Kid-Friendly Hiking Trails & Nature Walks
Explore the best kid-friendly hiking trails & nature walks options for kids and families in Vista
Lake Calavera Preserve
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Oak Riparian Park
Playground with a field & picnic spots. Scenic neighborhood green space next to trails with a playground, grassy field & picnic areas.
Buena Vista Park
A duck pond, ball fields & hiking too. Large park offering a tranquil duck pond, ball fields, a hiking trail & other features.
Buena Vista Park Loop Trailhead
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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.
Carlsbad Highlands Ecological Reserve
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Lake Calavera Hiking Trail
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Lake Calavera Trail Head
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Calavera Nature Preserve
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Garrison Creek Nature Trail (Town Center Entrance)
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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 Foundation (Discovery Center)
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Garfield Street Trailhead
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Agua Hedionda Lagoon Carlsbad Blvd Trailhead
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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
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Lagoon Trail At Pelican Road
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Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation
Coastal wetland & nature reserve. Protected wetland habitat with on-site parking & wildlife-viewing opportunities.
Batiquos Lagoon
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Batiquitos Lagoon North Bluff Trail Windrose Circle Trailhead
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Batiquitos Lagoon North Bluff Trail Avenida Encinas Trailhead
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Cougar Pass Trailhead
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Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve
Spacious park for hiking & picnics. Large park featuring native plants, picnic areas & hiking, biking & equestrian trails.
Los Jilgueros Preserve
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Del Dios Highlands County Preserve
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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.
Manchester Preserve Hiking Trails
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Monserate Mountain Preserve
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Annie's Canyon Trail
Hiking area in an ecological reserve. Rugged wilderness hiking paths in an ecological reserve with sweeping ocean & lagoon views.
Gemma Parks Interpretive Trail
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Harbaugh Seaside Trails
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Santa Margarita County Preserve
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Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve
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San Dieguito River Park
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Miner's Ridge Loop Trail
Hiking & biking trail on Black Mountain. This hiking & biking trail ascends the mountain in Black Mountain Open Space Park.
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.
Sea Cliff Coastal Bluff Trail in Del Mar
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Del Mar Mesa Preserve
Multiuse trails & stunning canyon views. 900-acre preserve offering hiking & mountain biking trails, seasonal wetlands & scenic canyon views.
Carmel Mountain Preserve
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Trails, beaches, lagoons & wildlife. Acres of oceanside trails for exploring or exercising while spotting occasional dolphins or bobcats.
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.
Wolf Creek Park
Scenic neighborhood green space. Recreation area with a sports field & playground, along with picnic shelters & mountain views.
Los Penasquitos Canyon Trailhead
Canyon preserve trailhead with parking. Starting point for moderate hiking & biking trail across rugged canyon landscape with a parking lot.
Lake Miramar
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Vernal Pool Trailhead
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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.
Sylvan Meadows Trail Head
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve
Rugged hiking site & a visitor center. 9,000-acre nature conservation with varying terrain & habitats, open trails & a visitor center.
Harveston Lake Park
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Dripping Springs Trailhead
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Discovery Park
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Cole Canyon Trail
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Sky Canyon
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Warm Springs Park and Preserve
City park with trails & horseshoe pits. Public park with walking & biking trails, picnic tables, mature trees & horseshoe pits.
Lower Copper Canyon Park
Retreat for outdoor sports & picnics. Neighborhood recreational park offering a baseball field, basketball hoops & trails.
Tecolote Canyon Hiking Area
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Tenaja Falls
Scenic rocky hiking trail to waterfall. National forest waterfall accessed via a trailhead with spring cascades teeming with birdlife.
Murrieta Barratt Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Glen Arbor Park
Busy park with off-leash dog areas. Tree-filled, grassy park & popular local haunt for dogs to run around off-leash.
West Shepherd Canyon
Wildlife & scenic views in the suburbs. Vast canyon with trails for biking, jogging or just viewing greenery & wildlife by Dishwater Pond.
La Alba Trail
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Shepherd Canyon
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French Valley Wildlife Area
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Oak Canyon Waterfall
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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.
Big Rock Trailhead
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park
Large preserve with camping & wildlife. Huge, 8,000-acre park preserve with camping, wildlife sightings, nature walks, trails & more.
Ruffin Canyon Open Space
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Greer Ranch Trailhead
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Cowles Mountain
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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.
Cowles Mountain Trailhead
Hiking spot with panoramic views. Picturesque uphill hiking trail known for its panoramic views at the summit.
San Juan Loop Trailhead
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Rattlesnake Mountain Preserve
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Mission Valley Preserve
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Lake Murray
Fishing, boating & a waterside path. Small boat rentals, fishing & many picnic areas, plus a walking & biking path along the reservoir.
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