Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Nice Bridge

If you've gone north on the I-15 in order to get to what used to be called The Wild Animal Park, then you may have noticed a cool looking bridge that crosses Lake Hodges just west of the freeway.

According to the monument stone, this is The David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge. It is a "stress ribbon" bridge and was opened in May of 2009.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/12/27771/

Every time I've driven by this bridge, I've thought it would be cool to run on but I kept forgetting about it when deciding on a run. I remembered it the other day and was rewarded by a fascinating run.

Access to the bridge is via the 15 and exit Pomerado/West Bernardo Dr. There is parking on the west side of the road or you can park at Rancho Bernardo Community Park.

I started tracking the distance from the south foot of the bridge. The run I chose was the Bernardo Mountain Summit Trail. To get to the trail, I headed west after crossing the bridge.

A small creek meanders down from the hills and creates a shock of green in the predominately brown, yellow and red landscape. Just past this creek is the Bernardo Mountain trail head.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/12/27772/

This is a technical and often narrow trail. This is not a trail for people who are just starting to run off the paved way. This trail has plenty of opportunities to roll an ankle or take a nasty spill. With that in mind, running with a companion is recommended. However, there was cell coverage all the way to the top of the mountain so running it solo is an option.

While the main trail around Lake Hodges was humming with packs of mountain bikers, the Bernardo Mountain trail was isolated and empty. I like the isolation but some might be spooked by the remoteness of the trail.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/12/27775/

The trail breaks off to the north before heading west and switching back and forth up the west slope of the mountain. The views of Lake Hodges are phenomenal. It is only three miles to the summit from the bridge but they are steeply uphill most of the time.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/12/27776/

For anyone who is considering an ultra-marathon event, this trail is a great training option.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Drinking Sudden Death on All Saint’s Day in Quixote’s church-themed interior

Seeking solace, spiritual and otherwise

If you've gone north on the I-15 in order to get to what used to be called The Wild Animal Park, then you may have noticed a cool looking bridge that crosses Lake Hodges just west of the freeway.

According to the monument stone, this is The David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge. It is a "stress ribbon" bridge and was opened in May of 2009.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/12/27771/

Every time I've driven by this bridge, I've thought it would be cool to run on but I kept forgetting about it when deciding on a run. I remembered it the other day and was rewarded by a fascinating run.

Access to the bridge is via the 15 and exit Pomerado/West Bernardo Dr. There is parking on the west side of the road or you can park at Rancho Bernardo Community Park.

I started tracking the distance from the south foot of the bridge. The run I chose was the Bernardo Mountain Summit Trail. To get to the trail, I headed west after crossing the bridge.

A small creek meanders down from the hills and creates a shock of green in the predominately brown, yellow and red landscape. Just past this creek is the Bernardo Mountain trail head.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/12/27772/

This is a technical and often narrow trail. This is not a trail for people who are just starting to run off the paved way. This trail has plenty of opportunities to roll an ankle or take a nasty spill. With that in mind, running with a companion is recommended. However, there was cell coverage all the way to the top of the mountain so running it solo is an option.

While the main trail around Lake Hodges was humming with packs of mountain bikers, the Bernardo Mountain trail was isolated and empty. I like the isolation but some might be spooked by the remoteness of the trail.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/12/27775/

The trail breaks off to the north before heading west and switching back and forth up the west slope of the mountain. The views of Lake Hodges are phenomenal. It is only three miles to the summit from the bridge but they are steeply uphill most of the time.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/12/27776/

For anyone who is considering an ultra-marathon event, this trail is a great training option.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

A Closer Look at the Trailer for Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

Next Article

Comic-Con Photo Phunnies Day 5 - Sunday

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader