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?

Native San Diegan, but never been here. From the start this trail is all incline, rocky, dirt, some…read morenative plants/shrubs and yucca but no shade. I saw no animals or even bugs... came December 2020. It's about 1.5 miles uphill with descent elevation and 2.5 down. I had to take a couple breaks due to the elevation I think...as I live near sea level and I'm fairly in shape, but more of a Hiit workout, sprints, weightlifting type, so endurance isn't my strong suite... but the top is worth the struggle. On a clear day you can see the ocean and such a beautiful sunset. Note the top is very windy and cold. I'd say it's great for moderate hiker, and I wouldn't bring a pet but I've seen dogs up there. Pros: - nature!! -free workout -some parking but limited - steep but not crazy difficult - more of a locals only location Cons: - rough dirt/rocky rode to get there -limited parking - no bathroom, trash or water stations

Spectacular views at the summit especially when facing North. Easy to access from Tavern Rd exit on…read morethe I-8. It's about 3 miles RT on red-clay dirt and very loose rocks. Although Alltrails lists it as intermediate, I was breathless climbing this thing. I would describe it as intermediate-difficult. I mean, the doughnut holes in the morning probably didn't help and it was after Christmas Day indulgences, but the terrain was still very rocky and the incline was CONSTANT, making the ascent a little more difficult than normal. It was the ultimate thigh burner! A great workout! I took about 2 hours to finish, but did spend a lot of time at the top. Had the summit all to myself! Breath-taking! Parking is on a truck trail and the trail head is only marked by a simple metal gate. According to Afoot and Afield a **Wilderness Pass is technically required**, however I got away without one (didn't realize I needed one). Again, the terrain is quite rocky on the clay dirt ascent, so do not bring your kids! They'll likely fall flat on their faces trying to navigate over the rocks. As a note-- the truck road is a dirt one, but well graded with some humps every so often to prevent speeding. Parking near the trailhead is still quite secluded and a draw for thieves, so make sure to hide your belongings before you head out!

Nice little hike. $10 for parking. Has a bathrooms. Fire road over some rolling Hills until you…read moremake a left to go visit the "river". Trail ends up at a nice watering hole. Could definitely do some wading during the summer months if there's water. Even though you're not supposed to touch the water. ‍. The fire road continues through the rolling Hills for several miles if you wanted.

Nice easy hike. Beautiful waterfall. Had this waterfall all to ourselves. Took a nice little dip in…read morethe swimming pool. Chilly but refreshing!

This is a beautiful place to visit if you happen to be out this way. The trail itself is short…read morehowever there are lots of areas that are not maintained but I still enjoyed climbing small rocks to get through some parts. This is good for bird watching or if you want a little peace and serenity! If you ate looking for more of a hike there are plenty of other trails around that you can take but I truly enjoyed being out here with a little drizzle and the birds.

Like a Vampire at a blood buffet...the water has been sucked out of this reservoir…read more I guess, we are in a drought California and the golfers need their green grass and us tree huggers get the left overs... poor nature....water leftovers in a doggie bag. Park in the dirt lot..there are port-a-crappers in the lot.... hike down the steep trail to the water.... well... very far off to the water, what water... You can still find beauty here... bring some OFF.. bring some bottled water, wear a hat.... bring a fishing pole, pack a picnic lunch with some cold brews... don't bring your dog though... it is a monitored reservoir by cool Park Rangers, don't touch the what's left of it water... you will get ticketed... it may seem like nobody is out there watching.. but be sure if it.. THE HILLS HAVE EYES HERE... Eerie to be walking at the bottom of the lake........

We had a lovely hike here! We were able to take our dog. He is a smaller old dog so had to go slow…read moreat times and there are narrow areas, depending on your dog's ability of course. There wasnt any water but it was still lovely. I recommend taking a gallon of water per person even if it is not hot. There is not a lot of shade. Parking was easy for us. Oh cant forget... there is a gravel road you have to drive on for quite some time! Be sure to take the best car you can if you have the option 4x4 or SUV vs tiny 2 door

Great hike, didn't disappoint! A little challenging but worth it. Would be great to do when it gets…read morewarmer to enjoy the water!

It's a great river swim with the family…read more However be very careful.. I feel in a whole in Sept 5th,2022 and twisted both ankles. Which I'm still suffering pain from Two month in my injury. My family had lots of fun( I didn't since I was in pain but since it was 2hr drive I suck it up for them). My toddler love it.. we went when LA hit over 100* heat... it very nice in the water!! Many ppl with floating I do suggest to make sure everyone know how to swim as its now drag ppl down the stream..

I could see this being a 3 or 4 star hike depending on the season and weather conditions you do the…read morehike in. I hiked it on 2/24/19 and found the conditions to be ideal for my enjoyment! Location- it was only about a 30 minute drive for me since I spent the night after attending a party at a family member's house in El Cajon (suburb of San Diego); I jumped on the 8 East and as the elevation reached 3,000 ft I could begin seeing snow on the hills near the fwy and I got even more excited for this hike- took Exit 47 for Sunrise Hwy and the trailhead parking was about 2 miles away from the fwy and there was a large lot on the side of the hwy to park Trail- you access the trail by walking across the road and going to the right of the metal barrier...the snow was the deepest on this portion of the hike for about half a mile and the first part of the hike is where the trail is the narrowest with portions where you have to bend over and get low to continue past low branches; at about 3/4 of a mile you will get down to creek level and make a left to get to the waterfalls...I carefully climbed up to reach about 4 parts of the waterfall and it was flowing really well with all of the recent precipitation of this winter and it was a pleasant surprise to find this so close to the city of San Diego; it is about 2 miles RT and not anything too extreme in the way of incline and I loved having the trail/falls all to myself for the nearly 2 hrs I was there *I used microspikes just to be safe but I could see it being fine with just hiking shoes

If you are a San Diego hiker and haven't done this hike- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???…read more And for those of you who see these photos and think damn I need to go do that, please be aware of the temperature because it is dangerously hot down there at lower temperatures than in other areas. The hike goes down into a canyon and the heat settles down there. Even if it's not as hot as you think coming up can be extremely dangerous. Every year I hear about somebody dying from heat stroke on that hike so don't take it lightly. I always check the weather on the actual trail using the AllTrails app. I saw that the weather out there was max 65° that day and I was like hell yeah. The hike really isn't that difficult, 3 miles down and then 3 miles back up. Lots of nice switchbacks, and there are a few sun shelters for shade. The views are gorgeous all along the trail. I've done this hike, probably 20 times over the years. It's the best in the spring and in the fall. In the winter it's way too cold. The reward for this hike is the gorgeous rock bowl and waterfall that the locals call Devils Punchbowl. This past Thursday when we did this hike, there were a lot of young folks at the Punchbowl when we got there. Some of the guys were climbing up and jumping into the water. I would not recommend it, even if the waterfall is still flowing that water is not safe to swim in. In the fall, the waterfall doesn't flow anymore after being dried out over the brutal summer, but the trees at the bottom of the canyon turn a beautiful gold color. One of the few places in San Diego you can actually experience fall.

Great trail! Well-marked path down to and back up from the falls. Gorgeous water feature!read more

It had been over a decade since I've done this hike -- mostly because dogs are prohibited on this…read moretrail (and usually I like to take my dogs hiking) -- but this week I decided to do it again. The short of it: - The first mile is pretty uninteresting as it is on a fire road. - Then you hit an open dirt plateau, walk straight across to the open path on the opposite side. - The remaining 1.3 miles is really fun -- lots of scrambling up boulders, and then a little challenging rope climb through a chimney to get to the peak where there are fantastic views Things to know: Cell service is spotty up there, so if you are going to use Google Maps to find the trailhead,, start to navigate while you are still in a populated area with cell service. Finding the entrance to the chimney can be tricky. There were three of us that were close to it, but it took us about 10 minutes to find it. To make it easy for the rest of you to find: download the What3Words app in advance, and when you get to the point that you are actively looking for the chimney, put in the words "dreadful.joining.tilts" and hit Navigate / Compass Mode...this should guide you to the exact entrance of the chimney. (( Side note, if you are not familiar with What3Words, watch this cool 5 minute TedTalk by its founder: https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_sheldrick_a_precise_three_word_address_for_every_place_on_earth )) There are lots of holly-like shrubbery on the second half of the trail. Long pants aren't required, but they can definitely help you avoid abrasion. It gets hot there: the high was supposed to be 60 degrees in that area yesterday, but it felt like it was in the 70s when we were doing the hike. This is definitely a hike to do when the weather is cold in San Diego proper. Download the All-Trails trailmap in advance: the latter 1.3mi is not well-marked, and having that GPS accessible trailmap sped up our hike by letting us know if we were getting off the beaten path. For a meal afterwards, I recommend Panchos: we went to Panchos Mexican on Jamacha Rd....huge serving sizes, and very tasty.

Hiked this back in early March. I liked that there were very few people on the trail. It is steep…read morefrom the beginning but not too difficult. Small area to park by the start of the trail which is a yellow gate. Once you get close to the peak there is not much of a trail and you need to pick a path over boulders. I made my way around to the back of the peak on the west side and found the rope. There are some rock and some wooden make-shift steps to help you get up to the top with the cave. Sadly, maybe because I was alone with no one to assist and maybe not strong enough I did not make it up...bummer. It is just under 5 miles and will take 2-3 hrs most likely.

UNDER THE BLUE MOON'S SPELL…read more Just like Nina Simone (jazz legen) Descanso Well Road in Alpine, CA put a spell on me. The location is nearer en route to Lake Cuyamaca campgrounds. I love experiences that words cannot describe, so perhaps I'll describe the Super Blue Moon Through a person's point of view. ASTRONOMER POV As an unofficial stargazer I was astonished to capture this event in my lifetime. PARENT POV As a parent, me and my kiddo made a pinky promise to meet at this location again when the Blue moon occurs in 2037. HIKER POV As a hiker that once got lost in the dark, I was thinking, " The moon is so illuminated. I can be brave on a hike right now." GOOGLE PIXEL-ER POV As a Google pixel-er, I was diving into the astrophotography features. All of the pics and vids were unedited and untouched. Taken by my Google Pixel Pro-7. I went to YouTube University. Maybe I need more course time. ASTROLOGER POV One shall release old aspects of darkness, sorrows, etc. and request the moon to illuminate it's full power to bring you whatever it is you desire. Ode to da moon. I was releasing like a windmill. Just in case it might be true. WHY WAS I AT THIS LOCATION? A friend suggested I try out this location because she watched the meteor shower. My go to is Anza Borrego. Easy to find. Asphalt road and restrooma are available. Even though the moon was illuminated, I dared NOT check out the restrooms in the dark. NEED TO KNOW 40 minutes east from downtown San Diego. There are a few homes in the road. Be respectful and responsible. Asphalt and well manicured road. Free parking available. Maybe 10 spots comfortably. And some alongside the road. Trail starts at the parking lot. I read it's only a mile trek. Must do in the Fall. My Blue Moon evening was 935 PM - 12115 AM. There was only one other car.

Very nice place for a family photo session. I can not speak to anything else at this location but…read morethe bridge was a last minute go too that was local and free. Walkers were mindful and our pictures came out great!

Very nice, well maintained trails. There are a bunch of different paths to take. Not a lot of tree…read morecover so I would recommend bringing water and a hat. Plenty of parking in the lot outside the trail or in front of the bridge which is also cool to walk across.