Los Penasquitos Canyon Trailhead

This place is a surprising little gem in SD and I’ve spent many moments here on walks with friends, trail runs, training for long backpacking trips, lounging in trees with hummingbirds, and hanging out by the water. You can do an out and back, or take the whole thing and uber back which isn’t so bad if you’re just visiting and wanting to see the whole place. Some days I’ve found that there aren’t very many people out and it makes it that much more peaceful to just be. The weekends will be much more crowded. The trails are well maintained and the waterfall area is nice to sit on the rocks and enjoy. Could be a bit tough to cross the water over the rocks, so generally recommend to stay on one side. I also highly recommend the Camino Ruiz Trail Entrance on the south east side, which is a more steep entrance at first to get into the canyon, but well worth the adventure.

The trail is amazing! It winds through lush forests, open fields, and finally ends at a refreshing river surrounded by rocky cliffs. It's the perfect place to cool off after a hike. There's a convenient parking area at the trailhead and a picnic area to relax before or after your adventure.

This has been to this waterfall hike more than once . The reason I give this game 3/5 star for the fact I can tell too many people who are coming here to be partying and leaving their trash . I’ve seen bottles of alcohol and other containers. This makes me sad 😔when I see results like this it makes me not want to share hiking spots . The water looked contaminated with trash . It made me very emotional (sad and mad ) because I used to be able to actually go inside the water and enjoy being in the water here . Now I can see the side effects of results of too many people pollute this beautiful place. I hope my 3/5 stars ⭐️ can encourage people to stop this behavior. Please pick up your trash . Please help make this hiking waterfall clean how it once was before . 🙏🏽🩵I know my pictures might not show what I’m talking about and that’s because I tried capturing the best left parts of it . When you once been here years ago compared to how it is now in 2024 in May when I visited with disappointment. This is why I’m hoping my review can inspire you to help spread awareness to keep our trails and water clean .

6-ish miles to the waterfall from this parking lot, depending on what route you take. There are two main trails to waterfall- 1 north of stream and another on the south side. You can cross the stream at a few different points (wagonwheel crossing, sycamore crossing, etc). Signs are clear. Path is mostly even with 1 medium hill at the beginning and several smaller and more gradual hills throughout the hike, again depends on which route you take. Path can get muddy and deep ruts depending on weather. Waterfall has always had water all the times I've come. The water levels fluctuate, but there's always water throughout the year. There are some bathers in the summer too. You can cross the stream at multiple points, depending on water level. Cool coyotes, deer, snakes, frogs, fish, hawks, and other birds. Sometimes crawdads in the stream. Only 5-ish% of trail has shade. Cell service the whole time, at least with Verizon and AT&T. Lots of mountain bikers. Fun opportunities for bouldering towards the end. Wheelchairs and walkers- do not attempt!

Parking can be a bit tight, but the trails are great for walking or running (possibly bike riding, although I didn't see any cyclists when I was there). There is a Port-a-John on site that appears to be fairly well maintained. I came here with a group of runners, and it worked well for our needs For before, during, and after. There is a picnic table on site, although I don't know that this is the best place to just hang out.