Dog owners know Ocean Beach’s Dog Beach as a great spot to let their four-legged friends have some off-leash fun, but its also the point where the San Diego River flows into the Pacific Ocean – and the start of the San Diego River Trail. The estuary, where ocean salt water and fresh river water mix, is a wonderfully interesting ecosystem great for watching birds and other wildlife. This section of the San Diego River Trail is a flat, paved path along the bank of the river. There are some other, unpaved trails that wind through the estuary and along the water’s edge, making for a beautiful and ..read more

When the temperature starts to rise, we like to find shorter, easier trails we can do in the evenings once it starts to cool down. The San Diego River Trail offers some great options for easy hikes that are perfect for warm summer evenings. This 2.1 mile loop along the river in the Mission Valley area is a nice spot to bring the dog or to enjoy some nice views of the river as the sun sets. While this is more of an urban hike – passing by trolley tracks, condos, and shopping centers – it is still a relaxing and scenic path along the San Diego River with some good opportunities for bird watchin ..read more

With its ease of access and numerous beautiful trails, Mission Trails sees a LOT of hikers. While you’ll have a hard time finding any trail with complete solitude in the park, Mesa Trail in the eastern section isn’t as heavily traveled as some of the others. This hike combines the Mesa Service Road, Mesa Trail, and the Big Rock Trail for a nice little loop with a variety of habitats to explore. You can tack on a summit of Cowles Mountain if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, but on a warm day or if you’re just out for a quickie, this short hike is quite nice by itself. Knowing this outing ..read more

Garnet Peak is one of our favorite hikes in San Diego. It’s a fairly easy hike with fantastic views, and during the right time of year there are plenty of wildflowers to enjoy. We like this hike so much, this is the third time we’ve written it up – documenting three different ways to get there. This particular route, starting from the Penny Pines trailhead along the Sunrise Highway, is probably the most popular route (likely because of the ample free parking – no Adventure Pass is required at Penny Pines). It travels north along the famous Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) before branching off to asc ..read more

History buffs will enjoy this easy hike along the Coast to Crest Trail which passes Mule Hill, site of an historic battle in 1846. A number of interpretive signs along the trail tell the story of a group of US soldiers surrounded by enemies after the Battle of San Pasqual. In addition to Mule Hill, the trail passes the Sikes Adobe Farmstead, one of the area’s oldest adobe homes. The Mule Hill Trail is part of the largest completed segment of the Coast to Crest Trail. This segment spans 22 miles, from Santa Fe Valley to Highway 78. We’d been slowly doing various pieces of the trail, and today ..read more