Cowles Mountain Trail is a 3 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near San Diego, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
kid friendly
birding
hiking
mountain biking
nature trips
trail running
walking
forest
views
wild flowers
no shade
This is what I refer to as a "Shopping Mall Hike". If you want some serenity, go at 6am on a weekday. Otherwise you'll be surrounded by bobbleheads the whole time. The added benefit however, if you go during the on-peak hours, is to feast your eyes on all the college student eye candy :) If you want to do a real summit trek though, go for the Fortunas a few clicks northwest.
Fun hike. Took us 60 minutes on the dot. Lots of rock formations, so wear well tread shoes. Saw a rattle, to be expected. The top is a good hang out spot with lots of areas to relax, have a snack, look at views. Many will bring water and leave it up at the top for dogs. There are bathrooms at the trailhead and a very small parking lot. You can find a spot on the road.
Its nice hike! Good for beginners!
is moderate for beginners.. but is a cool place to start... we did around 88 minutes total..
the good thing about this place is if you go around June the sun is behind the mountain so you can go just after sunrise and you get shade.
Nice hike
This is my go-to short but intense hike! 1.5 miles of steep switchbacks all the way up. You'll be in the sun so bring water! Always crowded, so remember proper hiking etiquette :)
Relax and enjoyable!