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Moderate Hiking Trails near San Diego

The directory currently contains 9 quality-checked routes matching this guide near San Diego. Their average mapped distance is 3.3 km and average recorded ascent is 150 m (492 ft); the longest route in the set is 9.5 km.

This subset represents 38% of the 24 quality-checked routes near San Diego. Its average distance is 3.3 km, compared with 10.1 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 150 m (492 ft), versus 271 m (889 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set is rated moderate by the directory’s distance-and-elevation model. Technical terrain and live conditions are not part of that rating. Within this set, 0 routes (0%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 2 (22%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

1.5 km

East Loop Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

56 m

East Loop Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

1 recorded loop

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

This is one of the park buildings at Poway Community Park, in Poway, San Diego County, California, USA.
Moderate

California · United States

Distance
9.5 km
/ 5.9 mi
Elevation gain
497 m
Typical duration
2 hr 43 min
Moderate

California · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
81 m
Typical duration
28 min
Moderate

California · United States

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
260 m
Typical duration
1 hr
  • Desert
Moderate

California · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
72 m
Typical duration
31 min
Lake Wohlford, Escondido. Photo taken October 18, 2009.
Moderate

California · United States

Distance
4.8 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
95 m
Typical duration
1 hr 9 min
  • Lake
Moderate

California · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
56 m
Typical duration
24 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Moderate

California · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
63 m
Typical duration
26 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Moderate

California · United States

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
192 m
Typical duration
47 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Moderate

California · United States

Distance
3.3 km
/ 2.1 mi
Elevation gain
38 m
Typical duration
45 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
South Poway TrailCalifornia9.5 km497 m2 hr 43 minModerateApril to October
Hillside LoopCalifornia1.6 km81 m28 minModerateApril to October
Carmel Mission TrailCalifornia2.9 km260 m1 hrModerateApril to October
Eucalyptus TrailCalifornia2.0 km72 m31 minModerateApril to October
Lake Wohlford TrailsCalifornia4.8 km95 m1 hr 9 minModerateApril to October
East Loop TrailCalifornia1.5 km56 m24 minModerateApril to October
Monkey Flower TrailCalifornia1.6 km63 m26 minModerateApril to October
Eagle Peak TrailCalifornia2.4 km192 m47 minModerateApril to October
Switchbacks TrailCalifornia3.3 km38 m45 minModerateApril to October

South Poway Trail, Hillside Loop, Carmel Mission Trail currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

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