Tour our trails

Supervisor Jim Desmond

5th District

I’m a huge supporter of activities that promote the health and wellbeing of residents in North County. We are incredibly lucky to live in such a beautiful County that has a wide array of outdoor activities, including hiking. The County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation manages hundreds of miles of trails in over 130 parks and preserves across San Diego.

If you’re looking for somewhere to go, the San Elijo Lagoon is a great place to start. It’s an easy trail with a nature center loop of .75 miles. The lagoon is one of San Diego’s largest wetlands with a shallow water estuary. Also, there’s the Guajome Regional Park in Oceanside. It’s an easy 3-mile loop dirt trail that meanders through woodland, chaparral, wetland and mixed grassland habitats. The routes are flat and cater to people of all abilities year-around.

Or climb through 774 acres of open space in the Del Dios Highlands County Preserve. The moderate level trek spans 2.6+ miles around several bends and a high point offers views of Lake Hodges and the Pacific Ocean.

If you want a challenge, check out Hellhole Canyon County Preserve in Valley Center. The Hell Creek Trail offers 13.5 miles of moderate-to-advanced paths above Hell Creek to the top of Rodriguez Mountain. In the spring, lilac blooms shine white and purple as far as the eye can see! You can find more information at sdparks.org.

As I mentioned earlier, we are incredibly fortunate to live in such a beautiful County, let’s take advantage of all it has to offer by getting outside!