Three Sisters Waterfalls

Around Christmas we like to do a really challenging hike a bit further out than our normal "everyday hikes." Last year we tackled Tecate Peak, and much to our surprise this year, we found one even more challenging - but just as rewarding - with the Three Sisters Waterfalls hike. Three Sisters Waterfalls is near the upper part of the San Diego River, so it was quite a drive for us - but by far one of the most fun trips we've had to date.

• Trail: Three Sisters Waterfalls
  
• Location: upper San Diego River, near Descanso off Cedar Creek Road
  
• Length: 2 miles out and 2 miles back
  
• Hike time: 2 hours (we went quickly & didn't spend a lot of time at the falls)
  
• Terrain: be ready to mountain climb as you face extremely steep cliffs for access to the falls. Also, the drive to the trail head is a windy, unpaved & very rough mountain road - 4 wheel drive vehicle recommended!
  
• Path visibility: Dirt path relatively easy to make out on the way down to the falls, less so on the way back
  
• Difficulty: very difficult, but worth it!
  
• Cost: free!
  
• Highlight destination: the waterfalls, though the surrounding mountains weren't bad themselves either
  
• Beware: the steep descents down to the waterfalls are no joke with slippery rocks
  

This was probably one of our most difficult hikes. As you drive up the winding, tight country unpaved mountain road to the trail head remember that for as much as you climb in the vehicle you will descend on foot. (Note, follow these directions to get to the trail head.) The drive to the trail head took about 1.5 hours from southern San Diego. Even so, after all that time you're still in San Diego county which gives you a real appreciation for how big the county is.

Every real hiker review of this hike has talked about how strenuous this trek is - don't take that lightly. We did this hike in late December & from everyone else's experience it seems best to avoid doing this in the spring or later when it is really too hot to safely tackle this hike. In preparing, also plan to get there in enough time to allow you the 2 hours of hiking plus lots of extra time to enjoy the waterfalls all before sunset. This is not the place you want to be caught after dusk. Take plenty of water, some food & a camera.

It could not have been better weather the day we went on the hike. It was about 65 degrees at the coast & a bit warmer inland. There had been record levels of rain the preceding week (so we knew we'd have a great show with the waterfall), but waited enough days after the last rain so we wouldn't be tramping through mud the whole way. Even then, there was still some flooding on the mountain roads.

The information we'd read about the hike said that dogs were allowed, so we took my little 2 lb. dog who likes to jump rocks & climb. There were parts where the small dog had to be carried & frankly I couldn't see how a larger dog could have even of made it - so I would recommend that if you can't scale a nearly vertical cliff while carrying your dog then don't bring it.

There were 3 cars parked at the trail head when we arrived. We met all 3 groups as we made our way down the mountain and they back up. Each had varying pieces of advice for us ranging from "drink lots of water" (and the dog too!) to "use your hands when scaling the cliffs." No one thought the little 2 lb dog would make it, but she did!

The biggest difference on this mountain hike is that it occurs in reverse of what you're normally used to for a mountain. You climb down into the mountain to get to the waterfalls, which means that all the hard work is on your way back after you've been at it for awhile & are likely tired. Budget your energy accordingly.

It was very nice going down, especially seeing all the peaks of the mountain range surround you. There was no shortage of amazing views. About 10 minutes in on the trail you can actually see Three Sisters Waterfalls, albeit from very far away. If you listen closely, you can hear the rushing water as well. The first 30 or so minutes is a steady, winding decline down toward the waterfalls.

The closer you get, the steeper the decline. That is when you really start rock climbing. Be careful of loose rocks & dirt on your way down. At one point, previous hikers actually hung a little rope to make it easier to get down and up.

There aren't strong enough words to describe the fact that these descents, closer to the falls, are just about as vertical as you can get without falling off the side of the mountain.

It only took about 45 minutes until we got to the bottom & could see the waterfalls. Gorgeous! Breathtaking! Worth it all.

The hike back up actually seemed to go quicker than the hike down (that's a first), but it was certainly more difficult to manage to get up those rocks we basically slid down on the first part of the hike. The dog tackled a lot of the moderate parts herself, doing better than the humans at time, but she did get carried for the most vertical parts.

We'll definitely do this hike again - though only in the winter to avoid the horror stories of this hike we've read from others, and giving ourselves more time to explore the waterfalls & climb up to see more of them. Some people have reported even swimming in the pools, which does sound like fun.

Tipped off: Schad's Afoot & Afield San Diego County, also written about on the San Diego Reader site.

San Elijo Lagoon

We hiked this trail on a pretty Saturday morning last month. Shorts weather. That's not terribly uncommon for San Diego in mid-February, but still, it's a nice reminder how fortunate those of us are who get to live here. So on a day like this, we wanted to soak up some sun and stretch our legs, and we decided to visit San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve in Cardiff.

• Trail: Rios Avenue Trail (map)
• Location: San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve
  
• Length: Varies. We went about 2 miles out and 2 miles back
  
• Hike time: 2 hours (we took our time)
  
• Terrain: easy, with a couple of moderate climbs and a dodgy makeshift bridge to keep things interesting
  
• Path visibility: Very clear, and especially wide in a few sections, but there were some branches off the main path that were a little less clear
  
• Difficulty: easy
  
• Cost: free!
  
• Highlight destination: the lagoon itself, and the wildlife who make it their home
  
• Beware: Crazy mole creatures, and (allegedly) mountain lions
  

This was probably one of our more leisurely hikes. We really took our time. I think "meandering" is the right word to describe our pace, and that happens to also be a fitting description of the lagoon that stars center stage when walking this trail.

We parked up at the end of Rios Ave. and after a brief moment of indecision we headed to the right of the trailhead, down an incline toward the little loop of Gemma Parks Interpretive Trail that brings you just up alongside the water.

There are some nice little signs along this part of the trail that identify all the different foliage, and we noted them as we walked. But the plantlife didn't get nearly as much attention from us as did this little guy.

We heard him scratching around in the long grass by the side of the lagoon, and when we inspected more closely, we saw his strange little nose sniffing the air just before his looooong teeth pulled some shoots of grass down into his hole with him.

We loitered outside his home for a good 10 minutes, watching him sneak further and further out, until we were able to get a decent picture of him. The surprising thing about him was his size, which was a lot bigger than we first thought when we saw his nose poking out. At first we thought he was a little field mouse or even a little bird down in the grass. But as he ventured further out of his hole, we realized he was closer in size to a well-fed gray squirrel than a little mouse. And the teeth on him! They were some choppers. He had two long buck teeth coming way down out of his face. I certainly would not have wanted to wake up from a nap in the grass with that set of ivories staring back at me.

We finally pulled ourselves away from the Mutual of Omaha moment, and proceeded on the hike. There were some ducks paddling along on the lagoon who seemed to be making better time than us. But then again, they didn't have to stop to take pictures.

After coming to the far end of the interpretative loop, we left the open sandy flats and headed into a section that was a little more overgrown. It looked like a perfect little grove to get lost in for awhile, but we pressed ahead and came to where the trail meets I-5.

We made a short leap across a little offshoot of water from the lagoon and made towards the underpass. There are a few rocks here to climb, but not to worry, someone has kindly laid a little footbridge -- in the "old wooden pallet" style of architecture -- across the trickiest part. Frankly, I was more worried about crossing this thing than I would have been just stepping over the rocks.

Once on the east side of I-5, we walked on about a mile or so further, but other than an ominous sign warning of mountain lions and a particularly playful Yorkie out for her morning constitutional with her sidekick Rottweiler (and their human), there wasn't anymore wildlife to be seen. So we headed back the way we came.

Once we passed back under the freeway, we climbed the hill to take the higher branch of the trail back to the trailhead instead of doubling back on the interpretive loop again.

This gave us a great vista of the lagoon below as well as a little shade and a pretty view of a spider web glowing in the morning sun. It was an appropriate way to finish this decidedly unhurried hike.


Tipped off: Schad's Afoot & Afield San Diego County.

Cook's Greenway Trail

This post has been a long time coming, but we are better late than never on describing this hike. It was an excellent day. Historic, in fact. Superbowl Sunday. We were both in Athens, Ga. & looking for a way to get in a little exercise before the game. We came up with Sandy Creek Park and decided to take on the mother of all trails there - Cook's Greenway Trail.

• Trail: Cook's Greenway Trail (map)
• Location: Athens, Ga.
  
• Length: 4.1 miles out to Sandy Creek Nature Center then 4.1 miles back
  
• Hike time: 3.5 hours (we kinda stopped keeping track)
  
• Terrain: easy, but lots of it
  
• Path visibility: Much of the trail was clearly marked, including a good section being an actual boardwalk. There were many parts though that were literally hikes through the woods & we got a little off the path at one point.
  
• Difficulty: moderately difficult but only because of the length & mud
  
• Cost: $2 each to enter the park
• Highlight destination: tie between the bubbling creek you follow most of the way & the picturesque bridges
  
• Beware: the trail gets very muddy when it has just rained & remember to bring everything you need for a 8+ mile hike (water, snacks)
  

This was such a gorgeous day to be outside. Sure, San Diego gets beautiful weather all the time but asking for high 60s in Georgia during January is really a tall order. But we had it, so off we went to explore the park.

The trail was actually concieved and developed by a local UGA professor, for whom the trail is named. Professor Walter L. Cook Jr., of the UGA Forestry and Recreation and Leisure Services, was the driving force behind the construction of the trail & the layout. He began working on the trail in the 1970s and felt it was important to not only save the area around Sandy Creek but also educate park-goers about the importance of forests & all the critters within. To this end, there were some signs along the path explaining the role of beavers & other wildlife in the area but it would have been great to have more.

I knew it was a 8+ mile hike - out to the Sandy Creek Nature Center for 4.1 miles then back to Sandy Creek Park - but I don't think I really believed my hiking partner was going to be up for the entire hike. The downside of this great day is that because I didn't really think we would do the whole thing, we pretty much left the car unprepared without any water or snacks. By the end of the hike (more than 3 hours later), we were both a little grumpy & definitely tired.

You can start the hike at the Nature Center or the Park, as we did. The path is a very simple "out & back" model with a nice mix of walking by a bubbling creek, over nice little bridges and through the woods. For much of the walk close to the Nature Center, there was a great wooden boardwalk that made path visibility excellent.

The area had recently seen a lot of rain just before our hike, so there were a lot of muddy areas where it was quite difficult to pass in order to continue on the hike.

Not surprisingly, because the weather had just turned nice in Georgia, we ran into several groups of people. We saw everything from other folks on the trail alone to groups of runners (UGA cross-country team, perhaps?). The path is really made for everyone - runners, hikers and mountain bikers & we all seemed to exist nicely together on it without getting in one another's way.

For the true enthusiast, there was an extension loop that added a tad more than a mile to the overall hike. Unfortunately, on the way back to the car we were so tired & grumpy I think that we accidentally took an extension - thereby making our hike more like 9.5 miles.

In the end, it was a wonderful time to unplug from the world, enjoy nature & really get a chance to recharge. After the hike we had no qualms about digging in to a super huge Superbowl feast.

Tipped off: No tip on this one because I had heard about Sandy Creek Park & so we went looking for a hike in it.