Lake Murray

San Diego is so dry (except for the beaches, I guess). The nice thing about Lake Murray is that it is just so wet. The 3.2 mile (one way) long paved path meanders around the lake, never getting further than about 10-50 feet from the water's edge, and is a pleasant respite from the parched almost desert hiking paths that cover most of San Diego. That said, it is interesting to see how little distance you need to go from the edge of the lake for the desert landscape to reappear (~25 feet).

The trail is one of the most popular we have ever seen in San Diego - except maybe for the beach on a nice weekend. If you want to escape humanity, go somewhere else! There's so much traffic (foot and bike both) that they have signs telling you to keep right, pass left. There are a few nice picnic tables and benches to stop and rest at, and a few nice views of the lake framed by the trees that dot the very edge of the lake (but unfortunately do not provide much shade). The trail also offers some interesting bird watching opportunities- Jymm recently got a camera with a10X zoom lens, so she welcomes any opportunity to take advantage of it and birds are the perfect subject.

The trail also has bathroom opportunities in the form of chemical toilets- stinky and dirty, but they get the job done in an emergency. Bring your own TP.

All in all, this wasn't one of our favorites. It was too crowded, not really scenic enough, and the walk was out-and-back rather than a loop, which makes the second half of the hike totally a deja-vu experience. Being near a large body of fresh-water is kind a of nice change of pace though.

Shade index: 10%

Official website.
Google map.

Addendum: We revisited this park one evening and found that it was much less busy. Not having to dodge people all the time made it a much more pleasant experience. The water is also pretty after dark, if you like sparkling lights.

Fry's Electronics

Strictly speaking, Fry's is not exclusive to San Diego but we decided to include it because it is a fun time. If you are into electronics in any way, shape, or form then a good time can be had wandering around this technological "mecha". We like to go and pay a visit to all of the cool gadgets we wish we owned, and while we're there we usually find one or two little things to temporarily assuage our techie cravings.

Fry's has something for all levels of geek. For the hard-core, they have a huge range of computer components, and even a pretty good selection of oscilloscopes. For those who's computer lust only runs skin deep they have a wall of LCD monitors and more DVDs than any person should own. And they also sell toaster ovens. Yes, they have quite a wide range of products at Fry's, and generally a very good selection, though there are notable exceptions (MP3 players and earbuds).

In short, Fry's can be a fun rainy afternoon activity, or a place to go when you need stuff! Bathroom index: excellent. Shade: 100%.

Torrey Pines Extension

If you've hiked in San Diego before, you've probably heard of Torrey Pines state park, located on the cliffs between La Jolla and Del Mar. Turns out Torrey Pines has a sister! While it is true that the Torrey Pines extension is far less showy than her more famous relative, the park is just as beautiful in its own quiet way. The extension is further inland, and it's much more secluded. Mostly nestled in between gently sloping canyon walls, its filled with lots of short, meandering trails that you could spend a couple hours exploring leisurely, though if your only goal was to get from one side to the other you could cross the entire park in about 15 minutes.

The landscape is gently hilly, with lots of scrub and open spaces, as in the picture above. Unlike the main Torrey Pines park, there are some areas of shade, due to the occasional tall tree or secluded canyonlet. These are pretty few and far between, however, with about 5% of the trail covered by shade (10 percent in the morning or evening from shadows cast from the canyon walls). You won't have a hard time finding a shady place to stop and rest. From some of the higher vantage points you get nice views of the surrounding areas, including the Pacific, and the other half of Torrey Pines park. One downside is that a few short sections of the trails are closed, presumably due to erosion, which is a shame in a park with so little acreage to begin with. Maybe if California weren't bankrupt the state parks might be able to afford better maintenance.

There is lots of parking near the south entrance of the park, but little else - such as rest rooms, or signage. In fact, there are maybe 3 trail markers in the entire park. On the other hand, since each trail is short, and the whole park is pretty small, there's no risk of getting lost for long. The scrub is high enough that a portable toilet could be fashioned in a pinch (you didn't hear it here!) .

This is the official map, and a google map to the entrance. Below is our map, with parking marked with the (P). Note at the top of the map is a green *, showing the entrance to the Crest Canyon open space park, which will save for another time.

Coast Walk (San Diego- La Jolla Underwater Park)

If you are looking for a leisurely stroll along the coast, this is the perfect trail to take. We discovered it quite by accident on our way to La Jolla Cove. Out and back is a half mile, and the climbing is fairly moderate. The trail follows the edge of the cliffs and offers a stunning view of the pacific ocean. The seal colony that haunts La Jolla seems to like to rest on the rocks below the cliffs, so there is a pretty good chance of seeing (and smelling!) the seals at play. 

On the map the trail is the topmost white line along the shore, with the west-most entrance marked by a yellow star. There is parking available (if you follow Coast Blvd past the yellow star), but it tends to fill up in the evenings and on weekends, so you may have to park some distance away. We have found that if you are willing to walk five or ten minutes there is plenty of parking on the side streets once you get away from the beach. 

You'll find the entrance next to a little gift shop that advertises entrance to a cave (for a fee). There is a little platform there next to the trail that will let you look down on where the seals tend to rest. There is also an entrance at the other end of the trail, but there is no parking on that part of Torrey Pines Rd.