San Diego County is filled with incredible hikes for all skill levels! Here are the most scenic San Diego County hikes that everyone can join in on:

Slot Canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a hike very similar to another Explore San Diego story we brought you. Like the name suggests, this fissure on the floor is full of tight squeezes.

Balboa Park Trails (Trail #1)

Length: 1.5 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Balboa Park offers numerous trail options that can be found on the Balboa Park Trails website, but Trail #1 is the perfect stroll through the park and an enjoyable way to take in the beautiful urban park surroundings with its flat, well-maintained path. What’s also nice about Trail #1 is that it’s away from busier areas of the park so you’ll experience a less crowded hiking/jogging experience. If you’re feeling ambitious, simply add another trail/loop onto your hike.

Slot Canyon Near San Diego Zoo

ProTip: Get the most out your San Diego excursion by booking your vacation at the idyllic Coronado Beach Resort to be a short drive or scenic ferry ride away from Balboa Park.

Torrey Pines State Park

Length: 3.3 miles

1. Slot Canyon is an unmaintained trail off a sand road and far from most visitor traffic. Flash floods formed the breathtaking slot canyon. At points, forty-foot high walls arch above a foot-wide canyon floor.
2. This Torrey Pines hike takes you to the best of the park – you experience get great ocean views, hike through unique geological formations, get a glimpse of the world-famous golf course, hike on an antique version of the Pacific Coast Highway, and of course, get see the Torrey Pine.

Difficulty: Easy

This area is a favorite among hikers and offers multiple trail options all with an exceptional view of the Pacific Ocean. If you’re looking for the perfect SoCal hike, this might be the one for you!

ProTip: Stay at Villa L’Auberge to be close to this popular trail. It’s the perfect spot to wake up early and beat the crowds, and then relax in cozy accommodations on the coast.

Mission Trails Regional Hike (Oak Canyon Trail)

Length: 3 miles

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

The hiking options are endless at this urban national park with more than 40 miles of trails near Kumeyaay Lake and Lake Murray. Try starting with the Oak Canyon Trail that follows an oak-lined ravine that winds north from the Old Mission Dam and isn’t too strenuous on the body, but be sure to take plenty of water with you on warmer days.

Slot Canyon in Anza Borrego State Park

Length: 1 mile

Difficulty: Easy

This hike, although a bit of a drive, is still within San Diego County and is the perfect adventure to add to your vacation! It’s an easy stroll through narrow siltstone canyon. Hike beneath the gravity-defying rock span, and at just a mile of trail, the memory of this natural wonder will leave an impression for years to come.

Borrego Palm Canyon Hike in Anza Borrego

Length: 1.6 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

If you’ve ever wanted to hike to a real desert oasis then this is the hike for you!

ProTip: Stay at Indian Palms Vacation Club to keep the desert oasis vibes going and enjoy the pool after a day of hiking or plan for a round of golf during your vacation.

Are you ready to make the most of your SoCal vacation with these fun family-friendly hikes suitable for all skill levels? Book your next vacation at popular resorts Villa L’Auberge, Coronado Beach Resort, and Indian Palms Vacation Club to be close to your adventures. Simply book online or call a Vacation Specialist at (866) 325-6295.

The Calcite Mine is an unexpected hidden gem (pun intended!) in the Anza Borrego Wilderness near San Diego. This relatively unknown hike features an epic slot canyon, sweeping desert views, and fascinating history. Not to mention the trip to the trailhead requires some exciting off-roading and the canyon itself holds several technical obstacles.

Keep your eyes out for calcite crystals on this hike. This area was mined for calcite during World War II to fabricate Norden bombsights. The mining operation has since been abandoned but hikers may spot vestiges from decades ago.

I’ll start off this trail description by saying that we almost certainly did not take the correct route! There are lots of side trails and off-trail options and we ended up doing a long loop through the canyon and up a mountain adjacent to the parking lot. I would estimate that it was about 5 miles over all. The map I show on this page is also my best guess as to the route we took on legs outside of the slot canyon.

We started southeast from the parking area on the most prominent looking trail and ended up on a large hill with panoramic views of the whole area. This helped set our bearings and locate the slot canyon. We returned part of the way back down the hill and then veered east towards the most gradual looking slope towards the canyon. Before that we took a wrong turn and found ourselves too high above the slot canyon to get down to it.

This trail wound around and merged with the main slot canyon. We headed north up the canyon which quickly closed in around us. We passed through a variety of rock formation – smooth walls, swiss-cheese looking stones, and carefully balanced boulders. We reached a number of technical obstacles that already had some ropes in place. Using the ropes and boosts/hands from friends we didn’t have much trouble climbing them.

After some time, the slot canyon started to open up and we were in more of a valley. Honestly, at this point we weren’t entirely sure where we were so we started hiking off-trail up a large hill to our west which seemed to be in the direction of the car. Fortunately, after a grueling hike to the top we were met with a birds-eye view of the trail, road, and parking area! We chose a gradual path back down and made it back to the cars!

This hike is somewhat dog-friendly for those that like hiking and can scramble over stones. As I mentioned above there are several obstacles where you have to use ropes and do some bouldering. We have a smaller dog so we were able to pick her up and pass her over the obstacles (her harness helped). I’m not sure how this could be done with a larger dog.

Season

We hiked this loop towards the end of March and it was very hot and dry! This is a desert so make sure to bring tons of water, sunscreen, hats, and other sun protection. Always avoid slot canyons if there are any signs of rain, dangerous flash flooding can occur.

Slot Canyon San Diego Beach

getting there

This trailhead is located in the Anza-Borrego Wilderness. Turn north off the Borrego Salton Seaway onto Calcite Road.

Fortunately, I went on this trip with friends who were well prepared for off-roading! To start at the actual trailhead, you'll need a high-clearance 4WD vehicle as well as some confidence to navigate over large boulders and through narrow passages. Otherwise you can hike an extra 2 miles each way from the main road. If you hike up the off-road section, it looks like there are options to enter the slot canyon closer to where it actually starts. As I mention above the trail we took merged in the middle of the canyon.

Slot Canyon Near San Diego Ca Today News

There are no permits or fees required for this hike.

Slot Canyon San Diego Hike

Updated May 2016