Tinajas are an important source of surface water storage in arid environments, the local Big Horn Sheep use these for water and you can find their bones at the bottom of this slot canyon. These “Sheep Tanks” are located at the bottom of a deep and narrow slot canyon in the Calcite Mine region of Anza Borrego. Check out this hike. We embarked on the Slot Canyon Hike near San Diego, California. It is officially known as the 'West Butte Borrego Mountain' hike. It is actually located appr. Its called THE SLOT for the most obvious reason- it can be as narrow as putting a coin in slot machine but definitely worth the hype. At present, its easy to find the trail head in google maps. “slot canyon trail” Navigating inside the slot is easy to moderate.

The hike hits all of the overlooks in Torrey Pines Park, then heads down to the beach. From the beach, it climbs back up and to the trailhead. The hike meanders down to the ocean, then climbs back up to Torrey Pines Park Rd. Stay on the official trails. The area is extremely fragile and if a ranger or volunteer see you off the trail, there is a.

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:

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.

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

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.

For years, the area known as “The Mushrooms Caves” in San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve was off-limits. Of course that only prevented responsible, law-abiding hikers from going there. Vandals and ruffians still frequented the location, defacing the delicate sandstone canyon walls with graffiti and carvings, and using the area as a party spot.

Thanks to a generous donation by someone known only as “Annie,” as well as tremendous effort by volunteers, the area has been cleaned up and a new trail known as “Annie’s Canyon Trail” has been established. The hope is that by opening the area to the public it will no longer be a desirable hangout for illicit activities. As the trail has become instantly popular with San Diego hikers, it appears this will be an effective tactic.

The Annie’s Canyon Trail is located about halfway between the N. Rios Avenue trailhead and the Solana Hills Drive trailhead in the southwest region of the Reserve. Official trail maps have yet to be updated, but the new trail is pretty simple to find.

We decided to start from the Solana Hills trailhead since it appeared to have more parking and more hill climbing than the N. Rios Avenue trailhead. If you want a slightly easier route, I think N. Rios Avenue is your best bet. If you’re looking for a much longer excursion (8 miles or so round trip), you can start at the La Orilla trailhead at the opposite end of the Reserve.

We got an early start since we knew it was going to be a hot day, and were the only car parked near the trailhead when we arrived. The entrance to the Reserve was easy to spot at the end of Solana Hills Drive.

We made our way uphill along the wide, gravel path. We could hear traffic noise from I-5 down the hill on our right, but it was otherwise a beautiful and peaceful morning.

Honeybees buzzed lazily through the flowering buckwheat.

At the top of the hill we found an informational kiosk where another neighborhood access trail joined from the left. We continued straight.

The trail descended briefly, then climbed another small rise.

From here, we had a long downhill trek, with views of the freeway and the Lagoon beyond.

Around .4 mile, a narrow single-track branched off to the left. This would reconnect with the main trail again shortly so you can go either way, but we stuck to the wide, main path and continued straight. In another .1 mile there was another branch to the right, this one leading to the eastern half of the Reserve. We continued on the main trail as it bent left.

The trail soon entered a thick grove of Eucalyptus trees, providing some much appreciated shade on a warm summer morning. There was fresh mulch on the ground here, and we suspected we were getting close to the new trail.

At just over .6 miles, we found the first of two entrances to the Annie’s Canyon Trail.

We went about 20 feet up the trail to the second entrance, just because we wanted to see everything, but both routes will take you to the same spot.

We came to a green sign at the entrance of the canyon. To the left was the out and back route up to a view point for those who don’t want to traverse the narrow canyon. As we’d soon find out, the canyon is a bit more challenging than your average San Diego hike, so it’s nice to have the view point option if you’re not up to the full route. If you have a dog with you or a baby carrier, stick to the view point. The route through the canyon is a one-way loop – there’s NO room for people to pass, so make sure you travel counter clockwise here if you want to do the full loop.

We were going for the full experience, so followed the path to the right. At the start, the trail was nice and wide with brush on either side.

As we continued, the brush disappeared and the canyon narrowed.

You could still see bits of paint and carvings along the delicate sandstone walls on either side if you looked carefully, but a lot of work had clearly been done to clean up the area and try to restore its natural beauty. It was easy to know which way to turn as the wrong paths were blocked with chains and colorful signs reminding us to share this beautiful spot with its natural inhabitants.

The canyon continued to narrow, but so far we could walk normally along the trail.

We came upon a trail marker pointing to the left and dutifully followed it.

It started to get a little bit tight here, but we were able to squeeze through with only a little effort.

On the left we found a small cave we could climb in and explore. Here some painted graffiti was still intact, giving us an idea of exactly how distressed the canyon had been before the cleanup process.

We continued squeezing our way up the ever-narrowing canyon, quickly reaching a spot where we had to use indentations in the canyon walls as foot and hand holds to make our way through.

Slot Canyon San Diego Hikes

While this was definitely more challenging than a normal hiking trail, it was really pretty short and we were able to get through without too much drama. Keep in mind though, this trail has quickly become quite popular and there is zero room for passing, so make sure you exercise some patience and consideration if you get stuck behind a slower hiker (or some hiking bloggers who stop periodically to take pictures. Sorry!) By this point it was clear that this was not a good hike to bring a dog on.

Before long we came upon a metal ladder which assisted us up and over a high wall.

From there it was just a little more squeezing and pulling ourselves through until we eventually emerged at the view point area.

From here we could see down into the canyon through which we’d just come.

We could also admire the tops of the sculpted sandstone cliffs.

Slot Canyon San Diego Hikers

After taking in the views, we continued down the trail, getting some great vistas of the western side of the lagoon and Pacific Ocean beyond.

This side of the trail was a bit narrow in spots, but had sturdy stairs and was nothing like the squeeze through the canyon had been.

We made our way down several steep switchbacks. The sides of the trail had new plantings in many spots that had not yet grown in, but I expect this will be an even more awesome trail once everything is established.

We quickly finished the descent and found ourselves at the start of the loop. From here, we retraced our route to our starting point.

Directions:
From I-5, take the Lomas Santa Fe exit and head west on Lomas Santa Fe. Turn right onto Solana Hills Drive and follow it to the end where you will find the trailhead. Park along the street. map

For more information, visit:
San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy – Annie’s Canyon Trail
San Diego County Parks and Recreation – San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve
Virtual Tour of Annie’s Canyon
View route or download GPX in CalTopo

Slot Canyon San Diego Hike

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