San Diego’s Hidden Gem – Annie’s Canyon Trail
Hiking local trails is something that we look forward to every weekend! Staying in San Diego, we are lucky to have a lot of hiking trails around us. One of our favorite short trail in San Diego County is Annie’s Canyon Trail.
Annie’s Canyon Trail is very unique as it takes you through a narrow slot canyon route to a scenic overlook point. In addition, once you reach the overlook point, you are welcomed by the panoramic views of the Pacific ocean.
We have been to this trail quite a few times with our friends and family. This short hike not only helps to burn some calories but also brings a big smile on our faces.
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Distance = 1.5 miles
Route Type = Loop
Elevation Gain = 196 ft
Difficulty Level = Easy
Time = 45 min - 1 hour
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The location for the trailhead for “Annie’s Canyon trailhead” can be found here.
You can park your vehicle on the street N.Rios Avenue and the trail begins with a few downward steps towards the lagoon.
Annie’s Canyon Trail is part of San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy. It is a short but really fun hike with narrow twists and turns in the canyon slots. The trail is well marked with signposts. Once you hike 0.6 miles from the trailhead, you will arrive at a junction where the trail splits. Once you reach the junction, turn right to continue towards the Canyon trail.
Next, you will see the Annie’s Canyon Trail signboard showing the different routes one can take to the viewpoint. We highly recommend the one-way loop to the viewpoint as it takes you through the winding path of the canyon. The loop is 0.25 miles only. Although it has been marked as Strenuous, it is a very short distance and doable by most of the age groups.
After hiking up the slot canyon, you will reach the overlook point. On a clear and sunny day, the panoramic spectacle that one can see is stunning and very pleasing.
We recommend spending some time here before you head down the hill via a couple of switchbacks, back to the loop signboard.
Enjoy some of our clicks of this beautiful trail and a video of the hike through the slot canyon!
Annie’s Canyon Trail can be done at any time of the day. Firstly it is a short hike and secondly, a gentle ocean/lagoon breeze flows through this area most of the time. We hope y’all will also enjoy the hike as much as we do.
Always remember to carry the trash out. Therefore keeping the trail enjoyable for everyone.
We hope you enjoy this trail as much as we did. Thank you for reading, and follow our adventures on Instagram soulsoncloudnine
