Take a Hike: San Diego County

Few places on the planet can boast the diversity of natural landscape found in San Diego County.
When you consider the extreme low desert in Anza-Borrego, the more than 6,000-foot-high mountains of Laguna and Cuyamaca, the pastoral expanses between Julian and Warner Hot Springs, and the coastal wetlands of the Pacific Ocean, the breadth of our county’s environment is downright remarkable.
“Nearly 2,100 plant species grow naturally on the land (of San Diego County) -- more wild species than in any comparable area in the United States,” states James Lightner in his book, “San Diego County Native Plants.”
Birds are bountiful here, too. The San Diego Natural History Museum’s “San Diego County Bird Atlas” “establishes a new benchmark for knowledge of birds in the region of the United States with more species than any other: 492.”
More than 75 percent of the 2.7 million acres that make up San Diego County are undeveloped open space. Nearly half of the county’s land is owned by government agencies, including the state’s Department of Parks and Recreation, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, water districts and the County of San Diego, and most such lands are accessible to the public.
Miles of trails explore all our distinctive habitats, and since we enjoy sunshine most of the time, there are few finer places for hiking.
“Take a Hike: San Diego County” covers 260 trails that traverse our Pacific coastline, our urban and suburban communities, those pastoral foothills, our forested mountains, and the desert.
The trails included here are all easily accessible by almost everyone -- if I can hike them, most people can, too. There are a few that are strenuous, and many that are challenging, but generally, these trails offer hikers very pleasant and rewarding excursions to almost every corner of our county. Get ready to explore many new destinations.
This book offers much more information about each hike than simply telling you to “turn left at the rock.” Extensive research on every trail has uncovered its history, both cultural and natural. Read about the Kumeyaay and how they lived on this land for thousands of years, about the explorers and pioneers who transformed this region since the late 1700s, and about the present-day efforts to link trails among regions for even greater exploration opportunities.
Learn about our local natural history with discussions of some of our flora, fauna and geology present in our various habitats of chaparral, coastal sage scrub, oak woodlands, riparian, grasslands, coniferous woodlands and desert wash scrub.
Once you begin exploring San Diego County on foot, you will surely be astounded by its diversity, beauty and fascinating flora and fauna.
Views are breathtaking.
Wildflowers are wonderfully detailed and distinctive.
Birds brighten the landscape with color and song.
The stories of those who came before us offer plenty to ponder.
The exercise afforded by hiking is far more fun than any gym session.
It turns out, even those views translate into better health. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have found that the positive emotions triggered by such awe-inspiring experiences as overlooking a scenic vista can boost immune systems and even help protect the body from heart disease, depression and other chronic illnesses.
So go take a hike.
You are in one of the most amazing places anywhere.
Grab your walking stick, put on your hiking boots, pack your water and trail map and explore the amazing richness of San Diego County’s geographic wonders.