Visit Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve—only 18 miles from the San Diego Natural History Museum—and take the Lopez Canyon trail to walk past magnificent sycamores to an old creek bed, where you’ll encounter a variety of chaparral and coastal sage scrub plants.

Covering nearly 4,000 acres, including over ten miles of multi-use trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, the preserve lies between Rancho Peñasquitos, Sorrento Hills, and Mira Mesa offering a variety of steep slopes, riparian corridors, waterfalls, and flat mesa tops while preserving remains of early Native American pre-historic cultures who previously inhabited this area.

Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve was also part of the first Mexican land grant in San Diego County. Constructed in 1823, visit the historic Santa Maria de Los Peñasquitos Adobe House and learn more about the early history and settlement of San Diego.

Join the Museum’s Canyoneers to explore this area and more. Visit our website for a list of upcoming hikes.

PHOTO CREDIT: Paula Knoll, Canyoneers