Los Peñasquitos Canyon
San Diego (Peñasquitos Preserve) · near San Diego (Mira Mesa / Sorrento Valley) · San Diego
Trail Running
At a glance
- Difficulty
- easy
- Distance
- 7 miles
- Elevation gain
- 300 ft
- Best season
- Year-round · green & flowing after winter rain
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve — free. Trailheads at both the east (Sorrento Valley) and west (Black Mountain Rd) ends.
What is here
- Features
- Shaded creek-side canyon (rare SD shade!) · A small waterfall at the canyon's midpoint · Flat, fast, very runnable · Oak & sycamore riparian corridor
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Trail Running detail
- Surface
- fire-road
- Intl tip
- Access from the east (Sorrento Valley, near the I-805/I-5 merge) or west (Black Mountain Rd) trailheads — both free. The waterfall is roughly central. Combine with nearby Torrey Pines (hiking guide) for a coastal contrast on the same day.
The guide
Los Peñasquitos Canyon is San Diego's best easy trail run — a flat, shaded, creek-side corridor running 7 miles through the hea…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Los Peñasquitos Canyon — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 32.921, -117.19