Juniper Canyon — Attraction in San Diego

This mostly hidden urban trail is a wonderful little pocket of nature in the city. The trailhead from the north is right next to a a residential lot with a small sign. It's small but has several side trails leading out, meaning there's more to explore than the primary trail's length implies.

There was a city maintenance crew trimming bushes and leveling the trail, so it is maintained - although I think they keep it as natural as they can given that much of the trail is made of loose stones that look like they were put there from water flowing there at some points during the year.

The incline is easy but the uneven stones add a challenge. The trail on the north side of Juniper is better maintained and marked than the one to the south - this section dead-ended for me in a giant hole about 5 minutes down the trail.

During most of the hour I spent here, I heard nothing but chirping birds and crickets while the scent of evergreen filled the air. Highly recommend if you want to find a few moments of peace and nature that are easy to access...

Living in the Burlingame neighborhood, Juniper canyon is a piece of open space that figures heavily in my dog walking cycle.

As opposed to nearby Switzer Canyon which is a great spot for a picnic, or to read, meditate, think, imbibe, whatever, Juniper Canyon is a thin walking trail / wash. You're not going to find much area aside right off Juniper street where you can hang out for any extended period of time.

If you enter from the Juniper side, it's a slight uphill walk through a wash up to the exit past the signage on Nutmeg street. It is certainly a wash though, and any type of rain is going to produce a muddy running water mess. This has resulted in some pretty serious ruts and exposed river rock. Ankles beware. Especially if your dog is like mine and likes to pull.

There is an access road off of Maple street if you feel like climbing your way out of the canyon early, but that's up the side and is...

Probably not worth the visit depending on what you’re looking for. This is more of a wash than any sort of hiking trail. Looks like landscaping efforts have been abandoned so there’s overgrown vegetation along the path. The “trailhead” is along a fairly dangerous curved road that people speed through (25MPH limit) and there’s no sidewalk. At least my dog enjoyed it!

FYI: The driving directions are misleading as the entrance is along Juniper St at the dip not within the neighborhood nor Gregory St as Google...