7 California Trails I Hiked in The Beginning of 2018

Can you believe that March is upon us? I feel like 2018 has been flying by so far!

I was starting to put together a fitness recap post for January & February when I realized that I have been busy kicking butt with a lot of great sweat sessions. Yea! 

I also realized that my hiking workouts have really picked up in recent weeks. In the summer the weather had been so hot inland that I wasn’t hiking much. Then we had a lot of super dry weather, SoCal fires, & fire danger keeping parks closed, so I stayed off the trails for most of the fall. Then, I did a ton of traveling towards the end of the year that kept my workouts simple & mostly indoors…. but in January & February, my hiking workouts have been on fire! 

So instead of talking about all of my recent workouts, today I’m focusing solely on recent hikes. I hope it gives you Southern Californians and anyone planning on visiting this beautiful state some ideas of trails to visit!

The majority of the hikes I’ve done in the past two months are around San Diego County where I live, but I’ve also journeyed to a few trails outside of my immediate area, including a Laguna Beach hike and a trail up in Central California in the San Luis Obispo area just last weekend. Here are 7 trails I’ve hiked so far this year!

Nighthawk Trail, Black Mountain Open Space Park. San Diego. 

This was the very first hike I did in 2018, when I ventured over to Black Mountain Open Space Park in the Rancho Penasquitos area on the first weekend of the year with my hubby and pup.

We elected to do the Nighthawk Trail, whose trailhead can be easily approached after parking in the Hilltop Community Park parking lot. It’s a moderate trail that offers pretty San Diego views. The only downside is the huge antennas at the top of the mountain that kind of kill the vibe.

Nighthawk Trail is what I think of as the perfect weekend morning hike: a bit over 4 miles long & takes about 2 hours to get out & back (+ dogs are allowed of course!).

Lake Calavera. Carlsbad/Oceanside. 

I’ve talked about Calavera before because it’s my favorite mini hike in the area that I’ve done probably a dozen times so far this year. It’s 5 minutes from my house, so I zip over there at least once a week for some outdoor exercise with my dog. The park attracts a lot of mountain bikers because there are many awesome trails for biking. My favorite hiking trail is walking around the lake, hiking up the little mountain pictured above (where there are remnants of a volcano), and looping back around. It’s an hourlong circle of a hike – perfect for a quick jaunt in nature!

The Lizard Tail Trail, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. Laguna Beach.

I recently met up with Bari for a hike, and since she lives in Redondo Beach a few hours north, Laguna Beach was nice meet-up area for us. We decided to explore the 6-mile Lizard Tail Trail, which is a loop hike where a bit over 900 feet is gained in elevation throughout the hike.

The parking lot was almost full on the holiday Monday morning that we went, but I have a feeling that it may be a pretty popular hike normally too. The trail offers some nice views, but I’ve been more impressed with other trails in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park (Boat Canyon is my favorite thus far!).

The hike took us about 2 hours & 45 minutes to complete.

Three Bridges Oak Preserve. Atascadero (San Luis Obispo County, Central California).

I just got back from a long weekend getaway with my hubby up to Central California to the Paso Robles area. We had so much fun wine tasting in the area (will be sharing some of my favorite area wineries in a post soon!), but knowing we’d be doing a lot of wine drinking, I thought it’d be nice to switch it up with a hike one morning.

I scoped out Three Bridges Oak Preserve ahead of time. Unfortunately the trailhead was tough to find, so we spent some time one morning attempting to find it, and while we wound up getting to it after awhile, by then we’d decided that we were ready for some breakfast… so the next morning we went back for attempt #2 at the hike.

Tip to anyone trying to hike it: If you’re driving on Morro Road where sources like AllTrails says the trailhead is located, make sure to turn onto San Gabriel and follow signs for the trail. You’ll wind around some little backroads for a few minutes before arriving at the parking lot. 

Three Bridges Oak Preserve hike is almost 4 miles out and back with moderate difficulty. The trail has lots of trees and pretty low-key switchbacks to get to the top. It was the perfect hike to do before a long drive back to the San Diego area, and it’s a good one if you’re looking for a trail that can be done quickly but still gets your heart pumping.

Torrey Pines State Reserve. La Jolla, San Diego.

I recently met up with fellow blogger Laura for a hiking date at Torrey Pines before she moved back to Atlanta (wah!). I often forget about hiking at Torrey Pines because they don’t allow dogs and it gets pretty crowded & touristy, but it really is such a pretty area!

The beach views from up high are dreamy, and Torrey Pines has lots of different short route options. What I think is the neatest way to hike it is to park by the beach (or as close as you can get…), walk up the paved road to the trails at the top, and hike your way down to the beach. That way, you finish your hike with a walk on the beach & this view…

The cliffs and rock formations at Torrey Pines are really cool!

Elfin Forest. Escondido.

Recently I visited Elfin for the first time in months with my little family, and we went on a 2-hour morning hike.

I’ve talked about Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve before because it’s one of my favorite hikes in the area. It offers different trail options, isn’t usually crowded, and is a nice workout without being too exhausting.

Another big perk for me is that I can let my dog off leash during the week once we get higher up on the trails. She’s a nut, so it’s great to let her run around while we hike!

Cowles Mountain. San Diego.

Another friend hike date I went on in recent weeks was meeting up with my friend Anisha for a hike at Cowles Mountain. We brought along our dogs to get a workout in for them too.

It was the first time I’ve been to Cowles in years because it’s one of the most popular hikes in the San Diego area. We were there on a random weekday, and it was still super crowded! I get why it’s a popular spot: It’s a decent cardio workout while only being about 3 miles long, and it offers neat city views from the top. I tend to like my trails less populated though!

---

Getting out in nature to enjoy California weather & scenery while also getting a workout in & exercising my dog is one of my favorite ways to sweat. I’m looking forward to hiking more trails throughout the year!

Tell me… What workout have you done a lot lately?