Encinitas Ranch

Hike at Encinitas Ranch for Mountain and Sea Views in San Diego County

A hiker surveys the sandstone formation and distant mountain views at Encinitas Ranch in North San Diego County

Rare Torrey pines, striking sandstone bluffs, mountain and ocean vistas ... find these trademark San Diego features on an unassuming suburban hike! Head to the Encinitas Ranch community next to the eponymous golf course for a 2.75-mile loop with about 300 feet of elevation gain and opportunities for more local adventure.

A woman walks by a cactus covered trailside at Encinitas Ranch in North San Diego County

Park along Paseo De Las Flores just north of the golf course and Quail Gardens Drive. The trailhead will be alongside a colorful floral display next to an Encinitas Ranch sign, across from an agricultural field (download a map too!). Head east past a little free library, ascending a dirt track flanking a white picket fence. You’ll soon reach the high point of the hike, overlooking the neighborhood of Rancho Ponderosa and prominent peaks beyond. On a clear day, you can actually see five mountain ranges: San Gorgonio, San Jacinto, Palomar, Julian, and Cuyamaca from left to right. 

Dog statue at vista point in Encinitas Ranch San Diego County

Hiker walks on trail with Torrey Pine trees at Encinitas Ranch in North San Diego County

Hiker walks along a trail and looks out to the mountain scenery at Enicinitas Ranch in North San Diego County

It’s a fantastic panorama, but what’s even better is that this segment of the trail travels under majestic, rare specimens of Torrey pines and, though they were purposefully planted here, it’s a treat to see their curled branches and long needles. You’ll also find California sycamores and eucalyptus here (though no oaks, despite “Encinitas” meaning “little oaks” in Spanish), providing plenty of shade. Take time to find multiple spur trails heading east. This is the Hidden Ridge Trail, which travels parallel to the Ranch Loop Trail you’re on and gives you an up-close view of the sandstone bluffs. Take time to explore this path, and for extra mileage and elevation, take it down past chaparral to Garden View Road before heading back up to the Ranch Loop.

Person biking a trail at Encinitas Ranch in North San Diego County

Hiker overlooking the mountain scenery in the distance at Encinitas Ranch in North San Diego County

After a memorial statue for a local pooch, the trail curves west and provides you with a welcome surprise—nice views of the Pacific as you work to complete the loop. The path eventually curves north (turning right at Las Verdes Park), but you can optionally continue west to run into Quail Gardens Drive and the entrance to the must-visit San Diego Botanic Garden. Otherwise, continue north along the cactus- and bougainvillea-dotted hillside that borders the golf course and your eventual deposit at the starting point and your car.

To get to the Encinitas Ranch Loop trailhead, take the I-5 to the Leucadia Blvd. exit and head east. After 0.8 mile on Leucadia Blvd., take a right onto Quail Gardens Dr. followed by an immediate left onto Paseo De Las Flores. After 0.3 mile, the trailhead (and street parking) will be on your left. Dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View