Gonzales Canyon Open Space Preserve
Gonzales Canyon is named for the landowner, Levi Gonzales, who, after emigrating from Portugal, constructed an adobe and planted a variety of crops in the late 1800s. The Gonzales Canyon Open Space was preserved in the 1980s and is part of the City of San Diego’s Multiple Species Conservation Program, which includes approximately 900 square miles from the Mexican border to the San Dieguito River Valley and from the National Forest to the Pacific Ocean.
Distance from downtown San Diego: 21 miles. Allow 30 minutes driving time to Carmel Valley. From I-5, exit east on Del Mar Heights Road for 1.4 miles, then left on Lansdale Drive. After 0.1 mile, turn left to Torrey Pines Highland (public) Park and park near the dog park. Facilities. There is a two-hour parking limit.