The San Diego Urban Exploration Meetup Group

 
 
 

Let’s get together for a weekly urban hike through the La Mesa Hills and take on the “Secret Stairs”!

***We leave promptly at 7am. And the Leaders of the hike usually arrive at 6:59am, so don't panic if you arrive early. :-)
***If you are NOT fully vaccinated you may wish to wear a mask as it is impossible to maintain social distancing if someone is going down the stairs while you're going up and visa-versa.

We'll leave at 7:00 AM PROMPTLY (yes...it's early, but a GREAT way to start out your weekend), at the corner of Normal St & Windsor Ave. The pin on google maps should now guide you to the exact starting location at Normal and Windsor), for this brisk hike through the hills of Old La Mesa. The route will take us a little more than 1.5 miles round trip through this neighborhood of old Craftsman and Mid-century Modern homes, up and down 3 DIFFERENT "secret" stairwells boasting 7 flights of stairs, nearly 500 steps, and a 369 ft elevation gain. (1000 stairs round trip + walking time).

This hike will be about 45-60 minutes depending upon how briskly you want to move, but really you can take whatever time you need. It will definitely get your heart and legs working.

I recommend a water bottle. Dress accordingly for the weather that weekend.[1]

Parking is whatever street parking is available. I recommend coming a little earlier than 7:00 to get better parking and to warm up before the hike. Please Note: this is a nice, quiet residential area, so we want to be considerate of that.

[1] If it's raining the hike is automatically cancelled.

 
 
 

Relatively easy exercise and still FREE multi-meetups group events HERE !

Easy mostly flat trail hike after initial short steep access down from the cul-de-sac at North end of Biltmore St. in North Clairemont.

Wonderful initial forest-type canopy over the wide dirt trail alongside a little creek with ponds, until coming out into the main broad hiking trail in the center of San Clemente Canyon/Marion Bear Park.

Many huge sycamores and oaks in this City open-space park with a wide main trail and small stream with some ponds that may have minnows and some orange crawdads if you are lucky/observant enough and go in the wetter season.

Some birds so if you bring binos you may be able to ID different species. We saw big hawks soaring overhead last time, and previously a little skink on trail- SKINK not skunk.

Previously last year we saw lizards, rabbits, ducks, a rare iridescent golden bumble bee, a beehive, a huge great blue heron startled us on a previous hike there as it flew from a pond 15 feet away, and even a tiny snake last summer... Also we have had a closeup of a redhead woodpecker that popped out of its hollow and stared us down from the tree trunk close by the beehive.

Great place to exercise walk and commune with nature for a little while as we tune out any noise from H52 which runs along the North side of San Clemente Canyon. There is some poison oak growing under the trees and off the trail, but we don't venture off the trail or into any bushes so we don't touch it.

Meet us BY 1pm at the North end of Biltmore St, at the trailhead post on sidewalk there.

Early parking in the cul-de-sac, later comers park up street. Please don't block anyone's driveway.

We have a bunch coming from hiking groups also. Quite a big friendly group usually assembles there for this casual fun local hike. Be on time!

Dress appropriate for the weather/temp ( any rain cancels ) and wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring a bottle of water and your camera, hat and sunscreen, binos if you like to see birds up close.

Park bathroom is about halfway along this hike. None at trailhead.

We sometimes get a nice big group for these easy urban park hikes, as you can see with this full bridge. Relatively easy exercise and still FREE multi-meetups group events HERE !

 
 
 

Let’s get together for a weekly urban hike through the La Mesa Hills and take on the “Secret Stairs”!

***We leave promptly at 7am. And the Leaders of the hike usually arrive at 6:59am, so don't panic if you arrive early. :-)
***If you are NOT fully vaccinated you may wish to wear a mask as it is impossible to maintain social distancing if someone is going down the stairs while you're going up and visa-versa.

We'll leave at 7:00 AM PROMPTLY (yes...it's early, but a GREAT way to start out your weekend), at the corner of Normal St & Windsor Ave. The pin on google maps should now guide you to the exact starting location at Normal and Windsor), for this brisk hike through the hills of Old La Mesa. The route will take us a little more than 1.5 miles round trip through this neighborhood of old Craftsman and Mid-century Modern homes, up and down 3 DIFFERENT "secret" stairwells boasting 7 flights of stairs, nearly 500 steps, and a 369 ft elevation gain. (1000 stairs round trip + walking time).

This hike will be about 45-60 minutes depending upon how briskly you want to move, but really you can take whatever time you need. It will definitely get your heart and legs working.

I recommend a water bottle. Dress accordingly for the weather that weekend.[1]

Parking is whatever street parking is available. I recommend coming a little earlier than 7:00 to get better parking and to warm up before the hike. Please Note: this is a nice, quiet residential area, so we want to be considerate of that.

[1] If it's raining the hike is automatically cancelled.

 
 
 

Let’s get together for a weekly urban hike through the La Mesa Hills and take on the “Secret Stairs”!

***We leave promptly at 7am. And the Leaders of the hike usually arrive at 6:59am, so don't panic if you arrive early. :-)
***If you are NOT fully vaccinated you may wish to wear a mask as it is impossible to maintain social distancing if someone is going down the stairs while you're going up and visa-versa.

We'll leave at 7:00 AM PROMPTLY (yes...it's early, but a GREAT way to start out your weekend), at the corner of Normal St & Windsor Ave. The pin on google maps should now guide you to the exact starting location at Normal and Windsor), for this brisk hike through the hills of Old La Mesa. The route will take us a little more than 1.5 miles round trip through this neighborhood of old Craftsman and Mid-century Modern homes, up and down 3 DIFFERENT "secret" stairwells boasting 7 flights of stairs, nearly 500 steps, and a 369 ft elevation gain. (1000 stairs round trip + walking time).

This hike will be about 45-60 minutes depending upon how briskly you want to move, but really you can take whatever time you need. It will definitely get your heart and legs working.

I recommend a water bottle. Dress accordingly for the weather that weekend.[1]

Parking is whatever street parking is available. I recommend coming a little earlier than 7:00 to get better parking and to warm up before the hike. Please Note: this is a nice, quiet residential area, so we want to be considerate of that.

[1] If it's raining the hike is automatically cancelled.