Lake Ramona
Lake Ramona is a pretty little lake accessed via a 2.4 mile trail within the 700-acre Blue Sky Ecological Preserve in the city of Poway.
Links: Blue Sky Ecological Preserve
Hiking
Palm Canyon
Palm Canyon, located on Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians land, near Palm Springs, offers beautiful hikes, horseback riding, and picnicking among a huge stand of California Fan Palms.
Links: Indian Canyons
Interpretive Center at Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve
The Interpretive Center is an off-grid net-zero energy building designed by Hubbell & Hubbell Architects that is staffed by volunteer docents who provide a wealth of information concerning hiking, mountain biking, and other recreational opportunities within the 784-acre Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve. Opened in 2008, the Center is a cooperative effort between The Escondido Creek Conservancy and the Olivenhain Municipal Water District.
Links: Escondido Creek Conservancy Olivenhain Municipal Water District
Torrey Pines Ocean View
A great place to hike is Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve (San Diego county) which boasts beautiful ocean views and one of the nation’s rarest pine trees, the Torrey pine, which is only found in this area and on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of Santa Barbara. This view is looking north toward Los Penasquitos Lagoon and Hwy 101.
Desert Rainbow
Rainbows are always special! This one graced us with its presence while camped at Borrego Palm Canyon campground in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This campground makes a great base camp for exploring the park and Borrego Springs.
Links: Campground info
Arch Rock
Arch Rock is a 25-foot natural arch located in Joshua Tree National Park. It is accessed from the Arch Rock Nature Trail (less than 1/2 mile loop) which begins by campsite #9 in White Tank Campground off the Pinto Basin Road. You’ll see many other examples of sculpted granite along the way.
Links: Joshua Tree Nature Trails
Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Falls, in Yosemite National Park, is made up of three falls including Upper Yosemite Fall (1,430 feet), the middle cascades (675 feet) and Lower Yosemite Fall (320 feet), for a total height of 2,425 feet, making the combination one of the world’s tallest. The Falls can be seen from many places in Yosemite Valley and an all day hike leads to the top of the falls. Yosemite Conservancy offers webcam views on their website.
Links: Yosemite Waterfalls Webcam
Point Loma Coastal Tidepool Trail
Point Loma was the landing site for the first European expedition to come ashore in present-day California. The tidal pools are located within Cabrillo National Monument, which boasts a nice visitor center, lighthouse, hiking trails, and fantastic views of San Diego and the Pacific Ocean.
Links: Cabrillo National Monument
Explore California 