 degrees for its high today. Lake Morena is the highest in elevation and the most remote of the San Diego's reservoirs. You go through the guard gate and stop at the Ranger Station to pay for day use parking, fishing and boat rentals. If you bring your own boat or float tube, they do a check for, the invasive, zebra mussels. You can also get a card for entrance to all county parks. There are restrooms and a really nice little museum at the ranger station that is worth stopping to see. You drive into the park and pass a cute little children's playground and a youth area. It would be a fun place to let kids play at the lake. You see the lake as you drive farther in. You can see the darkened area on the dam where the water level was so much higher in the past. The dam dates to the late 19th century and, when it was full, the lake had a depth of 157 feet. San Diego (and all CA are in a huge drought causing serious water shortages) withdrew 2.1 billion gallons water from the reservoir causing the lake to drop to its current 83 feet. As you drive, you pass an lower boat launch where the water level is now and a upper launch where it prior, you can see how different the lake is today. There are cabins to rent and many other camping areas nearby the entrance to the Lake. The cabins are really barebones-you need to even bring a air bed or topper for the wooden frames to both the double bed and the bunk bed in each cabin. They are cute and would be fun to stay. Lake Morena is one of San Diego's reservoirs holding water for the city. Not sure if it's true but-they reduced the lake water level to half to fill a lake for the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, I was told by someone who's camped here for years. The lake is below 50% level and this caused it to get warm and cause an algae bloom. Fishing is not great except for carp and maybe catfish. Boating was fun although since the lake is down, it's much smaller leaving less places to go. The boat launch has many row & motorboats to rent. The lake was extremely green. Maybe a spring turnover or algae bloom. You can't swim-and I wouldn't if I could! I still recommend Lake Morena- Reservoir very much for a day to be on the water or just relax or spend a few nights where it's cooler than being in the desert!

In honor of my 100th Yelp review I decided to do something special. Rather than review yet another…read morecoffee shop, provide an insipid cronut review, or be forced to witness others plow through a middling brunch offering where I inevitably end up listening to every third person complaining about some poor schmuck who's unfortunate enough to work in the hospitality industry and fails to get a bespoke mojito order just right in the face of constant criticism and complaints. I've had enough. So, I've decided to travel the length of the Pacific Crest Trail. I'm doing the hike during the off-season, so as to avoid the crowds. The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,653 miles long and runs north through the Sierra Nevadas from the California-Mexico border in Campo, California to the Washington-Canada border. My hike will take me through 7 eco-zones, 3 states, 25 national forests and 7 national parks. The midpoint of the journey is near Chester, California, which is where I intend to stop at "Cravings" - a lovely little brunch place that serves the fluffiest eggs around and lean crispy bacon. I'm also hoping they have cronuts by the time I arrive, and that the service is attentive without being overbearing. Sure, there are a few dangers on the Pacific Crest Trail, but I'm willing to brave severe weather, dehydration, landslides, black bears, diarrhea from tainted water, mountain lions, lightning strikes, snakes, bugs, and the dreaded poodle-dog bush for the benefit of those who may want to make the same trek - and my 12 followers on Yelp. The "dirty dozen" deserve it for sticking with me and my nonsense for the last several years. See you on the trail! Keep an eye out for me. I'll be wearing a black bucket hat and I'm traveling light with just a backpack, tent roll, and small carry-on suitcase.

Friendly staff, peaceful and quiet . Many things to do and…read moresee. For kids and adults. Restrooms clean and stocked. We will for sure be back.

From day one Jacob and his crew have been amazing! The campground is lovely and there is plenty to…read moredo on site. There are 2 great areas for dogs to relax and play. They have a farm tour that my 9yo enjoyed so much! We will definitely be back for another stay!

We had a great time with Emil on a 1 hr ride through rain and snow flurries. The ride was safe,…read morewell paced and super fun. I would recommend wearing some waterproof pants/jacket if you are going during such weather. This is my new favorite activity! Can't wait to do it again.

I booked this adventure for 2 reasons: (1) to FINALLY get out of the house during this pandemic…read moreespecially since all we have been doing is working and we have been working more than ever since our job is considered 'essential', and (2) celebrate my boyfriends 30th birthday. This was my first time on a quad/ATV and my boyfriend has been riding dirt bikes since he was like 6yrs old. I love being outdoors & going on new adventures, and he loves riding ... so the mixture of those things i came upon this place. For birthdays I love and prefer creating memories instead of giving materialistic gifts. Example: For his 28th birthday I booked us a little personal speed boat in San Diego. Upon arrival check-in was easy, quick, and they gave us hand sanitizer so we felt assured. They had helmets and other PPE lined up and available for us to use, however we had brought our own (riding gloves, riding jerseys, riding DOT certified helmets, and googles) which they allow. Our guide Jorge was funny and very easy going. The ride overall was really fun!! During our ride our guide also took pictures of us and he took some awesome ones with amazing backdrops! The only complaint I have was that I only booked us the 1 hour ride. Next time we are doing the 2 hour ride for sure! And maybe the Big Bear location as well.