Saturday, 6th of August 2011 at 02:46:11 PM
 Los Penasquitos Canyon |
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Max Elevation: 233 ft |
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| Distance: 6.4 miles round trip to falls (out and back) Hiking Time: 3 hours (round trip) Elevation Gain/Loss: 300′/300′ Difficulty: Moderate Trail Use: Suitable for mountain biking, dogs allowed, good for kids. |
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Download GPX: Los Penasquitos Canyon Download Trailmap: Los Penasquitos Preserve Trail Map |
Directions: Exit Interstate 15 at Scripps Poway Road/Mercy Road. Go west on Mercy Road for 1 mile to a T-intersection with Black Mountain Road. Straight across the street, to the west, is your starting point.
Take along a picnic lunch and a blanket on this hike. There are many fine places, sunny meadows, oak-shaded flats, and the sycamore-fringed stream-side. A good turn around point is a small set of waterfalls and pools in the canyon bottom. This is about 3 miles out, midway through the preserve.
From the staging area, set off on the wide trail to the west. In the first mile, it hugs the Los Penasquitos Canyon’s south wall.
As you pass the Johnson-Taylor Ranch, you’ll notice several nonnative plants — eucalyptus and palms.
Next you enter a long and beautiful canopy of intertwined live oaks.
Mile posts along the roadside help you gauge your progress. At mile 2, the trail winds out of the dense cover of oaks and continues through the grassland dotted with small elderberry trees.
Along the way to the falls, there are two creek crossings to the north leading to a parallel trail on the far side of the creek. You could follow that trail when you return from the falls, but its not as scenic.
At the 3 mile marker, the road winds up onto a chaparral slope in order to detour a narrow, rocky section of the canyon. Near the top there’s a wide spot, with racks for securing bikes, and a foot trail descending north to the falls area.
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Its a good hike for kids because it is fairly short and has a cool destination (waterfall). Nothing crazy but a nice hike in the middle of suburbia!
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I provided the gps data for this hike. I had been here many times but this is the 1st time I had hiked on the north side of the stream. This data should be helpful in exploring the vast network of trails along the stream here in Pen Canyon. The trail continues to the west all the way out to Via Sorrento Valley. I have done the hike from there to the falls as well and will be posting that hike (Los Penasquitos Canyon West Approach) shortly.
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