Ten family-friendly hikes in San Diego County

Longing to gaze out on a georgous ocean view? How about a desert oasis? Or mountain scenery? You don’t need a plane or a train, San Diego. It’s all waiting for you in your own backyard.

Jerry Schad, author of “Afoot and Afield in San Diego County” was kind enough to recommend 10 family-friendly hikes, perfect for your staycation.

“Within a half-hour drive, there are all kinds of nature areas,” Schad said.

All you need are good walking shoes, water, sunscreen and, of course, your family. Plus, there are so many opportunities to make these outings fun and smart. Just a few possibilities: Research regional wildlife, find out what poison oak looks like or plot out how many calories you’ll burn on your trek. Let’s all go take a hike!Let’s all go take a hike!

(Schad’s guidebook, now in its fourth edition, is available in bookstores and online from Wilderness Press for $22.95.)

(Easier than others)

If you are looking for breathtaking views of the ocean, Torrey Pines State Reserve will not disappoint. Trails, most of them 1 to 4 miles, cover easy to moderate terrain and will take you past rare Torrey pines and colorful wildflowers in the spring.

From the parking lot next to the visitor center and museum, you can walk to the beginning of any of the trails in 10 minutes or less, Schad said. Trails are marked. The trail to High Point is a mere 100-yards and offers tremendous views of the reserve, the ocean and Los Penasquitos Lagoon.

The popular Beach Trail also originates at the visitor center. It intersects with trails to Yucca Point and Razor Point. Schad said fenced viewpoints on these trails offer views to the beach and surf.

Schad said it’s important to stick to the trails. Erosion along the coastal bluffs is nothing to mess with. If you want a path less traveled, Jerry suggested trying the Torrey Pines Extension to the north of the main reserve area.

Directions: Exit Interstate 5 at Carmel Valley Road and head west about 1.5 miles to the end of the road. To reach the main reserve, turn left (the street sign will say North Torrey Pines Road) and continue .8 miles to the Torrey Pines Reserve parking lot or park along the highway. (There is a fee for the parking lot.)

To reach the extension, exit I-5 at Carmel Valley Road and drive 1.1 miles west to Del Mar Scenic Parkway on the right. Drive to the end of the street, where curbside parking is available and the extension trails begin.

For more information, go to the Torrey Pines Reserve site. And Schad wrote an article on the Torrey Pines Reserve for the San Diego Weekly Reader.

The 700-acre reserve near Poway protects one of the better examples of streamside vegetation in Southern California, Schad said. Motorized vehicles are prohibited, so the area offers peace and quiet. A five-mile trail with moderate difficulty will take you about 21/2 hours roundtrip. Trails are marked and dogs are allowed, Schad said.

April is a great month for wildflowers, which is begin to fade in June. Overarching oaks are beautiful, but Schad said to be mindful of poison oak by the stream.

Directions: Exit Interstate 15 at Rancho Bernardo Road and go east. Rancho Bernardo Road becomes Espola Road as you near the Poway city limits. Espola will curve south after about 3 miles. The reserve entrance is on the left, just after the curve and 3.4 miles from I-15. From the trailhead, follow the unpaved Green Valley Truck Trail along the south bank of the stream.

For more information, go to the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve’s site.

(Easier than others)

This “little brother” to Los Penasquitos Canyon offers solitude, sycamores and great rocks for kids to climb on. A 3.5-mile hike roundtrip will take you 11/2 hours. Schad said the trails are marked. From the trailhead, walk east on the remnants of the former dirt road up along the canyon’s floor.

Schad said the sights and smells of sage and chaparral and sycamores along the creek bed offer a sense of a bygone era when vaqueros herded cattle in the canyon. Dogs are allowed.

Directions: Exit Interstate 805 at Mira Mesa Boulevard/Sorrento Valley Road. Take either the 805 frontage road (Sorrento Valley Road on the west side or Vista Sorrento Parkway on the east side) 1 mile north to Sorrento Valley Boulevard. Turn right and continue 1 mile east to the western staging area for Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve.

For more information, Schad wrote a story on Lopez Canyon for the Reader.

(The easiest)

The lake is a former gravel pit on the San Diego River in Santee. There’s a small exhibit of traditional Kumeyaay Indian life, including a replica of an ewaa, a hut made of native plant material. The 1-mile hike with easy terrain will take an hour roundtrip. Trails are marked, and dogs are allowed, Schad said.

The small lake is part of Mission Trails Regional Park. Walk into the Kumeyaay Campground, past the entrance booth to the shore of the lake. You can follow short pathways going left along the northside of the lake or right along the southside.

Directions: From Mission Gorge Road on Santee’s west side, drive 2 miles west on Father Junipero Serra Trail to a large, unpaved parking lot on the left, across from the entrance to Kumeyaay Campground and Lake.

For more information, go to the Mission Trails Regional Park site.

Stelzer Park in Lakeside includes 314 acres of trails, campsites, picnic tables and a small interpretive center in a wooded ravine called Wildcat Canyon. Trails between 1.5 to 3 miles offer easy to moderate terrain. Trails are marked, Schad said.

Schad said the park’s friendliest trail, the Riparian Trail, starts at the parking lot and parallels the stream bottom of Wildcat Canyon for .7 miles and ends at a secluded picnic site.

From the end of the Riparian Trail, you can follow the Wooten Loop trail to the east and reach Stelzer Ridge Trail after .3 miles. A left turn on the Stelzer Ridge Trail brings you back to the park entrance.

Directions: To reach the trailhead from Lakeside, turn east on Mapleview Street where the freeway portion of Highway 67 ends. After .3 miles on Mapleview, turn left (north) on Ashwood Street. Ashwood will become Wildcat Canyon Road. After turning onto Ashwood, drive 2 miles to Stelzer County Park on the right. The parking lot is immediately inside the entrance gate.

For more information, go to the San Diego County parks’ site section on Stelzer Park.

This trail on Palomar Mountain is one for inspiration, Schad said. “Here is the Palomar forest at its best, complete with a trickling stream that seems out of place amid the generally arid mountain ranges of Southern California,” he wrote.

The 1-mile loop trail with easy terrain will take about 30 minutes. The trail is marked and begins at the Doane Pond parking lot.

Directions: From Highway 76 at the foot of Palomar Mountain, take either South Grade Road or East Grade Road to where the two meet at a crossroads called Crestline, high atop the mountain. From there, follow East Grade Road west toward Palomar Mountain State Park. Once you get past the park entrance, just keep making right turns on paved roads until you reach the parking lot for Doane Pond.

For more information,go to the section of the state park’s site on Palomar Mountain.

(More challenging than others)

The Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve located outside Julian. “Boldly rising above the apple orchards of Julian, Volcan Mountain’s oak- and pine-dotted slopes are swept by some of the freshest breezes found anywhere in San Diego County,” Schad wrote.

For most of the 20th century, Schad wrote, the area was off limits to the public. A 3.2-mile trail will take about 2 hours. Dogs are allowed. In addition to amazing scenery created by nature, Schad said the preserve’s entryway designed by noted artist James Hubbell is worth the visit.

Directions: From Julian, drive about 2 miles north on Farmer Road to Wynola Road, go right briefly and turn left to remain on Farmer Road. Park along Farmer Road, 200 yards north of Wynola Road, where you’ll see a Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve sign.

For more information, go to the Volcan Mountain Preserve Foundation site.

This .5-mile loop trail in the Laguna Mountains offers insight into lives of the Kwaaymii people and their use of native plants for food, shelter, clothing and medicine. Along the trail, you’ll see morteros (deep holes) and metates (shallow depressions) that were used for grinding acorns. If you can, pick up a leaflet at the visitor center.

Directions: Exit Interstate 8 at Sunrise Highway, just east of Pine Valley. Drive north, uphill on the Sunrise Highway. Pay attention to the mile markers. Drive to the Mount Laguna visitor center, on the left at the 23.5 mile marker.

For more information, Schad wrote a story about the Kwaaymii Trial for the Reader.

(More challenging than others)

As its name suggests, Lower Hellhole Canyon is located in the desert, but there’s an amazing waterfall, Maidenhair Falls, that kids love. Spring is the time to take in all the desert wildflowers. Given the terrain, Lower Hellhole Canyon is best visited in December through April. Bring plenty of water.

A 4.8-mile trail with moderate terrain will take about three hours.

Directions: From Borrego Springs, follow Palm Canyon Drive (county Highway S-22) west to Montezuma Highway and turn left, remaining on S-22. Continue .7 miles to the large trailhead parking area on the west side on Montezuma Highway. If you are arriving from the west, this trailhead is located near the bottom of the twisting Montezuma Grade, at mile marker 16.5.

For more information, go to state park’s site for Anza Borrego and the Anza Borrego Foundation and Institute.

(Easier than others)

This trail near the entrance to Agua Caliente Regional Park will lead you to a small freshwater marsh (which the park calls “the pond”) where groundwater saturates the sandy soil and gives rise to a riparian oasis of willows and palms. The 1.4-mile roundtrip hike will take about an hour. The trail is marked.

Directions: From Interstate 8 at Ocotillo, drive 27 miles northwest on Highway S-2 to Agua Caliente Regional Park, on the left. If you are driving from Highway 78 at Scissors Crossing, drive 22 miles southeast on Highway S-2 and keep straight on the spur road leading to the regional park.

For more information, Schad wrote a story about the Pond Trail for the Reader.