Top 5 Hikes In San Diego

hey guys jim bush here with another episode of straight up san diego today i’m filming from beautiful lake hodges out near escondido and i’m going to try something a little bit different instead of a neighborhood tour today i’m going to do a tour of my top five hikes in and around san diego now i like each of these trails for different reasons but i think there’s something here for everyone and in the end i think there’s a clear winner so i’m going to be choosing my number one hike for in and around san diego so without further ado here are my top five hikes number five mount woodson otherwise known as potato chip rock this is the most iconic hike probably around san diego because of the very thin and very cool looking potato chip rock and if you’ve ever been on social media and i expect you are uh then you’ve probably seen a picture of this on somebody’s profile but the hike’s not about just getting a great picture for your social media there’s great hiking there as well my advice skip the mount woodson road and either come in from the west or go around loop on the fray kergel trail i probably butchered that but go around on that trail and you’ll have a fantastic hike all the way up to the potato chip rock just awesome up here so worth every step coming up to potato chip rock on mount whitson expect about a six mile hike if you do the fry kergel trail which i did and about 1400 feet of elevation gain so it’s an intermediate hike be sure to bring lots of water because it does get hot out there and if you want to get a picture on the famous potato chip rock be sure to go on an off day or just be prepared to wait for a while finosquitos canyon is on this list because it checks a lot of boxes it’s coastal so the temperatures stay nice year-round it’s accessible it feels like you’re in the middle of nature even though you’re in the middle of town there’s water crossings and there’s even a waterfall what more could you ask for pq has tons of routes that you can choose from so mix and match to your liking it’s about six miles from end to end so you can do whatever you want to do to string together a good run a bike a hike or gosh even equestrian you can do that out there as well either way you’re gonna have a great outing because penisquittos canyon is an oasis right there in the middle of town number three annie’s canyon at under two miles it’s a short hike but it’s one of my favorites on the list this hike used to be known as the mushroom cave and it was closed for a long time due to vandalism but it’s since been restored to its natural glory and it’s one of the most accessible and family friendly outings that you can have around san diego what makes this place so cool is that it is sandstone slot canyon tough to say but a pretty easy hike otherwise if you go from the west trail it’s a very easy hike right up to the canyon and then it narrows really quickly to get into a really really cool slot canyon you might have to do some scrambling to actually get up the canyon and then there’s even a ladder system at the end of it at the end you’re rewarded with beautiful views of the lagoon and the ocean if you have a chance check this out and bring the kids because it’s a cool one number two cals mountain mission trails some people may call it coals cows i don’t know but i call it cows mountain along with potato chip rock this is one of the most iconic hikes in san diego and that’s because it’s actually the tallest point in the city of san diego at about 1500 feet it’s also one of the busiest trails that you’re going to find anywhere people make this trek day and night you can watch them with their headlamps making the pilgrimage to the top of cal’s mountain if you’re looking for some solitude this is not the hike for you but if you don’t mind the festive atmosphere and you’re looking for some great views and some great exercise this is a really good hike to go on and the honor for the top hike in and around the city of san diego goes to torrey pines state reserve torrey pines gets the top honors because it has just about everything that you could expect in a san diego hike it has plenty of variety because of the multiple trail options it has views for days it includes a beach hike and it showcases what the natural coastal environment should be to include the one-of-a-kind torrey pine if you want to get the full experience make it a loop like i did in this video start north of the park entrance and then follow the road all the way up to the top about 350 feet from the top you can choose a number of pads some of them looping back to the top and then others will connect down to the beach trail which is aptly named that’s the trail i took as you can see there are awesome coastal views and when you’re ready just take the trail down to the beach once you’re at the beach take a look to your left and if the tides are right you can sneak around the corner and probably get a view all the way to la jolla once you’re done with that turn around head north up the beach and have a really beautiful hike all the way to the beginning so that is my official list of the top five hikes in and around san diego it’s a huge county so there are some honorable mentions here iron mountain is a great great trail palomar mountain back there has the french trail in doane pond there’s the airplane monument trail and sunset trail up in laguna it’s just endless and i have to mention onto borrego too that’s that’s a whole episode in and of itself because there are amazing hikes all the way around there if you’re interested in more hikes one of my favorite resources is a book called a foot in the field in san diego county by jerry shad it’s a staple of san diego hiking and i highly recommend getting this book of course there are other resources like all trails that i use on the hike themselves but a foot in the field is my first stop i’d be interested to hear what hikes are your favorite in san diego i’m always looking for something new so put them down in the comments i’d love to see what you have to say i’ve had a great time going on all these hikes and making this video and i hope you’ve enjoyed coming along happy hiking and i will see you next time on straight up san diego