San Diego is one of the most beautiful places in United States with high rolling mountains, natural lakes, breathe taking beaches, and state parks, you really can’t go wrong.  If you’re looking to get outdoors and explore all San Diego has to offer, we’ve provided the best places to go hiking throughout the county.  So lace up your hiking boots, and get ready for an adventure.

There are more gems than the following mentions, but the beauty of discovery lies in the wander of the search. Put your nose into the pine scented California air, and see what beauties lie waiting for you to discover.

1. Mission Park. An old bombing military range, Mission Park is a favorite in the area. The park is divided by Mission Gorge Road, separating the north side of the park, from the south. Covering 5,800 acres, the northern side spans from the Santee in the East, all the way into San Diego.The park features such attractions as the historic Old Mission Dam and the Visitor Center. The other side of the park features Crowls Mountain. It’s a challenging hike, but the radio antennas like the view. As one of the highest peaks in the San Diego area, the great reception feeds a hill of antennas. If you are looking for a view without the TV station landscaping, check out North Fortuna Mountain. It’s the highest peak in the San Diego city limits. You’re up so high you can even spot Anza Borrego Desert to the East, as well as the beaches in the West. There’s even a good view of downtown San Diego.
2. Black Mountain Open Space Park. Located in the city limits of San Diego, Black Mountain Open Space Park features beautiful sage covered hills, canyons and ridgelines. Covering over 2,300 acres, the park’s heart lies at Black Mountain’s impressive 360-degree views of the area. A clear blue sky will give you a good look at the ocean to the west, mountain ranges in the east and the north, and urban views of downtown San Diego to the South. It’s amazing such natural wonders exist right at the feet of a city like San Diego.
3. Anza Borrego State Park. If you’re looking to experience real wilderness, Anza Borrego offers adventure as the largest state park in California and the second largest in the nation. Experience 6,000 acres of wild and amazing nature with 110 miles of hiking trails. Just two hours from San Diego, this state park beauty is a hidden world to itself. Take a few days and hide away in the woods. You’ll forget urban craziness ever existed. These are woods that wash the stress free from your bones like a river meandering down the mountain soil.
4. Torrey Pines. For a beautiful tour of coastal scenery down trails that won’t bury your heart in the pit of your gut, Torrey Pines features eight miles of trails, much of it within view of the ocean, including several cliff side views. Located next to the world famous Torrey Pines Golf Course, this park is close enough to the city yet a perfect way to sniff nature for a break from urban sprawl. You can even catch a game of golf after you’ve sunk your head in a hike that wraps around the coastline in the heart of it all.

San Diego may be an urban center, but parkland was spared early enough to save the wilderness from being choked by the sprawl. There are plenty of hidden trails and wonderful opportunities to lose yourself in trees and nature where the only thing talking is the daydreaming of the breeze. Take a chance to get away from it all with hiking opportunities that are just a hop and a hiking stick away. You’re never far from nature when the city sits in the feet of a mountain park forest, beckoning adventure with its subtle, soft call.