2 min
Overview
Just past the city of Escondido, Highway 78 winds through agriculturally rich San Pasqual Valley before emerging in the narrow confines of Clevenger Canyon. This canyon has been carved out over the eons by Santa Ysabel Creek, which drains the Volcan Mountains before snaking its way through San Diego’s northern backcountry. The canyon boasts the San Pasqual hiking trail network, in addition to providing access to nearby Boden Canyon and Orosco Ridge. Near the bottom of the Canyon The San Pasqual trail network lay on the north and south sides of the canyons about half a mile apart. The south trail runs about 4 miles round trip up the south wall of the canyon, while the north trail runs a good deal farther up the north wall. The northern trail network used to extend further, but many years of neglect have left the further portions of this trail difficult or impossible to follow. Wild cucumber and laurel sumac This write-up covers the north side of the San Pasqual trail network, and only to a viewpoint toward the north rim of the canyon. Additionally, the south side will be left out as the north side has better views, which encompass the open valley of Ramona with the Cuyamacas and Volcan Mountains in the distance, while the westward view features a sliver of the ocean. While the south side is a little more verdant, the north trail also crosses over Santa Ysabel Creek, which can either be a dry, sandy creek bed, a series of puddles, or a raging torrent depending on recent precipitation or lack thereof. Climbing the north side of Clevenger Canyon From the trailhead on the north side of Highway 78, find a small gap in a wooden fence near a few piles of granite boulders. You’ll know you’re going the right way if you see and explosion of graffiti on the rocks. In addition to being a good hike, Clevenger Canyon is also a destination for local youth looking for a cool hangout spot. The unfortunate evidence of hangout-ing are abundant throughout the trail, especially on the front end, in the form of graffiti, broken bottl
Trail Stats
7.3 km
426 m
526 m
153 m
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