Urban Trails: San Diego
Discover the Best Hikes in America’s Finest City
Explore the Urban Trails of San Diego!
Experience 52 easy-to-find, easy-to-follow trails, from 1 to 6 miles in length. Explore beautiful locales like Torrey Pines, Mission Trails, Balboa Park, La Jolla’s Coastline, and more. Whether you like to hike, run, or walk, you’ll find countless options among San Diego’s urban trails, giving you many reasons never to leave the city when seeking excellent outdoor adventures.
With an emphasis on easy access to the outdoors and fitness, features of Urban Trails: San Diego include:
- Trailhead directions, including public transit options
- “Know Before You Go” tips for park hours, events, and more
- Trail distances and high points
- Color photos and maps
- Trailhead amenities
- Info for families and dog owners
- Sidebars on area history, nature, or special sights
Canyons, Coasts and Bays, City Sidewalks, a trail for everyone.
Join Susie Kara Slater and Chris Griffith as they provide you with a collection of hikes in America’s Finest City. Enjoy urban strolls through historic neighborhoods. Hike to waterfalls, wildflowers, and stunning panoramic vistas. Whether you have just 30 minutes or all day, Urban Trails: San Diego offers something for any urban explorer.
Find an adventure near you.
Hikes are rated for fitness appeal to walkers, runners, and hikers, and with routes between 1 and 6 miles, there are options for people of all fitness levels. With this book, you will not only experience San Diego’s trails, but you'll also learn the history of the city and its famous sights.
Featuring 52 trails, stretching from the Mexican border north to Torrey Pines and Pt. Loma east to Mission Trails/La Mesa, this new guidebook offers just what anyone needs to explore the bounty of beautiful close-to-home trails.
About the Authors
Susie Kara Slater
Susie hikes over 2,000 miles per year, navigating the desert, mountains, snow-covered peaks, and more —with and without established trails. Her knowledge of hiking in San Diego is current and expansive. She was the first ever finisher of the San Diego 100 Peaks Challenge in 2017; she also completed the San Diego Sierra Club County Peaks List in 2020. Susie was born and raised in San Diego. Off the trail, she is a pediatric occupational therapist, yoga instructor, and doctoral student. She enjoys spending time with her family and her dog, Gizmo, exploring near and far; she is an avid world traveler who has visited over 100 countries. Urban Trails: San Diego is her first book. Visit her on Instagram @susiehikes.
Chris Griffith
Chris Griffith is a California native, a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Outdoor Recreation Economy from the University of Colorado, Boulder. After becoming a British Canoe Union 3-star paddler, he switched his focus to hiking. In 2019, he became the third finisher of the 100 Peaks Challenge, which consisted of summiting one hundred peaks in San Diego County in a calendar year. Since then, he has completed the San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peaks list, numerous Six-Pack of Peaks Challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and Arizona Winter & Summer), and the yearly Coast to Crest Challenge. Beyond hiking, Chris has a deep passion for spaceflight (american-spacecraft.org) and the history of the atomic age (atomicarchive.com). When not out hiking or backpacking, he can be found at home with his wife, Anita, and their dog, Rocky. Visit him online at sdpeakbagger.com or on Instagram @sdpeakbagger.