Ho Chi Minh Trail - — Attraction in San Diego

Brilliant and insanely risky hike. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS HIKE UNLESS IT IS DRY, YOU ARE AN EXPERIENCED SCRAMBLER AND HAVE PROPER SHOES.

This is one of the most fun hikes I've done and I'm reasonably experienced hiker and scrabbler. BUT THIS IS ALSO THE MOST RISKY. The reason is that there are parts of the hike where you are going over smooth sandstone lubricated by smooth sand. The path is as wide as your boot, and there is a 20-30 foot drop with no handholds into a ravine. In 2021 alone there were 57 cliffside rescues in this area, of which the vast majority were on this hike. There are also many serious injuries and at least one death.

We did not know this when we started the trail. It's really fun and not physically demanding if you're fit. About halfway down you have to go through a slot canyon by bracing against the walls to stop sliding out of control. Then the very narrow and dangerous ledge, which is scary if you're afraid of heights as my wife is. The last bit of the scramble has a knotted rope to allow you to rappell down the cliff. It's not far or very difficult and great fun.

The beach is fantastic with the cliff backdrop. For us it was worth it but it so easily could have ended up tragically.

We returned by walking south and taking the asphalt road up to the main road where we had parked.

It is astonishing that this route is open and does not have the appropriate warnings. No one takes notice of cliff crumbling signs. What is needed is for the trail to be properly maintained by the owner (UCSD?), witha safety rail, and signs explaining what you're signing up for by...

Absolutely Not a Trail — Hike at Your Own Risk

I’m not sure who decided to label this as a trail on Google Maps, but it definitely shouldn’t be considered one. This is not a typical hike—it’s an extremely risky route, and if you choose to go, just know you’re doing so at your own risk.

The trail starts off beautifully and feels like a regular scenic walk… for about five minutes. Then it turns into one of the scariest hikes I’ve ever experienced. There are no signs or markers to guide you, and at certain points, you have to sit and slide down, crawl between trees, walk across logs, and squeeze through extremely narrow paths (if you’re broad you might not fit).

Eventually, it becomes downright dangerous. You’ll find yourself walking on a narrow ledge where only one foot fits at a time—with no railing, no trees to hold onto, and loose sand beneath you that slips easily. One wrong move and it could end badly.

I would honestly say avoid, avoid, avoid—especially if you’re not an experienced hiker or are afraid of heights. But if you’re still determined to go, please prepare yourself mentally and physically, wear proper footwear, and...

It is scary and challenging but I thought worth it! I work out and run daily and still was challenged. Would not recommend for anybody who isn’t fit (if you’re “wide” you literally won’t be able to get through one section), who have balance issues, kids or elderly.

If any of the above apply I mean you can still do the first bit probably, just turn around before the challenging part, which I’ll put in a picture below. I lowkey almost slipped (in running sneakers) because of how slippery sand on smooth rock is. See below.

In the section where you need to squeeze inside of the rocks, I tried going down the wrong section - stick to the left route on the way down through the rocks. I probably wasn’t far off from being one of those “cracked my head open” reviews as a result of going down the right side first instead of the left; it was too narrow and too slippery. The left is still narrow and slippery but it’s manageable.

Beautiful beach at the bottom made it worth the journey. Was pretty quiet and empty. Gliders overhead.

Easier to hike up, besides the incline,...