Training locations in San Diego

Local training spots

We have included here some places that members train at, in the local area. Often club training runs are held at these locations. The standard running route is described although variations are possible to fit your particular desires and time constraints. If you have other locations that you recommend, then please write up the route for the club newsletter (contact Norm via email) or send an email to Shawn McDonald at smmcoach@hotmail.com.

Note: As of Sept. 2004, trails closures due to the Oct. 2003 wildfires are in effect at portions of Cuyamaca State Park. These trails may reopen next year in the spring (2005) after the rainy season concludes. Please obey all posted signs as to trail closures. The Noble Canyon trail and Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) are fully open.

Iron Mountain - Hiking trails with hilly terrain, some rocky areas. Mostly dry footing. Lots of switchbacks on the climbs. Good winter place to train, hot in the summer, and busy weekend mornings on trail to the summit of Iron Mtn. (elev. 2696). A loop course goes past Flat Rock (mile 1) once you go left at the first turn from the parking area (turn at 0.5 mi), then up and over 2 shoulders and a saddle (mile 2.5), then down and back up to a notch, head straight here uphill 1.5 miles to the summit. Enjoy great views on top, head back down, turn left at junction, go 0.8 miles, turn right onto fire road, go around the ponds (left of first, right of 2nd), hit original junction, turn left and go 0.5 miles back to cars. A route of about 9.3 miles with about 1650 ft. of climb. To get to the trailhead, go N on I-15 to Scripps Poway Parkway exit, curve right off exit onto Scripps Parkway., go east for about 7 miles to Rt. 67, turn left onto 67, go 1.3 miles to parking on right at Ellie Lane, which is 1/4 mile past the Rt 67 junction.

Penasquitos Canyon - The canyon has fire roads and hiking trails in it. To reach the trail head, go N on I-805, exit at Mira Mesa Blvd., go straight thru light, heading N, for 0.5 miles to Sorrento Valley Blvd., turn right, go 0.4 mile, park in paved to the right of the road. There is a portapotty at the far side of the parking lot, near where the trail starts. The canyon is about 6.0 miles to the east end, with a fire road staying on the south side of the creek in the canyon. There are trails on the north side of the creek. One can also park at the east end of the canyon, at Canyonside Community Park off of Black Mtn. Rd. , exit I-15 at Mercy Rd., head west on Mercy Rd. 0.5 miles, turn right on Black Mtn. Rd, then left 0.2 miles later, into the park. The trail heads west from near the end of the ball fields, and is flat the first 2 miles, then rolling from there to the eastern end near Sorrento Valley Blvd.

Torrey Pines State Park - There are great single track trails at this park, footing can get slick if it rains. The trails are sandy/clay, with few rocky areas, and hilly. Numerous short loops are possible. Most of the way you can see the ocean and tall pine trees. One popular loop is to run down to the beach on the Broken Hill trail, then head N along the beach for about a mile, to come out on the road (N. Torrey Pines Rd.), then back uphill on the park road. To reach the park, take I-5 N to Carmel Valley Rd., head west on this road (left), about 2 miles to Hwy 101, turn left and go about 1 mile to parking on the right near the beach.

Palomar Mountain - This run is a tough one, heading up a fire road from the base of the mountain, to near the top. The grade is moderate. Good practice with hill climbing and powerwalking. The top elevation is about 5438 ft., start is near 1500 ft. If you go from Rt. 76, it is about 11 miles each way. To reach the trail start, go N on I-5 or I-15, head east on State 76, go east about 10 miles from I-15, then look for Nate Harrison Grade Rd. on your left, past the taco stand. There are also trails on top of the mountain past the rangers station if you want to lengthen the run. There is about a 240 degree view on the top near the radio tower. Water can be gotten at the rangers station, where four paved roads converge. Here you turn right onto a hiking trail for the last 3/4 of a mile to the top.

Noble Canyon - A single track trail with mostly good footing, some rocky sections in the middle along a creek. The standard routes are to run from near Pine Valley either to the trail junction (Indian Creek Trail) to Cuyamaca State Park (9 miles each way) or to the Sunrise Hwy. (11 miles each way). There is now a water spigot open (in the warmer months) at Penny Pines on the Sunrise Hwy. on the left side of the trail just before you reach the road. The route is mostly uphill on the way out. Shade is found in the middle section along with some streams to cool off in on hot summer days. To reach the trail head, take I-8 east to the Pine Valley exit, turn left under the interstate, go 0.5 miles to the town, turn left, go about a mile, turn right on the road right after the bridge, then follow this road as it curves a few times, turn right just past a grove of pine trees, to the parking area. One can add on a 12 mile loop up on the top, by going right just before the Sunrise Hwy. on the trail to Big Laguna Lake, and then beyond on a dirt road to the general store on the Sunrise Hwy. at Mount Laguna. Then from there go back up (heading north) the Sunrise Hwy 1/4 mile, turn right into Desert View picnic area and then pickup the Pacific Crest Trail heading north. Follow this back about 6 miles to the Penne Pines Picnic area at the top of the Noble Canyon trail. The Big Laguna loop plus Noble Canyon out-back totals 34 miles.

Lake Morena/Boulder Oaks - a section of the Pacific Crest Trail with mostly good footing, sandy, little mud, and moderate hills. Distances are 6 miles from Boulder Oaks heading south to Lake Morena, 6 miles more south to Hauser Canyon, and another 14.8 miles from there south to Hwy. 94. The vegetation is chapparal with some groves of trees near the Lake and in Hauser Canyon. The major ups/downs are into and out of Hauser Canyon (about 1000 ft.). Boulder Oaks is reached by taking I-8 east out of San Diego, to the Buckman Springs Rd. exit (2 exits past the Pine Valley exit), turn right off the ramp, then left at the 4-way stop, go about a mile on this road (old Hwy. 80) to the Boulder Oaks general store. Park in the paved lot to the right side of the road. The trail crosses the road here and winds around the nearby campground and thru some pastureland, heading generally southwest, and crossing Buckman Springs Rd. at about mile 2. Water and restrooms are at Lake Morena park another 4 miles south on the trail. From the Lake, one goes over two shoulders, and then down into Hauser Canyon. Turn left onto the dirt road at the bottom of the steep downhill trail segment, and go 1.5 miles up to a three way junction. This is a common turnaround point. Carry plenty of water for this section as there is likely to be only water in the stream in the canyon in the winter and in warmer months it is HOT on this section. If you turn around at the three way junction and go back to Boulder Oaks, that makes the run 24 miles.

Cuyamaca State Park - Numerous loops on single track trail and fire roads are possible. One popular loop starts at the school camp near the Park Headquarters off of Hwy. 79. To reach this, take I-8 east to the Rt. 79 exit (Descanso), follow 79 left (north) for about 10 miles to the park headquarters on the right. Bathrooms are available near the headquarters. Park in the small paved lot just off Hwy. 79 if possible. The running route heads north on a fire road from the school camp for a bit over a mile, then turns left onto Stonewall Creek Fire Road, then left on a trail about 3 miles later, to the Los Vaqueros and Los Caballos camps, crosses Rt. 79, then up a fire road (Milk Ranch Rd.) past a scout camp. to Four Corners, around the old fire road at Middle Peak, then right (heading south) off of Four Corners along a a fire road (CR+H trail) to West Mesa Fire Rd., left here about 0.5 miles, cross Rt. 79, and then right (south) on the Cold Stream trail about a mile back to the park headquarters. This loop is about 18 miles in length, with a number of moderate uphill grades, and views of Cuyamaca Reservior to the north. It is recommended that you run with a map of the park trails and with companions as mountain lions live in the area (we've seen tracks before !). This is a better place to run from May to Oct. when the weather is warmer and not stormy. Carry plenty of water as this area is hot in the summer, being far away from the cool ocean.

Cowles Mountain - This popular hiking trail heads up the highest mountain in the downtown region. The trailhead is off of Navajo Rd. just about 1/2 mile to the east of the Jackson Rd. crossing. To get there take I-8 east or west to College, then head N on College to Navajo, turn right and go about 2 miles to the trailhead which is on the left at the corner of Golfcrest Rd. (just before the golf driving range). Look for the brick building on the corner that has the restrooms. The trail to the top is rocky and has numerous switchbacks, in total 1.44 miles to the summit (a climb of over 900 ft. in elevation). There is a fire road down the backside of the mountain that starts just to the left of the summit monument (elev. 1591 ft.). The length is about 1.5 miles, and the elevation drop is about the same as back to the start at the bathrooms. Bring your sunscreen and a hat for this run as there is no shade on the mountain. It gets hot here in July-Sept so bring a water bottle or two and refill after each repeat (5.75 miles out-back). We often train here in the summer to prepare for the Angeles Crest 100 mile run, and groups in the club meet here regularly on certain weekday morning for 60-120 min. training runs, so call around.

Mission Trails Regional Park - Here one finds numerous hiking trails with small to moderate hills, and some rocky sections. Most often we start at the off ramp from Rt. 52 at Mast Ave. To reach this, take I-5 or I-15 to Rt. 52, head east to the Mast Ave exit (2nd exit east of I-15 crossing) There is a turnout to the right of the ramp where you can park. There is a bulletin board down the pavement past the gate that has a map of the trails in the park. One popular route is to head over a saddle just south of Fortuna Mountain and then onto a plateau to the south and west, then down a fire road to cross the San Diego river, then on about another mile to the park visitors center (with water faucet and restrooms), then run back to the car on the paved road named Father Junipero Serra Trail, turn left onto a trail just before the Old Mission dam, and into a field area and back to the car at Mast Ave. This loop is about 10 miles long.

Mission Bay - This park is popular for all manner of activity, including cycling out on Fiesta Island, rollerblading, and frisbee. The standard routes at 8 and 10 mile loops that are rectangular in shape. The shorter loop follows Mission Bay bike path south, then west on a paved bike path parallel to Sea World Drive, then north on the side walk parallel to Ingraham, then east on Grand/Garnet, then south again on Mission Bay Dr. To reach the park area, take I-5 N or S to Clairemont Drive exit, then west on Clairemont and an immediate left onto Mission Bay Drive, head south 50 yds. to Runners bathroom (follow signs). There is a restroom building here on which are some race entry forms. The terrain is flat, with a few small hills. Some of the loop you can run on grass or dirt. The SD Track club has a run here each Sunday morning.

Lake Poway / Blue Sky Preserve - Out east of Poway is a natural area that is great for running. The routes are wide trails and fire roads with good footing and some nice views. To reach the area, take I-15 N to Rancho Bernardo Rd. exit, then head east on RB Rd. about 3 miles, to where the road curves 90 degrees and changes names to Espola Rd. Park on the left side where there are some paved parking areas which are open from sunrise to sunset. The common route is to do an out-back heading down the fire road (Green Valley Truck Trail) eastward, then up the road on the left on switchbacks to the dam at Ramona Reservior, around the left side of the reservior all the way to a paved road, and then back to the car (a round trip of about 9 miles). To add milage, once you get back down into the valley below the dam, turn left (south) onto another fire road and then do a loop around Lake Poway. This adds about 3 miles per loop.

Miramar Lake - There is a paved loop around this reservior, just under 4 miles in length. The terrain is flat. At a few spots you can get onto a trail that paralles the road (watch out for snakes that share the trail !). The lake out-back is a great place to do a faster paced speed run as the road is marked each 1/4 mile with signposts. To get to Miramar Lake, take I-15 N or S to Mira Mesa Blvd, then go east on MiraMesa Blvd, to Carroll Canyon Rd., turn right, then go left at the next light onto Scripps Trail, and go about 0.3 miles to the turn in to the parking area on the left side of the road about 200 yds. past the library (there are signs to direct you once you get off the interstate).