Double Peak Trail is a 3.9 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near San Marcos, California that offers scenic views and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs and horses are also able to use this trail.
dog friendly
hiking
horseback riding
mountain biking
trail running
walking
views
I’ve done every trail on this mountain at least 5 times, if not more. Great hikes with lots of single tracks. Great for everyone and dog owners too.
Ensure you watch out for snakes in the summer months, as they are plentiful but usually not in plain site (off the trails). There have been mountain lion sightings and we saw a large bobcat at night, but I don’t know of any interactions with humans or pets.
Have a blast out here and enjoy. There are a lots of trails and lots to see.
I’ve hiked on this trail with my two dogs and it’s a nice trail!
Great spot, good elevation in the beginning
good view! don‘t like that there is a street and cars at the top!
Good got kids. Both my 3/6 year olds can make the loop from lake
More residential than hike. And a ton of people. “Hiked” on asphalt and sidewalks. The view from the top is good but there were so many people that the peaceful easy feeling was just not there.
First half is all uphill but the views are gorgeous!
Great exercise, but I don’t enjoy “hiking” through subdivisions on pavement. Went on a Tuesday morning in January and ran into at least 20 people. No thanks, I’ll pass.
Very enjoyable hike. Very well marked and easy to follow. It’s mostly gravel. The beginning is a steep climb up but very manageable. Beautiful views once you get up to the top.
J P.
Awesome view! Great neighborhood.
Very enjoyable with a great view on top.
loved this trail.
not as rugged or away from everything as I'd like, but challenging and the views are spectacular at the top
Excelente
Great walk.. Will come back again to explore trail more
Great view, wonderful trails, lots of places to wander. Not too strenuous in my opinion, and the trail seems to be well maintained. Seems also like a good place to mountain bike.
The view from the top is exceptional.
Here is an overview video of the trails:
https://youtu.be/uKxIALzzi_U
Beautiful views. The entire trail can be accessed by car. Steep grade, excellent workout. Ok for kids and dogs.
Took us 90 min walking at steady pace
It’s a pretty fun hike. I’m not super excited that it literally can be accessed by vehicles at the top and that you wind through track home communities, but even with that being said the trail is relatively steep and a good workout. I really like the off shoot trails on the backside. More single track with rough terrain to negotiate. Took me an hour and 5 minutes to go up and 35 to come down. Take as many of the alternate harder routes as you can if you like to work a little more!
Amazing trail!!
Great hike!!
Very clean path, very wide and well-maintained. It is nearly all steep uphill on the way up so you will get back down the hill very fast (in case you're planning to go at sunset and don't want to be in the dark). Very nice views allow you to see how far up you've climbed. Good cardiovascular workout. (For reference, I am mid-forties and carrying 10 extra pounds of pudge! :-)) Lots of friendly people along the way. I went with a group of four, but would feel very safe alone too. Brought 20 oz water and could have used a little more; it was a very warm October day. There is water at the top, thankfully!
Perfect hike to challenge yourself!
My 13 yo son and I do this quite frequently as a conditioning walk/hike that is close to home. The trail starts in Lakeview Park (which everyone here calls Discovery Park), and you can include a loop around the lake as part of your hike if you wish (it's a nice 0.3mi loop). The initial part of the trail has both dirt and paved and is quite steep. It then transits through a steep neighborhood street, sadly (I remember when this was a dirt trail all the way to the top, before they built houses). The trail passes a water tank, then ascends quite steeply before becoming a more manageable uphill climb to where it intersects the Ridgeline trail. The rest of the hike to the top (Doublepeak Park) is, well, not fun. You can either hike on a sidewalk as cars speed past you, or you can ascend a steeper, poorly-maintained scramble to the park on the top. There are bathrooms, shade and a really nice 360 degree view of the region. On weekends and later in the day there are often quite a few people, many playing their music out loud, along the trail. Early in the morning or during the day seem to be the best, quietest times to go.
Extremely busy but nice hike. Has a few long steep climbs/descents that can be tough on little ones or older dogs. Great views throughout, which are only slightly diminished by the fact that you can drive all the way to the top.
Hank G.
Was in the area for my daughter's soccer tournament, had the afternoon free so did a good hike.
Good loop for a workout with the dog and a beautiful view from the top.
9-11%grade up hill. Great workout. Beautiful views at the top. Trail is wonderfully maintained and clearly marked.
I started at the very bottom of this trail.This was a bit of a challenge for me, most likely because I was trying to keep up with a group of people with serious thigh gaps. There are a few hills in the beginning where you just want to say NOPE, but I promise its worth it. When you finally reach the top the views are quite excellent. You will feel accomplished.I started this hike at 1830 and it was around 80 degrees, but the humidity was rough. Start early in the morning if you're doing this in the summer, or invest in a headlamp ( like meeee) and do it at night with a friend/ group.
We started at the Ridgeline trail head, based on another's person review. From there we went down to discover trail and back up and around up to double peak and looped back down to Ridgeline.
It's an intense incline off and on to double peak. The houses that are talked about in the reviews are only about a block or two total. Not bad, there are plenty of great views. We did a total of 6mi, in a heat wave. Once the over cast came in it was a good hike. There is not much shade so bring lots of water and a hat. Not a beginners hike.
Surprisingly enjoyable. Started basically in a residential neighbourhood but quickly gave way to a decently challenging, well maintained, guided hike with a fantastic view at the top. I expect it would be fairly busy on weekends though (I did it during the week).