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

Lake Calavera Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Oak Riparian Park

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

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

Buena Vista Park Loop Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Calavera Lake

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

Carlsbad Highlands Ecological Reserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Lake Calavera Hiking Trail

Lake Calavera Hiking Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Lake Calavera Trail Head

Lake Calavera Trail Head

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Calavera Nature Preserve

Calavera Nature Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Garrison Creek Nature Trail (Town Center Entrance)

Garrison Creek Nature Trail (Town Center Entrance)

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Hosp Grove Park

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)

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Garfield Street Trailhead

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Garfield Street Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Carlsbad Blvd Trailhead

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Carlsbad Blvd Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Double Peak Park

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

Ridgeline Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Lagoon Trail At Pelican Road

Lagoon Trail At Pelican Road

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation

Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation

Coastal wetland & nature reserve. Protected wetland habitat with on-site parking & wildlife-viewing opportunities.

Batiquos Lagoon

Batiquos Lagoon

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Batiquitos Lagoon North Bluff Trail Windrose Circle Trailhead

Batiquitos Lagoon North Bluff Trail Windrose Circle Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Batiquitos Lagoon North Bluff Trail Avenida Encinas Trailhead

Batiquitos Lagoon North Bluff Trail Avenida Encinas Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Cougar Pass Trailhead

Cougar Pass Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve

Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve

Spacious park for hiking & picnics. Large park featuring native plants, picnic areas & hiking, biking & equestrian trails.

Los Jilgueros Preserve

Los Jilgueros Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Del Dios Highlands County Preserve

Del Dios Highlands County Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Daley Ranch Park

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

Manchester Preserve Hiking Trails

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Monserate Mountain Preserve

Monserate Mountain Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

San Elijo Lagoon and Ecological Reserve

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

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

Gemma Parks Interpretive Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Harbaugh Seaside Trails

Harbaugh Seaside Trails

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Santa Margarita County Preserve

Santa Margarita County Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve

Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

San Dieguito River Park

San Dieguito River Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Miner's Ridge Loop Trail

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

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

Sea Cliff Coastal Bluff Trail in Del Mar

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Del Mar Mesa Preserve

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

Carmel Mountain Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Extension

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

Penasquitos Creek Waterfall

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

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

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

Wolf Creek Park

Scenic neighborhood green space. Recreation area with a sports field & playground, along with picnic shelters & mountain views.

Los Penasquitos Canyon Trailhead

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

Lake Miramar

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Vernal Pool Trailhead

Vernal Pool Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Temecula Creek Trail Park

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

Sylvan Meadows Trail Head

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve

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

Harveston Lake Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Dripping Springs Trailhead

Dripping Springs Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Discovery Park

Discovery Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Cole Canyon Trail

Cole Canyon Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Sky Canyon

Sky Canyon

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Warm Springs Park and Preserve

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

Lower Copper Canyon Park

Retreat for outdoor sports & picnics. Neighborhood recreational park offering a baseball field, basketball hoops & trails.

Tecolote Canyon Hiking Area

Tecolote Canyon Hiking Area

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Tenaja Falls

Tenaja Falls

Scenic rocky hiking trail to waterfall. National forest waterfall accessed via a trailhead with spring cascades teeming with birdlife.

Murrieta Barratt Park

Murrieta Barratt Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Glen Arbor Park

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

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

La Alba Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Shepherd Canyon

Shepherd Canyon

Visit this great place for kids and families!

French Valley Wildlife Area

French Valley Wildlife Area

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Oak Canyon Waterfall

Oak Canyon Waterfall

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mission Trails-Kwaay Paay Peak

Mission Trails-Kwaay Paay Peak

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mission Trails Regional Park

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

Big Rock Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park

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

Ruffin Canyon Open Space

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Greer Ranch Trailhead

Greer Ranch Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Cowles Mountain

Cowles Mountain

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Tecolote Canyon Trailhead

Tecolote Canyon Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Gardena Loop Trailhead

Gardena Loop Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Tecolote Canyon Natural Park and Nature Center

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

Cowles Mountain Trailhead

Hiking spot with panoramic views. Picturesque uphill hiking trail known for its panoramic views at the summit.

San Juan Loop Trailhead

San Juan Loop Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Rattlesnake Mountain Preserve

Rattlesnake Mountain Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mission Valley Preserve

Mission Valley Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Lake Murray

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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