Spending all day cozied up on the couch for a rainy day sounds pretty perfect - but do you know what is even more perfect? Adventuring out in the misty rain and fog to your hearts content and THEN cozying up on the couch for the rest of the afternoon. The thick cozy socks and your favorite knit blanket will seem all the more worth it, I promise.
TELL ME AGAIN, WHY I SHOULD HIKE IN THE RAIN? I get it, asking you to hike in the rain is probably going to take some more convincing, I gotchu:
Less crowds. Obviously the couch is the easier choice in this scenario, but you can have the best of both worlds! Trails that are normally congested with people suddenly open up to only you and a few other adventurous people who won't mind a little rain.
The smells. Hear me out, the indigeous Southern California scrub brush smells AMAZING after a rain. Especially the sage, I can never get enough!
WATERFALLS: Don't listen to TLC on this one, you DO want to chase waterfalls. More to come on this later.
LOCATION, LOCATION: Rancho Penasquitos Canyon is centrally located and about ~20 minutes from anywhere in the county. The location is what makes this hike prime, because the key to a rainy day hike is to not spend so much time outside that you get soaked to the point of being miserable. Which means the 20 minute ETA can also be interpreted as only 20 minutes away from your home and a warm shower.
THE HIKE: I would actually classify this as more of a nature walk. The photo above is about as steep as it gets, with the exception of the rocks around the waterfall. The hike is part of the Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve and stretches about 7 miles long and covers 4K+ acres with 12+ miles of trails. Trails wind all through the park and you can literally 'choose your own adventure' as you go.
FACT: WATERFALLS MAKE ANY HIKE 10x MORE COOL. I say that to now say, a rainy waterfall hike is nothing short of magical. The falls themselves have some great rocks for climbing and we climbed from pool to pool to check out the different views. The corg was carried due to her short little legs - but can't stop, won't stop.
GETTING THERE: Penasquitos is located in the Mira Mesa/Sorrento Valley area. It's nesteled between the 56 to the north, the I-15 to the east, the I-805 to the west, and Mira Mesa Blvd to its south. There's many entrances to the park, but my favorite is at these coordinates because there's a little community garden and ranch house that are super cute to check out.
Parking lot & trail head: 32.939710, -117.138689
Waterfall: 32.927064, -117.177311
LET'S CUT TO THE CHASE:
GPS Coordinates for the trailhead: 32.939710, -117.138689
Hike Difficulty: Easy, meandering trails. You can choose the high road through the fields or the low road along the creek. We stuck to the creek on the way to the falls and took the field route on the way back to the car.
The park is dog friendly! Be sure to bring your leash and pick up after your pet if they adventure along with you.
Essentials: Water (always) and hiking buddies of the two or four legged varieties. Do keep in mind this is a nature preserve - you can help do your part by picking up any trash you might find along the way. It's always good to leave a place better than you found it!
The storms are already rolling in for this weekend and we have more rain in the forecast next week - if you happen to make it out to the trails, I would love to hear all about it! And as always, happy rambles. <3
