Sycamore Canyon Open Space Preserve Hike/Photography

Sycamore Canyon consists of 1700 acres of open space and miles of trails. Prior to the October 2003 firestorms, the reserve hosted a diverse habitats including grassland, riparian, coastal sage, oak woodland, and mixed chaparral. Reopened in August 2004, hikers have an opportunity to watch the natural restoration process of a native San Diego habitat.
Directions: From the I-15, exit on Poway Road and go east for 5 miles. Turn right on Garden Road. Turn right on Sycamore Canyon Road and go for 2.3 miles to the parking lot.

For those seeking solitude and recreation in a scenic natural setting, Sycamore Canyon Open Space Preserves has much to offer. Visitors can hike along miles of trails, where they will enjoy grand vistas, abundant wildlife, and interesting reminders of the long and varied history of man's use of the area. Sycamore Canyon consists of 1700 acres of coastal sage scrub and chaparral-covered hills nestled between the cities of Poway and Santee. Bordering on the west side and stretching through the valley floor is the 325-acre Goodan Ranch, a mix of diverse habitats including grassland, riparian, coastal sage, oak woodland, and mixed chaparral.

Goodan Ranch is rich in early American history. Present day structures at the preserve date back to the 1930s, when it was a working ranch. Goodan Ranch and Sycamore Canyon are enjoyable for their peaceful solitude, recreation opportunities, and beauty. You'll find a multitude of different plant and animal habitats, including coastal sage scrub, southern mixed chaparral, oak woodlands, riparian, and native grasslands. Common plants include California sagebrush, buckwheat, chamise, lilac, manzanita, lemonadeberry, coast live oak, sycamores, arroyo willow, and various native grasses. Mule deer, coyote, bobcat, rattlesnakes, and birds such as California gnatcatchers, Hutton's vireos, and scrub jays are among some of the wildlife you may discover.

The preserves contain more than 10 miles of hiking trails, along with a staging area for horses. Horseback riding is allowed seven days a week at Goodan Ranch and Sycamore Canyon.
Sycamore Canyon offers two types of hiking trails. (you can download a copy of the map from the "files" menu on meetup) We can do one or both of the trails, depending on how large of a group we have.

Trail #1 Starting at the Goodan Ranch staging area, Martha's Grove memorial trail descends through hills and canyons covered in coastal sage scrub to an oak grove once visited by Native Americans. This trail is easy to moderate and is a three-mile loop round trip.

Trail #2 Starting on the valley floor, reached from either the Martha's Grove trail or the dirt road, you make a two-mile loop around the southern half of Goodan Ranch, where you'll see historic barns built 60 years ago. This trail system crosses a perennial streams that is home to a variety of wildlife, including numerous colorful species of dragonflies and butterflies. Red-shouldered hawks and black-shouldered kites frequent the trees and meadows. This trail is an easy hike.

3 Meetup groups will be attending this hike: The San Diego Travel Meetup Group, The San Diego Social Activities Meetup Group and the International/ESL Meetup Group.

I will email the Yes's and Maybe's on Thursday with my contact info. We had 25 members attend the hike to Iron Mountain this past Saturday. Thanks for all that came out. It was such a beautiful day!
Daniel Lum (aka Dan Da Swimmer)