As one of the most biologically diverse counties in the U.S., San Diego hiking trails are stunning and traverse through deserts, forests, mountains, and coastline, with distinct vegetation and wildlife. On a single trail, one minute you can can be walking through diverse desert brush and vibrant colorful desert flowers, and the next minute be trekking through what looks like a jungle before crossing right into a tranquil meadow. Although San Diego is sunny for over 260 days throughout the year, few periods of rain also provide enough water to create remarkable waterfalls on some of the San Diego hiking trails.
In regards to weather, one imperative note about hiking in San Diego is a lot of the trails should only be hiked in Spring, Fall, or Winter. Even with San Diego’s Mediterranean climate throughout the year, the summer heat can be extreme inland and heat stroke and exhaustion are a big concern. If you are visiting in the summer and wish to hike some of the inland trails that are exposed, plan for a very early start and bring WATER, WATER, and more WATER.
San Diego hiking trails offer easy through difficult level trails with lengths from 2 miles to 14+ miles roundtrip and various elevation gains for all levels of fitness. Navigate through the San Diego hiking trails list below to find the trail that best suites your fitness level and gives you views of the many picturesque landscapes in San Diego you wish to see.
Trail | Distance (miles) | Difficulty | Season |
---|---|---|---|
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: Hellhole Canyon | 5 | Easy-Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Anza-Borrego State Park: Calcite Mine | 4 | Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Barker Valley | 6.5 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Batiquitos Lagoon | 3.4 | Easy | All |
Bayside Trail at Cabrillo National Monument | 2.8 | Easy | All |
Bernardo Mountain and Lake Hodges | 7.3 | Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Big Laguna Trail | 10 | Moderate-Difficult | All |
Black Mountain | 4.1 | Moderate | All |
Boden Canyon | 6.5 | Easy-Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Borrego Palm Canyon | 3 | Easy | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Boucher Hill Loop | 3.6 | Easy-Moderate | All |
Bow Willow and Rockhouse Canyons | 8.6 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Canyon Sin Nombre | 5 | Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Cedar Creek Falls | 5.7 | Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Clevenger Canyon | 4.75 | Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Corte Madera Mountain | 7 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Cowles Mountain and Pyles Peak | 6.3 | Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Culp Valley Loop | 2 | Easy | All |
Cuyamaca Peak | 5.6 | Moderate-Difficult | All |
Daley Ranch | 9.7 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Double Peak | 4.7 | Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Eagle Rock | 9.9 | Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
East Mesa in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park | 9.1 | Moderate-Difficult | All |
El Cajon Mountain | 11 | Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Engelmann Oak Loop | 5.1 | Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Ghost Mountain and Pictograph Trail | 14.7 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Gonzales Canyon | 2.9 | Easy-Moderate | All |
Guajome County Park | 3.3 | Easy | All |
Guatay Mountain | 5.7 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Hot Springs Mountain | 9.9 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Iron Mountain | 5.3 | Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Kanaka Flat | 7.4 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Kwaay Paay, Mission Dam, and Kumeyaay Lake | 5.3 | Moderate | All |
Lake Calavera | 3.2 | Easy-Moderate | All |
Lake Cuyamaca and the Stonewall Mine | 2.75 | Easy | All |
Los Peñasquitos Canyon | 6.4 | Easy-Moderate | All |
Lower Doane Valley and French Valley | 3.8 | Easy | All |
Monument Peak via Desert View Picnic Area | 5.8 | Moderate | All |
Mount Gower | 8.2 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Mount Woodson | 6.6 | Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Mountain Palm Springs | 3 | Easy-Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Observatory Trail | 4.4 | Moderate | All |
Palomar Mountain State Park | 8.8 | Moderate-Difficult | All |
Piedras Pintadas and Bernardo Bay | 5.2 | Easy-Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Pinyon Ridge | 9 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Rabbit Peak via Villager Peak | 21 | Very Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
San Onofre State Beach | 6.1 | Easy | All |
Santa Margarita River | 6.8 | Easy | All |
Split Mountain | 10.9 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Stanley Peak | 6.9 | Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Stonewall Peak | 3.83 | Moderate | All |
Three Sisters Falls | 3.9 | Difficult | Spring, Fall |
Thunder Spring and Chimney Flat Loop | 3.9 | Moderate | All |
Torrey Pines Reserve Extension | 2.4 | Easy | All |
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve | 3 | Easy | All |
Viejas Mountain | 3.6 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Volcan Mountain | 5.2 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
West Butte Borrego Mountain and The Slot | 4.6 | Moderate | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Whale Peak | 4.5 | Moderate-Difficult | Spring, Fall, Winter |
Wooded Hill | 1.5 | Easy | All |
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