Elfin Forest & Del Dios Highlands
Harmony Grove, Escondido / San Marcos · near Escondido / San Marcos · San Diego
Mountain Biking
At a glance
- Skill level
- advanced
- Trail miles
- ~14 mi network (with Del Dios Highlands)
- Elevation
- Big — ~1,500+ft gain; steep technical climbs and descents with switchbacks, rock, ruts and small drops
- Best season
- October–May · South-facing and genuinely dangerous in summer heat
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Mountain Biking detail
- Ride types
- all-mountain · enduro
- Signature trails
- The Way Up · Equine Incline / Del Dios · Escondido Overlook
- Ebike
- No
- Ebike note
- Olivenhain Municipal Water District reserve with motor restrictions — e-bikes likely NOT permitted; confirm with the reserve before riding.
- Intl tip
- Note the closing time before you start The Way Up — the gate is enforced, and there's no shade or water if you're stuck out late.
The guide
Home to 'The Way Up,' the region's most famous grunt-climb and a rite of passage for North County riders, rewarded with a Lake …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Elfin Forest & Del Dios Highlands — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.0847, -117.1198