Learn about current park closures.
08/29/23
To encourage more people to spend quality time outside – wherever and whenever they can – we're partnering with Nature Unplugged to host ranger-led hikes during their October 2023 Hike-a-Thon.
The event has a dual purpose: To encourage people to fully experience nature, and to raise funds for Nature Unplugged’s scholarship and subsidy program for organizations and communities in need.
Participating in the Hike-A-Thon is optional, and mileage is
calculated Oct. 1 – 31 via trail application.
Learn more about the 2023 Hike-A-Thon
here.
Participants will have all month to log their travels for opportunities to collect prizes and earn matched dollars for charitable contributions.
County Park Rangers are hosting interpretive hikes to inspire them
to go the extra mile:
9 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 7
Oakoasis
County Preserve – Easy to Moderate
12620 Wildcat
Canyon Road, Lakeside, CA 92040
Park phone: 619-561-0580
A
favorite for solo hikers and families alike, Oakoasis boasts nearly
400 acres of chaparral, manzanita, and woodlands. A 2.5-mile loop
trail explores the cool shade of mature oaks, slight hills to sweeping
views of the San Vicente reservoir, grassy valleys and a tree
revitalization zone.
9 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 14
Sycamore
Canyon/Goodan Ranch County Preserve – Moderate
16280 Sycamore Canyon Road, Poway, CA 92064
Park phone:
858-513-4737
More than 10 miles of trails in this 2,272-acre
preserve lead to grand vistas, abundant wildlife and interesting
reminders of human habitation. For this activity, we’ll start on the
Poway end and hike into Martha’s Grove, taking the trail down into the
valley, along the olive groves, below the old windmill, into the
nature center, and then back to the starting point, for roughly 3.5 miles.
9 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 21
Wilderness
Gardens County Preserve – Easy to Moderate
14209
Highway 76, Pala, CA 92059
Park phone: 760-742-1631
This
737-acre preserve is the oldest in the County portfolio and offers 4
miles of relatively easy trails with excellent birdwatching
opportunities. We’ll take the Main Trail and Alice Fries Trail for a
2-mile adventure – with the option to continue to overviews of the San
Luis Rey River corridor. On site is the foundation of Sickler’s Grist
Mill – a remnant of North County’s rich agricultural history – and
more colorful stories can be discovered in the onsite visitor’s center.
9 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 28
Santa
Ysabel Nature Center and East County Preserve –
Moderate
22135 Highway 79, Santa Ysabel, CA 92070
Park
Phone: 760-765-4098
Meet us at the new, LEED-certified
6,000+-square-foot nature center for some ranger education before
stepping foot on a new stretch of trail to plateaus on the east side
of the preserve. Take in thick vegetation and hearty groves of native
oaks – don’t be surprised by the occasional hawk or cow on the roughly
3.9-mile trek!
Ranger-led hikes are free and open to guests of all ages. Registration is not required.
Please plan appropriately with good footwear, sun protection and plenty of water and snacks.
A Hike-A-Thon Kick-Off event has also been scheduled from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Oct. 1 at Los Penasquitos Ranch House, located at 12122 Canyonside Park Drive, San Diego.
Members of the public are welcome to attend this event which will
include a presentation about the program, a County proclamation,
resource tables and wellness information, a fitness activity and a
guided nature walk to the creek. The museum will be open, and guests
will have access to the barn and live animals!
For more information about the Hike-A-Thon Kick-Off or Planned
Hikes, contact Jessica Geiszler at jessica.geiszler@sdcounty.ca.gov
or Sonya Mohamed at sonya@natureunplugged.com.