Easy trail for beginners. Mostly flat terrane and pretty wide trail. It allows biking as well as horse riding. The view is not that great but almost the whole trail has shade so you wont have to be afraid with too much sun. Entrance fee was $5 and there were plenty of parking spaces. Drone is not allowed.

Brought my family here for a short hike. This places is great for little ones; the trail is very flat. There is a creek that runs along the trail. We tried to catch a crawdad, no luck. But a family we talked with caught 10 crawdads the week before, and released them. Its $3 to park, honor system.

Great place to visit for all ages. Multiple trails leading you from tree covered streams and open grassland to bouldering and waterfalls. Area is perfect for hiking or biking or horseback riding.with the full loop covering approximately 13miles. Its a preserve so parking onsite will cost $3 but totally worth it.

Beautiful place in the city. Lots of hiking, biking and even horse trails. $3 to park in their lot. A few options to get around their lot, though. I dont mind paying it to help keep preserve in good shape. Check out website for volunteer opportunities to help.Our World - Keep it nice!

Amazing place to hike! I hike there all the time! Amazing sights and views. Its a great place to also ride horses there. My horse and I love it there!

Amazing view! They need better details about the length of the trail its very long! Hard to find all the gems in the area if your a tourist. Lots of people but overall amazing experience!

It has a lot of nature including a waterfall and a scorpion. May not be the only scorpion but the only one my kid spotted on accident. Also, well maintained trail. Pay three bucks and use the parking lot and outhouse. Instead of a starbucks, there is a vending machine. Remember those? Cool, going again soon.

Looks nothing like the pictures. Might try this hike again during winter times

Average hiking locale near the 56 and 15. Its best to give it a couple hours to trek over to the waterfall that is purportedly there. I also heard a kid got attacked by a cougar in May 2019 - watch out. Pleasant otherwise. Some people fishing, biking, jogging, birding, etc.

Wow, this one is the hidden gem! So beautiful place to hike with kids. We saw the dear and some frogs. Well maintained!Just 5 minutes from the parking lot you can reach the small river and keep going you will see more and more. After passing to the grass field you will reach to the water fall. So amazing. Should spend time with your family for this trail. Around 6 miles for the whole trail which is covered by a lot of shades. My baby is 4 and a half but she did it! This is one of My favorite trail, love it.

Whoever does the portable restrooms maintenance must be eather on vacation or cheating and skiping duites. Yesterday my wife needed to go badly and when approaching the portable restrooms all of them were disgustingly dirty. There were not also water in the portable sink. Minutes before, I had left not the 3 dollars required for parking, but 5 dollars hoping to have a good time. It doesnt make sense to open the trial and charge money when it is not ready for the public.

Great hiking I loved the small river.

This park is really cool. The trails are very diverse and in the winter there is a lot of water. This is a great spot to run, hike, bike, or take the dog for a walk. This place is also has a lot of geocaches that are not terrible difficult to find. There is public restrooms and water fountains available but only in the parking lot, bring a water bottle because it does get hot here. Parking was $3 at the time I wrote this but it is well worth it. This it truly one of the gems of San Diego County.

Great dog friendly trails, but the main trail is really rocky for dog feet and tight now the side trails have lots of snakes. But it is a beautiful place. I like to take my dogs on the side trails, so I go when its not so snakey.

2nd time as crowded as the first but BEAUTIFULA bit too long of a hike for my godchildren under 10yrs but seen younger children doing the hike like it was a piece of cake

3 dollar parking, there might not be parking so u have to park on the road. Go during WEEK days! Its easy! During the weekend too much traffic. FANTASTIC hike for anyone. Dogs and horses are a yes.

Great flat trail to go out and have a great 7mile walk to the falls but easy enough to carry a conversation with friends. This one is great for the kiddos

Fantastic place for all sorts of hiking, biking and horse back riding. Flat, shady with lots of trees

Hubs and I had our photos taken here. Absolutely loved the scenery

Nice place to mountain bike

Beautiful views! Good for long hikes.

The water fall in Los Penasquitos canyon is a unexpected delight

I really enjoyed this trail. Its a good walk, especially if you plan on making it to the waterfall. There are signs to follow, so you cant miss it! Horses, bikes and leashed dogs are all welcome! I highly recommend it!

A lovely hidden trails that give a nice break from urban life.

Great hike. Waterfall was extremely crowded though.

The best place. To ride my bicycle. Or hiking

Lovely place to walk with dog, mix of shared and some fun creek crossings

Great place for exercise walking, running, walking your dogs and just plain nature and you

Good hiking and walking paths. Only walked the cactus trail and saw the creek but there was tons more to explore, including a waterfall!

Beautiful hike along the river.

Loved Riding with a friend!Gidyupp on my Colorado Mustang & little Cowboy!

This place is incredible. I had no idea it was here until about a week ago, and Ive been several times already! The 7 mile round trip hike to the waterfall and back is very lovely and a decent work out. The trail is very rocky, gravelly, and sandy so even though it is flat mostly it is not super easy to walk on.There are plenty of beautiful sights to see along the entire hike, from beautiful meadows and fields, to forest enclosures and streams, creeks, and waterfalls! There is also an old settlers grave in the canyon marked by a sign, so thats interesting. It has a small plaque with some information about the settler on it!This is a great area for day of exploration and adventure. With so many other trails and side paths there is much to discover!

Overall Id give this hike a 5 if it was as beautiful year round as it was on 3/22/2020. Parked on the west side of the Park near Sorrento Valley Rd. Hiked the trail just south of the creek and it was very scenic. A bit muddy due to the recent rains, but nothing too muddy. The waterfall was flowing due to the rains and there were limited people. The route back we used the trail North of the creek and it too was pretty special. On the way to the waterfall we saw a young cayote which was about 30 yards away, a bit unusual he was hunting in the lateafternoon. On the way back we saw 4 beautiful deer that were also very close, within 25 yards and as I was getting ready to take a picture, my dog scared them away!

Great place for a beginning hiker, runner, or bicyclists. Its not to challenging but its safe, clean, and beautiful.

Loved this hiking trail

$3 to get in is a steal. Hike the trail to the waterfal, but bring some water and snacks, its a ling hime.

Such an amazing experience! Trails are beautiful, just be careful with the snakes.

One of the largest urban preserves. Great place to hike or bike.

Great hike, straight route, easy to follow, cant get lost loved it!!

Felt like a five mile hike round trip. This trail is flat and easy no hills just enjoy the streams, trees and a waterfall at the end

What a great place to walk! easy trail lots of shade on the south west side of the river. there is still water going over the falls. good easy 6.5 miles round trip.

Beautiful and quiet, sage smells, dappled sunlight. A good place to get away for a while and stroll in nature or a horseback ride. Theres a creek and waterfall, bunnies, deers and coyotes. Please leash your dog and look out for rattlers.

Great relatively flat hike. It is pretty and shaded in many areas. On rare occasions I have seen deer on this trail.

Really great trail. Went with my girlfriends and their kids. As for the kids they were probably exhausted, but as for the adults, it was great leg work.

Fantastic trail repairs done by the Boy Scouts, at Cobblestone Trail on National Trails Day 2018.

Nice bridges beautiful scenery in a lot of sheds from trees

Beautiful place, nice hike. Lots of flowing water around this time of year

Easy, pretty level. A couple different routes to take, so you can choose. Then when you get to the waterfall, you can jump around the rocks to see different tiny waterfalls.

Good trail, but not so easy. It took one hour to waterfall from the parking area. The road is basically flat.

Its a flat hike, pretty boring, the waterfall its not much of a a waterfall

Beautiful area, too crowded for my liking on horseback.

Seems like a place to go hiking.

Heres the only serious review ik ever do so listen up:3 dollar parking fee3 hours min of walking3 trails, 2 for people and one for horsesThe 3 magic 3s

Unexpected beauty.

Beautiful place to spend time with family while getting exercise.

Trail offers lots of shade and creek for dogs. Lots of people on trail.

Great beginner hike. Its a very level hike/walk with great scenery (especially right after the rainy season). There are spots without shade, so prepare accordingly. We did the 6 mile loop from the south lot to the falls and back. The waterfall is more of a set of cascading drops and there are lots and lots of people at the falls.

Easy hiking trail to waterfall.

Beautiful area for a quick and easy hike and get away -

We liked here very much. So sadly my Mom can’t be here.

Real nice intermediate mountain biking with harder stuff along the sides of the main trail

Beutiful easy hike with lost of creeks and trees

Omg, love the it. We have only been there once but we are sure to come back.

It is a beautiful and ready trail, that goes along side a creek. End of the trail there is a waterfall. A 7 mile round trip.

This is a beautiful preserve; the highlight trail of this area features a waterfall. You can also find woodpeckers and numerous small wildlife despite its proximity to neighborhoods. If you need help figuring out what trail to hike, stop by the visitors center at Mercy Rd and Black Mountain.

Pretty flat but great for an easy still

It was a beautiful hike which my partner and I enjoyed very much. However, at the end of the hike on our way back to my car, we were stopped by a Caucasian park ranger who spoke to us in a very rude manner. He threatened to give us a $200 ticket and tow my car because we were inside of the park 10 mins after 5pm. He also condescendingly asked if we could read English and if we thought the rules didnt apply to us. (Im American of Bengali descent, my partner is Dominican.) He then told us to get in his car and drove us back to the entrance of the park. Weird thing is while we were driving back we saw a Caucasian woman with her dog and he drove past her and didnt say a word nor did he stop her for being at the park after 5pm. Needless to say, the rest of the ride was very awkward....

Nice hiking and mountain biking in Northern San Diego.

Beautiful and green, especially after the recent rains. 6 miles in and out, mostly flat terrain. Waterfall was worth it. They lock the gate at *5pm Sharp* so plan accordingly

One of my very favorite short and easy hikes! The waterfall at the end is so beautiful and well deserved! This hike is usually a hot one so make sure you check the temperature before going and especially before taking your pooch with you! Not very many shaded areas along the path.

It was a very beautiful place and experience and is a good place to go for a walk in or to ride your horse in.

Sweet local spot for hammocking

Fun place to mountain bike ride around from one and to the other and back

It is my first time to hike this place and its really nice. I saw some reviews saying that theres not much of shade but there are plenty of shades. The only thing is, if you want to rest, theres no single bench along the way that you can sit down to rake a break except by the grave. Definitely take a lot of water if you want to explore the whole area. I did not have a chance to go the water fall because I was so tired. I hiked for two hours and I still didnt have a chace to explore the whole place.

This is my favorite horse trail. Lots of variations. Water crossing, canopy, wide well maintained trails. And good trailer parking, round pen.

Hike is fairly level along the canyon. There’s a variety of vegetation, and the highlight is the waterfall, which has amazing rock formations around it.

I grew up there as a kid.i know just about every trail and offtrails

Good if you want a flat walk in nature. The waterfall is nothing to write home about.

The area maybe surrounded by homes and urban communities but there are still mountain lions and wild life out here, be prepared in defending yourself if needed.... lions need land, too, and youre trespassing....

A very beautiful river once you reach 3 miles

We hike these local trails regularly. Its a beautiful little piece of nature in the middle of city living.

It was a really nice long walk to waterfall with my family and other friends family. Kids have so much fun walking 3.1 miles each way which I can not believe it. Bring planning of water, nice to play at the river so dont forget to bring something to dry after. Other than that I love it and my kids want to do it again which is great.

Not a bad hike at all. Very nice for the dog (or horse, or bike...). Bring some good shoes or hiking boots; theres rocky areas and most of it is gravel/sand. Its better to stay off the main trail, too. More scenic, less crowded, less distractions for a sensitive dog. Shadier too! The waterfall is the highlight of the area, I guess. Thats about a 3.5 mile hike one-way from the preserve entrance. If you end up parking at the actual preserve, theres a $3 charge. But Im sure you can find parking nearby and walk onto the trails that way...

Beautiful park

Great place to bike, run, walk, hike, or even ride horses.The waterfall is amazing and a terrific place to cool day on a hot sunny day. If you are feeling adventurous, take some of the side trails that go back and forth across the creek...there are some cool little wooden bridges across some parts of the stream.

....not too much

Beautiful easy hike.

Great summer trail ride for horse and human.

I always love taking my dogs for hikes along the trails.

Had a fun time on these trails. Very beautiful. The waterfall is not a really waterfall. More like a babbling Brook. Bring water!! Lots of options.

$3 to park off of Black Mt. Rd./Mercy cash only, no change.Hike to waterfall is 3.2 miles. The bike trails are very wide and well kept and are good for hiking/running as well. Little to no elevation change. Equestrians will use parts of trails as well. There is little shade along the trails so bring sunscreen and/or a hat. Bring at least two bottles of water. You may fill up at the ranch house. The waterfall is nice but its nothing dramatic, its more like the creek pools in various spots, grows some long grass, and gently moves on past you. I saw plenty of dogs splashing and cooling off. Overall, a very satisfying adventure.

3-ish mile hike on a flat dirt trail, great for running and bringing your dog! Trail ends at a cool stream to dip your feet in. The trail has sparse shade so bring lots of water and stay covered

Nice long trail with waterfall area at the end. Very nice walk

Fun hike, take the smaller trails much prettier.

Biking to the waterfall was so much fun with my better half. The bikes definitely made a difference!

Beautiful hiking area with bikers and horses. First visit we saw a mountain lion about 10 feet off the trail and 30 feet ahead of us. My heart is still racing.

Peaceful, easy walk ending in a nice little waterfall with some cool rocks.

AWESOME, THE BEST. We are equestrians and the facility and trails are beautiful. Water crossings good for greenies and trails thru the trees are great! Two clean nice outhouses, not the cheap ones with water soap and towels to wash your hands. Very nice. $3 for parking but be generous if you can. We want to help this preserve stay around. From Menifee it took about 1 hour to get there.

Such an unexpectedly stunning open space. Mountain biking, running, hiking and dog walking is all made for a spot like this. Carsons Crossing and the creek is so serene- not to be missed!

Awesome hike! Did about 10 miles from Black mountain Rd. To the waterfall and back. It mainly just open trails. Best part is the waterfall and rocks. Its well worth the hike and a good workout!!