Lake Hodges & the Del Dios Gorge
Escondido / Rancho Santa Fe · near Escondido / Rancho Santa Fe · San Diego
Trail Running
At a glance
- Difficulty
- easy
- Distance
- 9 miles
- Elevation gain
- 500 ft
- Best season
- Year-round · wildflowers & green in spring
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. San Dieguito River Park — free. Part of the Coast to Crest Trail; trailheads at the dam and Del Dios.
What is here
- Features
- Lakeside & gorge running on the Coast to Crest Trail · The Lake Hodges suspension bridge · Gentle, flowing, very runnable · Spring wildflowers & birdlife
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Trail Running detail
- Surface
- fire-road
- Intl tip
- Access from the dam (west), Del Dios (via Rancho Santa Fe), or the North Shore near Escondido. The suspension bridge is a highlight — check for seasonal closures. Combine with a wine-and-food stop in Rancho Santa Fe or the wineries near Escondido. Good year-round thanks to the gentle grades.
The guide
The Lake Hodges trails offer some of San Diego's most relaxed and runnable miles — gentle, flowing paths along a reservoir and …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Lake Hodges & the Del Dios Gorge — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.064, -117.118