Kid-Friendly Hiking Trails & Nature Walks
Explore the best kid-friendly hiking trails & nature walks options for kids and families in San Marcos
Double Peak Park
Hiking trails with panoramic vistas. Rugged, 200-acre park featuring a play area & hiking trails that lead to a summit with ocean views.
Ridgeline Trailhead
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve
Spacious park for hiking & picnics. Large park featuring native plants, picnic areas & hiking, biking & equestrian trails.
Buena Vista Park Loop Trailhead
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Buena Vista Park
A duck pond, ball fields & hiking too. Large park offering a tranquil duck pond, ball fields, a hiking trail & other features.
Del Dios Highlands County Preserve
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Lake Calavera Preserve
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Oak Riparian Park
Playground with a field & picnic spots. Scenic neighborhood green space next to trails with a playground, grassy field & picnic areas.
Carlsbad Highlands Ecological Reserve
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Calavera Lake
Scenic hiking area on a dormant volcano. A warren of trails on a dormant volcano draws hikers & cyclists to this serene locale with a view.
Lake Calavera Hiking Trail
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Lake Calavera Trail Head
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Cougar Pass Trailhead
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Calavera Nature Preserve
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Lagoon Trail At Pelican Road
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Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)
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Daley Ranch Park
Nature reserve with hiking trails. Conservation area featuring 20+ miles of trails for hiking, biking & horseback riding, plus views.
Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation
Coastal wetland & nature reserve. Protected wetland habitat with on-site parking & wildlife-viewing opportunities.
Batiquos Lagoon
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Batiquitos Lagoon North Bluff Trail Windrose Circle Trailhead
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Batiquitos Lagoon North Bluff Trail Avenida Encinas Trailhead
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Manchester Preserve Hiking Trails
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San Elijo Lagoon and Ecological Reserve
Wildlife-watching & visitor center. Nature reserve with 7 miles of trails plus a visitor center with exhibits overlooking the lagoon.
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Garfield Street Trailhead
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Hosp Grove Park
Unpaved nature trail with ocean views. Winding through a eucalyptus tree grove, this trail with elevations of 100 feet offers ocean vistas.
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Carlsbad Blvd Trailhead
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Garrison Creek Nature Trail (Town Center Entrance)
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Annie's Canyon Trail
Hiking area in an ecological reserve. Rugged wilderness hiking paths in an ecological reserve with sweeping ocean & lagoon views.
Miner's Ridge Loop Trail
Hiking & biking trail on Black Mountain. This hiking & biking trail ascends the mountain in Black Mountain Open Space Park.
Gemma Parks Interpretive Trail
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Harbaugh Seaside Trails
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San Dieguito River Park
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Del Mar Mesa Preserve
Multiuse trails & stunning canyon views. 900-acre preserve offering hiking & mountain biking trails, seasonal wetlands & scenic canyon views.
Crest Canyon Open Space Park
Scenic open space with a hiking trail. This tract of chaparral features hills, canyons & a day-use-only trail loop for hikers.
Carmel Mountain Preserve
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Los Penasquitos Canyon County Preserve
Trails through canyons, forests, streams. Preserve (name means "little cliffs") with trails across 3,500+ acres of Peñasquitos & Lopez canyons.
Sea Cliff Coastal Bluff Trail in Del Mar
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Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Extension
State park with rare trees & trails. Beachside park features sandstone bluffs, a visitor's center, rare pine trees & nature trails.
Penasquitos Creek Waterfall
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Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Trails, beaches, lagoons & wildlife. Acres of oceanside trails for exploring or exercising while spotting occasional dolphins or bobcats.
Los Jilgueros Preserve
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Lake Miramar
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Los Penasquitos Canyon Trailhead
Canyon preserve trailhead with parking. Starting point for moderate hiking & biking trail across rugged canyon landscape with a parking lot.
Monserate Mountain Preserve
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Santa Margarita County Preserve
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Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve
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Tecolote Canyon Hiking Area
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Oak Canyon Waterfall
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West Shepherd Canyon
Wildlife & scenic views in the suburbs. Vast canyon with trails for biking, jogging or just viewing greenery & wildlife by Dishwater Pond.
Shepherd Canyon
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Mission Trails-Kwaay Paay Peak
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Mission Trails Regional Park
Expansive recreational area with trails. 8,000-acre recreational park featuring 60 miles of trails, along with a lake for boating & camping.
Wolf Creek Park
Scenic neighborhood green space. Recreation area with a sports field & playground, along with picnic shelters & mountain views.
Big Rock Trailhead
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Cowles Mountain
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Ruffin Canyon Open Space
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Cowles Mountain Trailhead
Hiking spot with panoramic views. Picturesque uphill hiking trail known for its panoramic views at the summit.
Rattlesnake Mountain Preserve
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Temecula Creek Trail Park
Natural area with playground & paths. Children's play area along with pathways, lawns, picnic tables & an exercise route.
Tecolote Canyon Trailhead
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Gardena Loop Trailhead
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Tecolote Canyon Natural Park and Nature Center
Coastal park with a visitors center. This park running along the coast & up to the mouth of Tecolote Canyon includes a visitors center.
Lake Murray
Fishing, boating & a waterside path. Small boat rentals, fishing & many picnic areas, plus a walking & biking path along the reservoir.
Dripping Springs Trailhead
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Lake Murray Trail Head
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Mission Valley Preserve
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Vernal Pool Trailhead
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Pennsylvania Canyon
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Cabrillo Canyon
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