Loved the hike and enjoyed the view as well as going all the way up. Quiet on a weekday and not many traffic with people. You would enjoy it if you love nature and birds. read more

See all

Family-Friendly Hike. There are a few caveats before you start trekking your young kids up and down this trail. I'll start by saying that you should think carefully if your children are under 5 years old if you intend to go all the way up/down. The going "up" can result in a lot of whining and complaining for the younger ones. I walked with several kids and they all made it both ways (ages 5- 9), though they were pretty tuckered out at the end. Remember it's about 4.5 miles down and up. The hike itself is worthwhile as you walk through the surrounding area's oaks and conifer trees. The trail is relatively rock free barring a few boulders that have fallen on the path. If you're planning on taking this hike as part of your observatory experience then just park at the top, have some lunch, visit the actual observatory, then hike down and back up. You can also start your hike "bottom up" from the Observatory campgrounds. Though you have to pay 5 bucks for parking down there. - Remember what time the observation parking lot closes when you take your hike. It usually closes at 3 or 4PM. - There is a bathroom ( yuck) at the campsite at the bottom of the trail. read more

See all

Really nice trail with an educational destination at the end. The Observatory Trail begins at the Observatory Campground and ends right at the parking lot for the Observatory. At the campground, there is a small parking area by the amphitheater (a bunch of benches in actuality) and that's where the trail begins. I didn't really see a sign which would have been helpful. It's about 5 miles RT but pretty easy (no climbing or long stretches of uphill walking). There was also a nice balance of shade and sun so you were never too cold (we came in November) or baking in the sun. This hike would be good in the summer too, I think, due to the sun/shade ratio. It was really peaceful and relaxing, with pines and cones on the ground. The trees allowed for occasional glimpses into picturesque vistas. Don't forget to give yourself enough time to get to the Observatory (since they close fairly early, 3pm during the winter, 4pm during the summer) and walk around for a bit. You can also do the hike from the Observatory but you need to start earlier and be aware that the parking gates do close shortly after the Observatory does. There is more parking there than at the campground so that's an advantage. Just be cognizant of time. It's really cold inside the Observatory so I'd recommend bringing a sweater even if you don't need to wear it on the hike. read more

The Palomar Observatory Trail is one of my favorite hikes in all of San Diego. This trail is not the most of anything. It is not the most strenuous, the longest, the easiest to get to, nor does it offer up the most open panorama views of the county; its charm is in its variety of sights, terrain, and recreation. The trailhead is located in the Palomar Observatory campground. The drive to this site is considerable but beautiful, so I suggest making this trip an all day or at least a half day affair in the mountains and surrounding communities. A $5 day use fee is enforced. The novelty in this hike for a southern Californian, and perhaps the reason why I am so fond of it, is because shade is never too far away. Certain parts of the trail never see sun, and shade-loving plants like ferns are able to grow in cool, dark groves here. (This goes for poison oak as well- so be aware.) This trail is often thinly populated. There are even less hikers during the work week or outside of summer break months. Not that I follow my own advice, but it would be a good idea to bring along a friend or two as this is prime mountain lion country, and you can't rely on heavy trail use to scare them off. A vantage point about half a mile from the campground allows for a brief glimpse out of the tree line into the valley below. Pay attention to the smells of different trees and brush as the landscape changes during your relatively short ascent (or descent). Assuming you've just hiked from the campground up the very mild grade to the observatory, (about 2.25 miles one way) you can now wander around the observatory grounds and enter the giant white dome for free or pay a few bucks for a tour of the telescope. Getting here always feels like a prize after a short hike, but a hike nonetheless. Take the same trail back down to your car. read more

See all

It's a bit of a drive from San Diego, but in my opinion, worth it! There's lots of trees on this hike, it is beautiful in the fall (although in the fall the river is dry, in the spring you get that benefit). I've done this hike 3 times now, this last time we couldn't find the start at the bottom by the campgrounds, so we ended up driving up to the observatory and starting there. You're technically starting at the "top", hiking down and then back up this way - but the hike is pretty easy and doesn't make the hike back up too hard. I am pretty sure you just look for the Observatory campgrounds and can start from there too. It's out and back, about 2.5 miles each way. This time we actually ended up getting lost twice, which had never happened before. Both times (once on the way there, and once on the way back) was where the trail meets the river bed. Since the river wasn't running, we accidentally took the river bed trail instead of the actual trail and had to turn around, so keep your eyes out for that! Even on a weekend, this trail never gets too crowded, so it makes for some nice quiet nature time. Trail is definitely dog friendly with all the shade and not too steep. read more

Palomar Mountain-Observatory Trail - Observatories Near Me

See all

The lower trail head for this hike starts in the Observatory Campground off of S6 on Palomar Mountain. There is a little amphitheater at the head of the trail. From there, you work your way up on the shady trail until an overlook with a sweeping view of Mendenhall Valley. The trail continues up until the Palomar Mountain Observatory. The trip is a little over 2 miles one way. Good workout... great views. read more

Palomar Mountain-Observatory Trail - Mendenhall Valley Overlook - Observatories Near Me

My friendly dog and I did this beautiful hike during winter months (Mars-2015) totally love it the whole scenery was beautiful I would defiantly try it again like many have mention it would be nice if had couple signs We where there after the stormy weekend and plenty of snow on the ground we just actually fallow the foot steps in the snow to fallow our way to the end of the trail. On our way back notice on of the trees felt down and block part of the trail nothing big we just jump over \O_O/ read more

See all

2/21/11. Parked next to the Observatory entrance and intended to walk with my two small children to catch a glimpse of the Observatory because we arrived too late and it was closed. We made it thru some brush and tried to pick up a trail when we encountered a mountain lion on the other side of the fenced in area no more than 500' from the gated entrance. BEWARE....this cat was at least 250+ lbs and mature. It looked at us and seemed more annoyed than aggressive. I would seriously consider going in a group when walking in and around this area. read more

The Wife, dog and I arrived at the Observatory this afternoon for a pleasant hike. The Trailhead is outside the gates, on the south side of the road and not particularly noticeable. The gates to the observatory closed at 3:45, so park outside them if you get there in the afternoon. I suggest checking out to the actual observatory if you have a few minutes to spare. Driving that far out into the mountains and seeing such a mammoth structure that houses a 200cm mirror is worth it. Hiking in the brisk March mountain weather was very refreshing, we brought a backpack to throw our sweatshirts in as we warmed up. As we began the down the trail, the first thing I noticed were lots of large pines, oaks, and other mammoth trees. Interestingly, many of them were broken and decaying on the forest floor. Other regions of the forest appear to have burned recently. Two-thirds of the way down is the overlook of Mendenhall Valley . . . I wish I could post pictures. The trail down ended at The Palomar Observatory campground, this time of year it appeared closed. We actually planned to park there and go up, but the entrance gate was shut as we drove by earlier. The three of us didn't pass any other travelers over the 4-mile round trip and this added to the sense of wilderness. Many patches of snow on the ground, a bright sun, a brisk wind, plenty of wispy clouds in the air, overall a wonderful way to spend the afternoon and get a workout even if you have to drive an hour+ to do so. read more

8/9/2017. My 3rd time running Palomar Mt Observatory trail, 8-10am. This enjoyable trail has some temporary problems right now: it is overgrown considerably and the hiker is swarmed by very annoying face gnats that I think are attracted to the moisture from ones eyes. read more

This is a relatively easy hike that goes about 2 miles in one direction, 4 miles round trip, from the Palomar Observatory to the campground amphitheater . It's well maintained and there is lots of shade along the way. My wife and I parked at the top near the Observatory, which is free to visitors, and started on the trail which is located right beyond the parking lot over to the left if you are facing downhill. Can't miss the start of the trail because it is marked by a large sign. Going downhill to the campground amphitheater took us about an a hour because we stopped along the way and took pictures of the scenery. We were also a little uneasy with the some of the noises we heard so we slowed down to see if we could spot any wild animals. It was a Saturday afternoon and there were maybe only a handful of other hikers so it was easy to get spooked with some of the noises. It took us about the same amount of time going back up because we did not stop except to rest briefly. Anyways, we made it safely up and down this trail. I would recommend hiking this trail with at least one other person or maybe a group of people because of the safety in numbers factor (a lone wolf might become prey to a hungry mountain lion). This trail and the surrounding area is really beautiful . This is a great hike for those of you looking to escape the city like we were. read more

See all

I am not a hiker. The idea of hiking intimidates me, because I feel like I am just a sweaty mess and there is no end to the climb. I feel like I'm climbing the wall from GoT. That being said, this was a beautiful, scenic, and manageable hike. I do yoga five times a week, but I rarely get any cardio in, and this hike was perfect for me. I think the combination of declines following short inclines, shaded areas through out the trail, and beautiful scenery kept me going. We brought about a liter of water and worked through it over the 1:10 it took to get all the way up, and the :50 it took us to get down. I would definitely hike this again. I would prefer if there were trail markers or distance markers throughout, and that's the only reason I didn't give this hike 5 stars. read more

TOTALLY CLUELESS as when they are going to be open. The web site says "open on weekdays." But when I called to confirm, all I could get was a BUSY signal. So their phone number is worthless. We ended up driving all the way up there to see that it was closed. You would think they CARED about their visitors, but apparently not. read more