bridle trail

We are constant explorers of Balboa Park. We run there several times a week, & we've been known to spend an entire day every so often walking through the entire park from the archery areas to the rose garden. The park, previously called City Park before it was truly developed into what we know today, has really become a marvelous point of pride for the city. With all the museums, lush gardens, canyons, fountains, restaurants & plenty of areas to play or picnic - there really is just nothing like Balboa Park. We took this hike on a gorgeous sunny day, which happened to be the last Saturday in 2007.

• Trail: Bridle Trail (map)
• Location: Balboa Park (trailhead north of the bowling greens near Redwood Circle, in the park from 6th Ave & Maple St.)
  
• Length: 1 mile (then walk back)
  
• Hike time: about 20 minutes
  
• Terrain: winding hills for a wide dirt path
• Path visibility: Very clearly marked
  
• Difficulty: easy - great for the whole family
  
• Cost: free parking throughout Balboa Park or along 6th Ave. on the park - some metered spots along 5th & 6th if you have trouble parking
  
• Highlight destination: knowing you are in the middle of the city, but surrounded by such an urban jungle
  
• Beware: this is not the type of area you want to go in after dark - & women should always hike with a partner on this trail
  

This hike, more than any other Balboa experience we had, really inspired us to learn more about the gorgeous park so many San Diegans enjoy each day. Ahh, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.

We ran the park in the morning & thought it might be a good day to take on this newly rehabilitated trail. The park and volunteers had just recently reclaimed the Bridle Trail from the criminal activity/loitering last month, but this still wouldn't be the safest place to go alone. The maps of the park had recently been updated & provided a good guide for finding the trailhead (maps online still don't show it). Even so, we were a little uncertain trying to find the trail but once in the area between the bowling greens and Redwood Circle, it was very clearly marked with a sign.

You can tell that a lot of effort went into preparing this path. The brush was pushed aside for a wide dirt path, which was bordered by logs giving it a more formal feel that this really was an official path & not just some odd dirt road leading you into the depths of Balboa Park!

Along the way, it seemed especially green in some areas, leading us to think they may have planted some grass seed during the reclamation of the trail.

The path was a nice mix of rolling hills, not as steep as some of the hikes we've done lately - but nothing to shake your head at. You go pretty far down into the canyon, and then of course have to walk back upward to meet the manicured greens of the park.

Going down our first hill, we came to a fork & were a bit unsure as to whether we should go right or left. We decided to go left & that turned out to keep us going the longest. The trail isn't an out-and-back. Rather, it is a 1-mile path from one point in the park to another.

When you get down to the lowest part of the trail, you are actually walking alongside Highway 163. This is both a good thing & a bad. It's great because you really are forced to realize that you are hiking in a hidden urban jewel of unspoilt land in the middle of the city. The smell & noise & view of the cars on the highway round out the obvious "bad."

After walking along the highway (rather closely & only separated by a chain link fence) for a few minutes, you start to move your way back into the park & upward.

At one point, we had a nice view of the back of the San Diego Zoo & saw some animals taking a break from the front lines of tourists viewing.

If you wanted to run this course (as many people were doing during our early afternoon hike), you would probably want to start at the end of the trial to minimize the inclines to something a little more manageable (but challenging anyway you look at it).

After about 20 minutes of walking, we started to see the bright grass and picnic areas so familiar in the park. We were let out off the trail around 6th Ave & Upas at a nice open area with picnic benches.

We walked to the north a bit toward the more residential area, drawn by a large home with beautiful gardens. Little did we realize we had stumbled upon the home of the man they call "San Diego's First Citizen," George Marston. The Tudor-meets-Craftsman style home is now open to the public & operated by the San Diego Historical Society. We walked around the grounds a bit, peaked in some windows, then realized we were right on time for a tour. The tours appeared to be operated on the hour, cost about $5 (less for military, children, etc) & last an hour. After the tour we were in complete agreement: it had to be the best historical tour we've ever had. The man who led our small tour group took us through each room, knew everything from details about architecture to cultural details about living in 1905. What a wonderful bargain!

On way back from the trail & the Marston House tour, we marveled at the park that Mr. Marston had donated so much of his own money to develop. We looked at the grounds, the many activity areas & gardens with a new renewed sense of interest toward Balboa Park. What a great afternoon!


Tipped off: We found this hike mentioned by another San Diego hike blogger, then did some research on it & thought it sounded like a great little urban hike. Thanks for the tip, Peter!