Want a hike along a creek that leads to a waterfall? Want to scramble up rocks and walk through wooded areas? Then the Oak Canyon Trail in Mission Trails Regional Park is the trail for you! We hiked the trail this morning and enjoyed the challenge of scrambling up the rocks and seeing the waterfall.
History of Mission Trails Regional Park
The park’s land was originally used by the Kumeyaay, then catholic missionaries, farmers and ranchers, and even the military. In the late 1960’s the County of San Diego developed a plan for a regional park, however it wasn’t until the late 70’s and early – mid 80’s that much of the land was acquired and the fundraising and development of the park began. In 1995 the visitor’s center opened. Today the Mission Trails Regional Park, which owes it name to a community-wide contest, consists of over 8000 acres of rugged hills, valleys, and open spaces. It has about 60 miles of hiking trails, Lake Murray for recreational boating, and Kumeyaay Lake Campground. It is considered the third jewel in the City of San Diego Parks System.
Our Adventure
We have been to Mission Trails Regional Park many times and generally walk on the road and explore the easier trails just off the road. Today we tackled the Oak Canyon Trail which is a moderately challenging trail and not for those with stability or mobility issues. I also would not recommend it for small or young children.
The entrance to the trail is near the Old Mission Dam. Unfortunately all the parking spots at the Old Dam parking lot were taken so we found a spot on the road and walked from there. The start of the trail is just past and to the left of the rest room in the parking lot. At the start of the trail is the Oak Canyon sign and then a walkway with a stone wall on either side. This leads past the dam and to a compacted granite trail. The trail continues until you cross a bridge over the creek which is where the trail truly starts.
Once over the bridge the trail is packed dirt with rocks in a lot of the areas. It follows the creek with views of the creek, vegetation on both sides, and other large hills. You cross the creek several times on wood plank platforms and bridges. As the trail progresses you go through some wooded areas and in one of them we found a large oak tree. This was a great spot for a photo opportunity and Sunny was more than happy to oblige.
As we continued through the wooded area we approached the most challenging part of the trail. This area has large boulders that you need to scramble up. This part was challenging for Sunny and I because of our short legs. In one spot I had to lift her up because it was too big for her to jump up. This section is fairly narrow and can be challenging if other people are approaching. We made it through the section and back to the dirt trail which led up to the waterfall.
As you approach the waterfall you can hear the water, but it’s difficult to get a good view of it. We found a trail down to a spot in front of the waterfall, but did not go far enough to get a really good view of it. We just admired it from the distance and then retraced our steps and headed back to the parking lot and our car.
Our Rating
Sunny and I rate the Oak Canyon trail 3.5 out of 4 paws up. It’s a somewhat challenging hike within the beautiful Mission Trails Regional Park. We loved scrambling up the boulders and the views of the creek and large hills. The trail is well-maintained with good signage making it relatively easy to stay on the trail. There’s ample parking both in a parking lot and on the street. The parking lot also has two porto-potties and the visitor center has a restroom. We consider Mission Trails Regional Park a must visit location in San Diego and Oak Canyon Trail a somewhat challenging hike for those who are in good shape and can handle climbing up boulders.
For additional information about Mission Trails Regional Park check out the following websites:
Mission Trails Regional Park – History
How Do I Get There?
You can either drive to the visitor’s center, park in the lot, and walk the section of the road that is closed to vehicular traffic to the trail entrance or park at the Old Mission Dam. These directions are to the Old Mission Dam parking. From CA-52 take exit #13 – Mast Blvd and turn left. After .2M turn left onto West Hills Parkway and continue for .7M. Turn right onto Mission Gorge Road and continue .2 miles. Then turn right onto Father Junipero Serra Trail and after .7M turn right into the Old Mission Dam parking lot. You can also park along the road. The trail head is located across Father Junipero Serra Trail.