Best Hiking Area Escondido Near Me

4worldlovers:
Set amid 774 acres of open space in Escondido, Del Dios Highlands County Preserve is an inviting place to see and experience nature. As part of the County of San Diego’s Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) the County partnered with the Escondido Creek Conservancy and the San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority to acquire the parkland, restore it, and coordinate a plan to preserve it for future generations.

The preserve includes habitats of coastal sage scrub and mixed chaparral, providing a welcoming habitat to various mammals and reptiles. Birds of prey are a common sight, often appearing overhead or perched in the park’s trees.

Those seeking an active outdoor experience will definitely find it here. The preserve includes a QR Fit exercise trail and 1.5 miles of multi-use non-motorized trail open for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The Del Dios Highland Trail straddles the San Dieguito and Escondido Creek Watersheds and runs between the communities of Del Dios and Elfin Forest. Make your way half way up the trail from the Del Dios Highway staging area for an inspiring view of Lake Hodges, or make you way further up the trail where, on a clear day, you can see all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

4worldlovers:
More than 65 miles of trails of every level are open year-round for day use free of charge. Most trails are open to hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The backbone multi-use trail – the Coast to Crest Trail – extends from the ocean at Del Mar to the San Dieguito River’s source on Volcan Mountain near Julian. Today, we have 49 miles of the planned 71 miles of the Coast to Crest Trail completed. In addition, over 20 miles of auxiliary trails within the River Park are open. Auxiliary trails are not part of the Coast to Crest Trail, and may have limited use regulations which will be clearly noted.

Explore the park and plan your trip with the interactive San Dieguito River Park Map. This engaging map gives visitors a preview of everything needed to plan an excursion to make it an enjoyable trip including a spatial overview of the expansive trail network, park amenities, and more.

Please click here to view the new interactive San Dieguito River Park Map (Arc GIS story map)!

For your safety and the preservation of sensitive habitat, please observe and obey all posted park regulations on the trails and staging areas. Off-trail activities damage valuable habitat. Repeated violations risk the closure of trail segments. Please be familiar with the Park Rules general prior to your visit. Click here for Park Rules.

When trails get soaked after a rain, we encourage visitors to wait 48 hours before using them to let the trails dry out. Bicycle tires, horse hooves, and even shoes and dog paws can damage the trail tread while it is soft and muddy, and this can cause further erosion during subsequent storms. Thank you for your understanding.

Some trails or trail segments are within preserves or areas that are inside the San Dieguito River Park Focused Planning Area but are managed by other agencies. Please visit the following websites for news and information about these trails:

City of San Diego– Crest Canyon, Gonzales Canyon, Black Mountain, and Clevenger Canyon.

County of San Diego– Lusardi Creek, Del Dios Highlands, Santa Ysabel West and East, and Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserves.

Cleveland National Forest– Upper Santa Ysabel and Lower Santa Ysabel Truck Trails.

Specific trail alignments will be developed in cooperation with landowners and leaseholders in order to minimize impacts to existing use, such as farming, cattle ranching, and private residences. See the Park’s policy on Private Property Rights Protection.

The park map can be accessed by clicking here to download the PDF.

The San Dieguito River Park Google Map can also be used to plan your trip. Click here to view the San Dieguito River Park Google Map in a larger window. Click the + or – signs on the lower left corner to zoom in or out. Click on the top left box with an arrow to bring up a menu of all the different parking areas (P symbols), trail segments, and points of interest (arrow pointing to the star symbols). Clicking on an individual parking area, trail segment, or point of interest will bring up more information about it. (For trail segments, you may need to uncheck the Focused Planning Area first.) The Coast to Crest Trail is shown in blue. Auxiliary trails are shown in orange. The San Dieguito River Park Focused Planning Area is in purple. Printable trail maps are also available below.

Trail maps can be accessed below. Click on the trail name or directions to download a PDF file of the trail map or get directions for the nearest parking area. Trail maps are also typically available free of charge at kiosks along the trails.

Birdwing Open Air Classroom, Lagoon Views, Birding, Osprey Nest Platforms, Interpretive Walk with QR codes