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Tags:
Level: Beginner
Length: 10 mi (16.1 km)
Surface: Singletrack
Configuration: Network
Elevation: +1,007/ -1,015 ft
Total: 153 riders
Mountain Biking Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve
#101 of 1,004 mountain bike trails in California
Excellent trails.
First added by TrailAPI on Jun 8, 2013. Last updated May 11, 2020. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: unknown
- Lift service: unknown
- Night riding: unknown
- Pump track: unknown
- Restrooms: unknown
- Fat bike grooming: unknown
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
Take Interstate 15 to Mercy Road exit. Go west on Mercy, right on Black Mountain Road, and left at the first light. Follow the entry road to the Ranch House parking area.
System trails (1)
Great for EASY. Good place to bring family. A little rain rutted right now but still great to bring them. Fields, Trees, few hills, bridges. Large area to explore
| ThankOnly down side, not a lot of bathrooms. You will want to start at east end.
South side is pebble and rideable sand, but not for kids
Really nice trail from the trailhead to the waterfall - only a couple of hills and lots of smooth or wide areas - some steep singletracks going off to the north side if you want more of a challenge. There are a few narrow areas and lots of hikers headed to the falls, so bring a bell. Families with small kids could do most of this, but would probably need to walk parts. We have a family with 11 & 14 year olds and did fine - kids had to walk a few spots and we had to stop for narrow areas with other bikers or hikers, but overall a really pleasant day without being too strenuous. The scenery and trail changes a lot. About 2.5 miles to the waterfall, but you can go further or explore the side trails.
| ThankGood trail for cardio shitty trail for thrills
| Thankthe good riding is good. good luck finding it. (this applies to most of SD tho).
| Thankthere's lots of doubletrack boring dirt/fireroads being passed off as trail, and there's zero signage or maps for the actual singletrack MTB trails. but explore the area north of the main trail, by the powerlines and there's some fun to be had. bring water and leave yourself time to get lost
There are some really fun trails at this preserve just minutes from the beach. A little bit of everything, from technical singletrack climbs to fire road big ring cruisers, and fun flowy sections to boot. Typically done as an out and back from either the East side via Canyonside Park or West side via Los Penasquitos trailhead, you can ride 10-20 miles depending on your abilities.
| Thankthis trail is a fun trail for beginner mountain bike riders. Mostly flat and just a fun trail overall
| ThankFun practice trail. Heavy traffic. Nothing with too much physical exertion.
| ThankIts a nice ride no matter the skill level. Good for beginners. There's nothing real challenging.but still a good workout. I havent explored the entire system yet.
| ThankTunnel 4 is my favorite ride in San Diego. The trails that run east west are boring of course but lots of good trails that branch off to the north
| ThankNot very well-marked and lots of trails closed to bikers. I went during a national holiday weekend, so I won't comment on the number of hikers, but can only assume it is heavily trafficked year round. There are, however, some cool side trails. You may want to take a map with you.
| ThankFor my first time out this trail was really fun. I borrowed one of the hardtails that my old man had stashed in the garage and off we went. We cruised around for a bit dealt with some uphill and then it came to the fun part. There are lots of downhill areas in the park. Some are wide open service roads and then there is the hairy technical stuff diving straight down into the canyon. Overall great ride.
| ThankFor my first time out this trail was really fun. I borrowed one of the hardtails that my old man had stashed in the garage and off we went. We cruised around for a bit dealt with some uphill and then it came to the fun part. There are lots of downhill areas in the park. Some are wide open service roads and then there is the hairy technical stuff diving straight down into the canyon. Overall great ride.
| ThankFor my first time out this trail was really fun. I borrowed one of the hardtails that my old man had stashed in the garage and off we went. We cruised around for a bit dealt with some uphill and then it came to the fun part. There are lots of downhill areas in the park. Some are wide open service roads and then there is the hairy technical stuff diving straight down into the canyon. Overall great ride.
| ThankGood ride in each direction. Stout uphill climb rewarded with good views and sweeping descent.
| ThankTwo parallel trails that are basically rocky dirt roads along a creek bottom for the most part. There are several well marked crossings along the way. There are also many singletracks feeding off the main route that are a delight.
| ThankGreat ride if you consider there are thousand upon thousand of commuters just a mile away from west trailhead on I-5. Cougar warining signs posted. I saw deer, coyotes and several fighter jets over head from nearby Miramar Air Base.
Trail head is on Sorrento Valley Blvd. about a mile from I-5 not the Map It location shown.
I love this place. There are a number of shoot-off single track trails that most riders are unaware of. This canyon can be linked to Torrey Pines, Black Mountain, Tunnels, or the Lusardi Loop. Visit mtbnomad.com if anyone is interested in a guided ride...
| ThankGood climbs. Very fun singletracks.
| Thank