Night people of San Marcos Miss Rincon said it was her habit to spend the night in the public bathrooms at Richmar Park, at the corner of Firebird Lane and Richmar Avenue, around the corner …
March 2, 2020
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Stories by The Canyoneers
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San Marcos – still growing
Lakeside – not rednecks
Lakeside turns out “I don’t know if you noticed, but the whole town of Lakeside is here,” said local resident Barbara Sessions, pointing to over 500 people who recently filled up a 250-seat room at …
February 10, 2020
Hike Carlsbad Beach, bluffs, & seawall from Buena Vista Lagoon to North Ponto Beach
This beach hike extends from North Carlsbad Beach and Carlsbad State Beach to North Ponto Beach. Along the way, notice our natural beach ecology, especially the intertidal zone, its plants and wildlife, along with the …
December 11, 2019
Mission Trails’ 5-Peak Challenge — accepted!
Hiking to the top of one or more of the major five peaks in Mission Trails Regional Park has always been an adventurous challenge for park visitors. The 5-Peak Challenge became a formal activity beginning …
December 4, 2019
Quail and eucalyptus in Encinitas
This part of Encinitas is dominated by a dissected sandstone plateau, with an elevation of up to about 250 feet above sea level. A golf course and many large homes have been built on the …
November 27, 2019
Find works by Nam June Paik at the UCSD Stuart Collection Art Walk
This walk continues exploring the many works of art commissioned by the Stuart Collection in partnership with the University of California, San Diego campus. Part 1 left off at the university’s Media Center, where works …
November 20, 2019
Rancho Bernardo – in the thick of North County suburbia
A Feeling of Hope in Rancho Bernardo How do I even begin to tell you about the incredible turnaround my neighborhood has taken? I will start here. Hi, my name is Mychal McMahon. I am …
November 18, 2019
UCSD Stuart Collection: sculptures and buildings that may be tricky to find
One of the more intriguing walks in San Diego is on the University of California San Diego campus, where commissioned sculptures are integrated into site-specific works that may be tricky to find. The collection, named …
November 13, 2019
William Heise’s Cedar Trail: a smell reminiscent of shoe polish
Located at just over 4000 feet elevation, this 929-acre park is a mixture of forest and manzanita chaparral. Over 10 miles of hiking trails, ranging from short and easy to moderately challenging, lie within or …
November 6, 2019
Coastal Rail Trail: Encinitas and Solana Beach
The San Diego Coastal Rail Trail is an ongoing project that will ultimately provide a way to navigate the 44 miles between downtown San Diego and Oceanside without a car. Ideally, this will be mostly …
October 30, 2019
Take the plunge at Three Sisters Falls
While the rest of North America is shoveling snow, San Diegans have the perfect venue for a hot day – hiking to Three Sisters Falls and taking a plunge in the frigid mountain water. The …
October 23, 2019
Many delights found on Grapevine Mountain, but no grapes
While no grapes are found on Grapevine Mountain, hikers will surely reap the fruits of their labor from the rewarding views atop this prominent desert peak. Boasting a plethora of views, including Shelter and San …
October 16, 2019
Discover Village H and related trails in Carlsbad
These trails take you to view-points overlooking one of the most historic landscapes in San Diego’s North County, as well as areas of rapid suburban development. You will also have close contact with remnants of …
October 9, 2019
Coronado beach: from U.S. Naval Air Station North Island to the Amphibious Base
Few places in San Diego have as deep a history of military and tourism co-existing in a spectacular natural environment as Coronado Island. The broad flat area we now call U.S. Naval Air Station North …
October 2, 2019
Rancho La Costa Preserve: an alternative to the busy Denk Mountain trails
The Rancho La Costa Preserve protects many native plant and animal species, some of which you may see on your visit. It also provides numerous scenic views. At nearly 1500 acres, it is one of …
September 25, 2019
Marston Canyon: follow a creek bed from Richmond Street to CA-163
This urban canyon just north of Balboa Park features a wide variety of native and non-native vegetation surrounding a cobblestone creek. The canyon follows a creek bed from Richmond Street to CA-163. Two parallel trails …
September 18, 2019
La Mesa’s “The Stride” hike connects Jackson Park, La Mesita Park, and Lake Murray
The City of La Mesa has launched a program called City Walks and Urban Trails as part of their Urban Trails Mobility Action Plan as a way to help connect the community. One of these …
September 11, 2019
Rancho Peñasquitos, barely suburban
Beaner bashers They identify themselves as the border patrol. They demand money. The Mexican stranger drops the grocery bag and sprints into the valley. The teen-age boys shout taunts as the shadow disappears around a …
September 9, 2019
Coastal Rail Trail: 44 miles from Oceanside to the Santa Fe Depot
The Coastal Rail Trails, when complete, will offer an opportunity to walk, hike, or bike (out of vehicular traffic) the 44 miles from Oceanside to the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego. So far, …
September 4, 2019
Jacumba – the far edge of San Diego
A quiet street and an old hotel Jacumba is a kind of living ghost town out in southeast San Diego County, on the Mexican border, in what’s called, the Mountain Empire district. It has come …
September 2, 2019
Spooner’s Mesa: once mesa top home to Olive and Christopher Spooner above the Tijuana River
The Tijuana River drains 1750 square miles from the mountains of San Diego’s East County and Tecate (Mexico) crossing the international border to empty into the Pacific Ocean just south of Imperial Beach. The estuary …
August 28, 2019
Good hiking and beautiful vistas at Los Santos Trail Loop near Murrieta
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, near Murrieta in Riverside County, consists of 9000 acres and many hiking trails. The one described here has good hiking with lots of beautiful vistas; wildlife such as birds, coyotes, …
August 21, 2019
Wooded Hill: the highest peak in San Diego County covered by trees
According to Jerry Schad, in his book Afoot and Afield in San Diego County, Wooded Hill is the highest peak in San Diego County that is covered by trees. The other nearby higher peaks are …
August 14, 2019
Villagio And Arroyo Vista Trails connect inland areas to Batiquitos Lagoon
The Villagio and Arroyo Vista trail segments in southern Carlsbad are part of a series of wildlife corridors which allow animals to move from coastal Batiquitos Lagoon to inland areas and vice versa. This suburban …
August 7, 2019
Idyllic Tierrasanta
East Shepherd Canyon East Shepherd, or Greenbelt, trail is interesting in all seasons, with a combination of native coastal sage scrub and nonnative plants in the canyon. Walk north on Santo Road for about 160 …
August 5, 2019
Sleepy Descanso
Roberts Ranch Opens its Gates to Hikers Thanks to the crusading efforts of Descanso cabinet-maker Duncan McFetridge, affectionately known by some as the "Robin Hood of Cleveland Forest," two inholdings (islands of private property inside …
July 29, 2019
Lake Sutherland Dam: providing a component of San Diego’s drinking water
Starting from the parking area closest to the restrooms, make your way up the road to the kiosk marking the beginning of the trail, a service road that runs along the south side of Lake …
July 24, 2019
Carmel Valley – the anxiety of a new suburb
Carmel Valley accidental pond to be drained More than 17 years ago, land owner Robert Barczewski had a grading crew push a pile of dirt into a dip in a dirt road on his private …
July 22, 2019
Chollas Creek: threading City Heights, Encanto, Oak Park and other communities
Chollas Creek runs through urban San Diego and is part of the Pueblo Watershed, running 32 miles from its headwaters in La Mesa and Lemon Grove to where it drains into San Diego Bay in …
July 17, 2019
Hear water bubbling over boulders in Santa Ysabel Creek in Boden Canyon
From the staging area, follow the trail leading east. In 0.14 mile, it curves around a ridge and heads south into Clevenger Canyon, parallel to Hwy 78, but well below it. In about half a …
July 10, 2019
Martha’s Grove Loop: in memory of park ranger Martha Harville
Martha’s Grove Trail is designated for one-way hiking only, so once you leave the parking lot, you are almost immediately climbing up a well-maintained trail. You get an expansive view of the Goodan Ranch in …
July 3, 2019
Old Town remains one of the most visited areas in the state
In 1769, Gaspar de Portolá established a fort, or presidio, very close to the Kumeyaay village of Koss’ai (Cosoy), overlooking the San Diego River. Mission San Diego was founded on the same hill location just …
June 25, 2019
Lower Santa Ysabel Trail: traverse a magnificent forest of large coast live oaks
This trail offers plenty of shade and interesting things to see and investigate nearly year round. You will find a continuously changing array of wildflowers and blooming shrubs and trees from November to late May …
June 19, 2019
LA politician Manchester Boddy dug five ponds, built greenhouses, to create Wilderness Gardens Preserve
For a brief time in the 20th century, the Wilderness Gardens property was owned and named by Manchester Boddy, a Los Angeles politician, publisher, and horticulturist. For his “wilderness,” he dug five ponds, built greenhouses …
June 12, 2019
Barber Mountain Trail: used for SDG&E power line access, border patrol, fire response, and a little foot traffic
Before the major wildfires of 2003 and 2007 and the installation of the Sunrise Power Link, Barber Mountain Road was a jeep road that connected upper Deerhorn Valley to Honey Springs Road. Since that time, …
June 5, 2019
Enjoy lunch at Agua Caliente Creek on the Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a well-traveled 2,650-mile trail from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Along this trail are many day-hike or overnight backpacking possibilities. Here in San Diego County, we have …
May 29, 2019
Lightning Ridge Trail: find Horse Heaven Group Campground off Laguna Mountain
Lightning Ridge Trail is accessible and enjoyable during all seasons, but especially beautiful in the spring and summer, when flowers and shrubs are blooming. This is a good time to hike this trail, especially with …
May 22, 2019
Visit Santee’s Rattlesnake Mountain... but stay on the trail
Rattlesnake Mountain is best known to East County residents as the mountain that has the illuminated star during the holiday season that is visible for miles. It is just east of Gillespie Field. Apart from …
May 8, 2019
Dredging large dirt parking lot opened up the tidal flow for San Dieguito Lagoon
San Dieguito Lagoon is the largest of San Diego County’s six lagoons and is part of the 92,000-acre San Dieguito River Park. The park contains the Coast to Crest Trail, which will eventually run from …
May 1, 2019
Anza-Borrego’s Lycium Wash via Split Mountain Road: a more primitive experience
Located south of Ocotillo Wells, Lycium Wash via Split Mountain Road is about 45 minutes from Anza Borrego Desert State Park’s Visitor Center, making it an ideal hike for those wishing to have a more …
April 24, 2019
Walk the Embarcadero along Harbor Drive and the airport
San Diego Harbor not only bounds downtown to the west, it also marks the edge of a rich habitat. As you look out to the bay, you can see Coronado/North Island. Technically, the “island” is …
April 17, 2019