Welcome to the San Dieguito River Park Trails!
More than 65 miles of trails of every level are open year-round for day use free of charge. Most trails are open to hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The backbone multi-use trail – the Coast to Crest Trail – extends from the ocean at Del Mar to the San Dieguito River’s source on Volcan Mountain near Julian. Today, we have 49 miles of the planned 71 miles of the Coast to Crest Trail completed. In addition, over 20 miles of auxiliary trails within the River Park are open. Auxiliary trails are not part of the Coast to Crest Trail, and may have limited use regulations which will be clearly noted.
Interactive Trails Map (NEW)
Explore the park and plan your trip with the interactive San Dieguito River Park Map. This engaging map gives visitors a preview of everything needed to plan an excursion to make it an enjoyable trip including a spatial overview of the expansive trail network, park amenities, and more.
Please click here to view the new interactive San Dieguito River Park Map (Arc GIS story map)!
Park Rules
For your safety and the preservation of sensitive habitat, please observe and obey all posted park regulations on the trails and staging areas. Off-trail activities damage valuable habitat. Repeated violations risk the closure of trail segments. Please be familiar with the Park Rules general prior to your visit. Click here for Park Rules.
When trails get soaked after a rain, we encourage visitors to wait 48 hours before using them to let the trails dry out. Bicycle tires, horse hooves, and even shoes and dog paws can damage the trail tread while it is soft and muddy, and this can cause further erosion during subsequent storms. Thank you for your understanding.
San Dieguito River Park Trails Management
Some trails or trail segments are within preserves or areas that are inside the San Dieguito River Park Focused Planning Area but are managed by other agencies. Please visit the following websites for news and information about these trails:
City of San Diego– Crest Canyon, Gonzales Canyon, Black Mountain, and Clevenger Canyon.
County of San Diego– Lusardi Creek, Del Dios Highlands, Santa Ysabel West and East, and Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserves.
City of Del Mar– River Path Del Mar.
Cleveland National Forest– Upper Santa Ysabel and Lower Santa Ysabel Truck Trails.
Specific trail alignments will be developed in cooperation with landowners and leaseholders in order to minimize impacts to existing use, such as farming, cattle ranching, and private residences. See the Park’s policy on Private Property Rights Protection.
Park Maps
The park map can be accessed by clicking here to download the PDF.
The San Dieguito River Park Google Map can also be used to plan your trip. Click here to view the San Dieguito River Park Google Map in a larger window. Click the + or – signs on the lower left corner to zoom in or out. Click on the top left box with an arrow to bring up a menu of all the different parking areas (P symbols), trail segments, and points of interest (arrow pointing to the star symbols). Clicking on an individual parking area, trail segment, or point of interest will bring up more information about it. (For trail segments, you may need to uncheck the Focused Planning Area first.) The Coast to Crest Trail is shown in blue. Auxiliary trails are shown in orange. The San Dieguito River Park Focused Planning Area is in purple. Printable trail maps are also available below.
Trail maps can be accessed below. Click on the trail name or directions to download a PDF file of the trail map or get directions for the nearest parking area. Trail maps are also typically available free of charge at kiosks along the trails.
Trail Name
Mileage
Difficulty
Hiking
Biking
Equestrian
Highlights
Coastal Trails
Coast to Crest Trail at San Dieguito Lagoon
Parking Directions
2.50
Easy
Yes
Yes
Limited
Birdwing Open Air Classroom, Lagoon Views, Birding, Osprey Nest Platforms, Interpretive Walk with QR codes
Crest Canyon Trail
Parking Directions
1.15
Easy
Yes
No
No
Torrey pines, loop trail, secluded feel, views
Dust Devil Nature Trail
Parking Directions
1.70
Easy
Yes
No
No
Series of 3 loops, overlooks seasonal ponds
Valley Trails
Coast to Crest Trail at Santa Fe Valley
Parking Directions
2.90
Moderate
Yes
Yes
Yes
Switchbacks, 7 bridges
Coast to Crest Trail at Del Dios Gorge
Parking Directions
2.27
Moderate
Yes
Yes
Yes
Bridge over gorge, geology features, Rattlesnake Viewpoint near Dam, Flume
Coast to Crest Trail at North Shore Lake Hodges
Parking Directions
7.65
Moderate
Yes
Yes
Yes
Great Mountain Bike Trail, Birding, Old Hwy 395
Bernardo Mountain Summit Trail
Parking Directions
1.95
Strenuous
Yes
Yes
Yes
360 degree views
Bernardo Mountain Lake View Trail
Parking Directions
1.15
Easy/ Moderate
Yes
Yes
Yes
lake views
David Kreitzer
Lake Hodges
Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge– Open 6am to 9pm daily.Trail Map Location
Parking Directions
0.19
Easy
Yes
Yes
No
Longest stressed-ribbon bridge in the world
West Bernardo Dr. Bike Path
Parking Directions
0.46
Moderate
Yes
Yes
No
paved
Piedras Pintadas Trail
Parking Directions
2.20
Easy
Yes
Yes
No
Interpretive, Green Valley Creek Bridge, seasonal waterfall
Bernardo Bay Trails
Parking Directions
1.60
Easy
Yes
Yes
No
loop trails, birding
Highland Valley Trail
Parking Directions
2.10
Easy
Yes
Yes
Yes
Under the oaks, Children’s Interpretive Walk
Coast to Crest Trail at Mule Hill
Parking Directions
1.40
Easy
Yes
Yes
Yes
Historic Interpretive, Sikes Adobe
Coast to Crest Trail at San Pasqual Valley
Parking Directions
8.85
Moderate
Yes
Yes
Yes
Raptor Ridge, agricultural preserve
Foothill Trails
Clevenger Canyon North Trail
Parking Directions
2.00
Strenuous
Yes
No
No
Views, Santa Ysabel Creek crossing
Clevenger Canyon South Trail
Parking Directions
3.60
Strenuous
Yes
No
No
Views
Coast to Crest Trail at Lower Santa Ysabel Truck Trail
Parking Directions
3.3
Moderate
Yes
Yes
Yes
Shady
Coast to Crest Trail at Pamo Valley Parking Directions
3.3
Easy
Yes
Yes
Yes
cattle ranching, valley views, 3 road crossings
Coast to Crest Trail at Upper Santa Ysabel Truck Trail
Parking Directions
4.9
Strenuous
Yes
Yes
Yes
views, Engelmann Oaks, vehicle traffic
Mountain Trails
Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve West
Parking Directions
3.88
Strenuous
Yes
Yes
Yes
Expansive oak savannah views
Coast to Crest Trail at Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve East
Parking Directions
7.40
Strenuous
Yes
Yes
Yes
Views from west entry, cattle ranching, two loop trails
Coast to Crest Trail at Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve
Parking Directions
2.35
Strenuous
Yes
Yes
Yes
Hubbell Gateway, desert and mountain views
Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve – Five Oaks Trail
Parking Directions
1.2
Strenuous
Yes
No
No
Shaded oak woodland