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Mission Trails Regional Park - Oak Canyon Trail
Category: Active Life Hiking Hiking [Edit]
1 Father Junipero Serra TrSan Diego, CA 92119
(619) 668-3281
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
14 reviews for Mission Trails Regional Park - Oak Canyon Trail
14 reviews in English
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Review from bob j.
La Mesa, CA
2/16/2009 1 photo
Oak Canyon is my favorite trail in MTRP. Once you drop down into the canyon and the oaks, you can no longer see and almost not hear any of the city sounds. Makes you temporarily forget you live in a dense urban area.
You can go as far up the canyon you like, all the way to HWY 52 overpass.
Trails varies by season, and it is always nice when you are lucky enough to have lots of water flowing over the falls.
Afoot & Afield San Diego County By Jerry Schad
http://books.google.co...
Chapter 12 is MTRP, page 122-138 covers 13 trails
Oak Canyon is Trip 9 -
Review from Dustin G.
El Cajon, CA
7/30/2011 5 photos
Mission Trails Park is very nice. It is easy to find and has restrooms at the bottom of the trail. The restrooms are pretty dirty but what would you expect. The trail is very clean besides the dog poop along the trails. There were a lot of peopled hiking when I went but the trail was wide enough so it doesn't obstruct your hike.
This is about a 3 mile hike up and down. Not very hard but plenty long for a good afternoon hike or early morning stroll. It is dog friendly which is nice if you have a hyper dog that needs to run and go on long walks. Bring plenty of water because it is hot in the summer time. But the state of California is beautiful so please do not destroy it. Keep our parks and recreation areas clean. -
Review from Jessica M.
Seattle, WA
1/9/2011
The entire park is a great place to run/bike with a dedicated lane on a divided one-way road around the park.
Be sure to stop by the visitor's center and get a map for the trails on the way into the park. We talked to the volunteers and they recommended this trail because it is especially great for the winter season. This is a scenic trail beside flowing streams and leads to a beautiful waterfall area. It was quite muddy in December and at times treacherous at the crossings of the streams. Because of those technical aspects, I would not recommend this trail to families with children. The entire hike took about 2 1/2 hours with a short stop for water and snacks.
Parking is difficult to find in the parking lot at the dam; we found parking along the road pretty close by. There are convenient bathroom facilities (portable toilets) at the trailhead.Listed in: To Do in San Diego (in the…
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Review from Joe S.
Alpine, CA
4/21/2010 1 photo
This is the perfect place to have some fun with your friends.
Pick a night in the early fall when you can see a bed of steam hovering below the knee as the air cools over the warm water. Make sure you bring a back-pack with the following contents;
1 roll of 2" X 60 yard Duct Tape
4 Bungee cords
1 4oz Bottle of Astroglide
1 Hockey mask
1 Pair of rubber gloves
1 VHS video of Richard Simmons "Sweatin' to the oldies Vol. 3"
1 small towel (make sure the towel is at the bottom of the pack)
You will have to park outside the gates, but it's ok, use the walk down into the Dam area to build comfort, as you chat about this or that. No heavy topics, keep the subjects light.
As you make your way down to the waters edge, comment here and there about how creepy the place is, but keep the comments short and simple as you speak of other things. When you think you're far enough in, hand the pack off, saying that you have to take a leak (social rules dictate that 99% of the time they take the pack without question). As you pretend to do your business, make a few more comments back to your intended, spending at least a good 45 seconds on this part of the task.
As you make your way back to your friend, ask them to fish the towel out of the pack for you. You can make up some crap about touching something icky. As they riffle through the items in the pack their subconscious will start drawing conclusions between the various objects in the pack, but it will still take a few minutes for it to bubble up to cognition that something is a little weird. I know it seems obvious, but in practice it plays out a little different than you would imagine.
Pretend to use the towel, then stretch and take a deep breath. Make sure you are facing away from your target at about a 90 degree angle.
Then hold up your right index finger and focus on it. Begin to speak, and speak with intent in your voice, let it drop to a low but intelligible growl. Speak of being denied everything you have ever wanted, and about people always being in your way. Start talking about everyone who has screwed you over, and make sure you raise your voice for a word here and there. And remember to keep focusing on that finger, focus on it as if it was the embodiment of everything you hate in the world. Then change the rant to something about the plight of the Ring tailed lemurs, and how it is a fraud because Lemurs are known to be spawn of the flesh of Lucifer..
You get the general idea.... Your rant may take some creativity, and time if you can't do it on the fly. But make sure you end the rant by screaming as loud as you can, one phrase. Doesn't matter what it is, just make it random.
SQUIRREL PUSSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And make sure you are still focusing as hard as you can on your finger.
This really freaks people out....
This is also a cool spot to have lunch -
Review from ruggy j.
1/19/2009 1 photo
As of late, I've been ALL about hiking. It's the new year... and new invigoration has taken over my bod. I'm hoping to smash the shits out of bikini season come May or June, so hiking is part of my workout routine.
I don't know if it's just me, but because I've lived in San Diego my entire life, I rarely hit up the super "touristy" spots. I don't ever visit the San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park or Sea World... that's where tourists go. Sometimes, I think that same mentality seeps into my desire to trek along some of our cities best nature trails from time-to-time... and I'm trying to reverse that mentality.
Mission Trails Regional Park is one of those spots, and I feel like I've cheated myself for 26 years not strolling through this beautiful stretch of land.
It's really got everything. If you're looking for a leisurely stroll, there are trails to fit your needs. If you're looking for a sweet burn, however, the Fortuna trail will kick your ass. I did that jaunt today, and shit, son... it was rough! It's just a tad smaller than Cowles Mountain, but it's steep as hell! I almost felt like Spiderman scaling up the side of a wall. It's easily the most vertical hill I've walked up. For those that say walking is for vah-gines, think again. They probably haven't walked up Fortuna.
In addition to the ass-melter of a hill, there are fantastic views of the entire city, rivaling those of Cowles Mountain. It's not quite a 360-degree view, but it's damn close. Nothing beats the spectacular reward of seeing the city from that vantage point after sweating yer tail off, huffing up the mountain.
It's not the quickest of hikes, so make sure you've got a good 2-3 hours to kill. If you're looking for a quick walk on your lunch break from cubicle hell, this is a terrible choice. If you're interested in spending a few hours in the beautiful surroundings of Santee, put this hill on your radar. -
Review from Joel S.
2/18/2010
Great hike. they say it's a 3/5 in difficulty, , well, maybe if you're severely out of shape. It's an easy stroll, most of the way listening to the babbling water. Therapeutic in a good way.
water fall? well. um, yeah. It's a few rocks with water flowing over. Don't get too excited, though it is quite awesome for its proximity to the city and what it is..hike all the way from the San Diego River bridge to the 52. You won't regret it. Good times.Listed in: SoCal Outdoors
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Review from Manny T.
Pittsburgh, PA
3/3/2009
I was looking for a place to take photos for my photography course. I wasn't sure which trail to take so I just decided to go to the old mission dam. I was very happy that I did. This was actually my first time at MTRP.
I do have to say I didn't take the entire Oak Canyon Trail. I took the Oak Canyon Trail from the nearby parking lot, hiked towards the Grassland then took the Spring Canyon Trail to head back to to the main road. Then I hiked back to my car.
I did love the change in scenery. I hiked along the river, through the canyon, through the plant life and trees, then up the hills, then through the grassland. The trail was relatively flat until you got to the steps going up towards the Grasslands but after that it was a very easy trail even for my fat ass.
Oak Canyon Trail is a good place to start for first timers. Definitely was a nice place for photography too. For the first time, I actually completed my photography assignment. I can't wait to see this place during the spring. Oh yeah, watch out for bees. I took some pictures nearby a bee hive. I thought all the buzzing were flies. They totally were not flies.
Now to find another trail worthy of photography. -
Review from Cristina B.
San Diego, CA
3/20/2010
I am a complete beginner when it comes to hiking, and as such my buddy took me to Mission Trails today and we tried this trail. I found it to be perfect for someone new to hiking and moderately out of shape but looking to change that; like me. Lots of pretty views, some passers-by since we went about 930 am and I was thrilled that everyone we passed greeted us!
I managed to find a parking spot in the lot near the dam, but the spots there are very limited and most people park along the street. Beautiful views, a nice workout for me and since my hiking buddy wore a heavy pack, a decent one for him also. Don't wear sneakers like I did though, the dirt and mud cake into the grooves quickly leaving you to slip and slide a little climbing over the rocks. -
Review from Jennifer A.
San Diego, CA
5/8/2008
What I really enjoyed about this trail was that for the most part you felt like you were in "nature"
Following the streams of the San Diego River, I saw plenty of different types of flowers, plants, and birds. The hike itself is pretty mild so you can just relax and take in the fresh air.Listed in: Why Don't You Just Go Take A…
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Review from Jason M.
San Diego, CA
1/22/2011
This is a fairly easy hike that let's you leave the city behind. You can hike out pretty far if you are inclined or you can try to search for the waterfall that happens every so often. During the summer this trail can get hot so bring adequate water. Have a map too, you can get them at the visitor center
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Review from Sami S.
5/18/2009
YAHOO!! I have been trying to motivate and drop these rascally extra poundage I've accumulated over the past year and now I've hopefully found my mecca. I love this park! We parked at the dam and brought the pooch for a 3pm hike today and had no idea what we were in for. From the dam we followed the Oak Canyon trail in and out for about 2 hours until we found our way back to the parking lot. It was gorgeous and there were so many other options as far as trails I cannot wait to go back. I can't imagine how pretty this place is when the water is more plentiful. In the past week I've gone here and to Penasquitos and this place is WAY better than Rancho.
I can't wait to go back!!! -
Review from Christie D.
Santee, CA
2/20/2009
I completely agree with the other posters..this is by far the best trail in Mission Trails. I used to hike here all the time on the weekend, and only recently re-discovered this gem located practically in my backyard. I would avoid going on weekends though, as this is the most popular trail in the park, and when its busy, it can get quite congested on those slim trails by the water... but all in all a kick-ass workout, especially since you can tailor it to your level by splitting off on the Grasslands trail which is pretty mild, or Fortuna, which is a very steep hill. The views at the top are so worth it!
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Review from Alley S.
Philadelphia, PA
7/6/2010
I love this place for trail running.
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Review from jen n.
El Cajon, CA
2/18/2010
This is a great hike. Wonderful for those days you feel like getting out but not doing anything too crazy. There is water along most of the trail, which is nice. Sometimes after it rains the trail gets a little harder because there is water over some of it, but usually people build bridges out of rocks and its not too bad. Its nice because there are multiple trails intertwined with it so if you feel like doing something extra or taking a different way back you can, but it is easy to follow to just get to the "end" and back. Definitely great for anyone, and fun to explore.
