Seven Sunny Adventures in North County San Diego

Founder Deanna Ratnikova contributed this piece to the March/April 2024 edition of MomsTown. They also featured The GO Deck in this edition! 

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Seven Sunny Adventures in North County San Diego

Spend your Spring Break week outdoors at these local attractions!

I’m notorious for waiting too late to schedule holiday and summer camps, and while my last-minute scrambles usually result in some form of childcare, there are the occasional days where I find myself serving as “camp counselor”. For those days, I keep a list of new outings ready.

Below, I share some outdoor adventures I’ll be featuring in The GO Deck North County. I hope it helps other moms (and any impromptu “camp counselors” like myself) seeking sunny spots to savor with their family.

Solana Beach Coastal Rail Trail: A paved 1.5-mile trail, sandwiched between train tracks and Hwy 101, may not sound particularly lovely,  but this trail will surprise you.  I enjoyed the artwork dotted throughout, and my daughter loved practicing her scooter skills on the smooth pavement, which makes this trail also perfect for those using strollers or mobility aids.

Nearby attractions also worthwhile: Fletcher Cove and its surrounding sandy shoreline is sublime. Or if you’ve got a four-legged friend in tow, Del Mar’s off-leash Dog Beach is also close.

Leo Carrillo Historic Ranch: We came for the peacocks and stayed for the free guided tour (available on weekends), during which we learned to more properly refer to these colorful creatures as “peafowl” (males are peacocks and females are peahens). The loop trail here is about 2 miles with 150 ft of elevation gain.
Good to know: The ranch is closed on Mondays and no pets are allowed.

San Luis Rey River Trail and Guajome Regional Park: Hike or bike–it’s your choice in Oceanside, and you’ve got two great options here. Hike along 4.5 miles of multi-use trails at Guajome Regional Park traversing diverse habitats. Or for a paved adventure, bring your bike–or maybe even inline skates–and take to the 9-mile (one-way) San Luis Rey River Trail, whose entrance is across Hwy 76 from the park. This relatively flat trail takes you all the way to Oceanside’s coastline.

Good to know: Parking is $5 at the Guajome Regional Park.

Nearby attractions also worthwhile: Visit the nearby Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum (the admission fee is well worth it, especially if you’ve got a train enthusiast in your group). The museum is located next to the Rancho Guajome Adobe, an authentic 1850s adobe hacienda, which features free guided tours Wed-Sun. 

Oceanside Pier: Speaking of Oceanside’s coastline, walk out the nearly 2,000 ft wooden pier and cast a line in the ocean–no fishing license required here! If you’re searching for ways to increase your step count, take to “The Strand” along this wonderful waterfront; it’s approximately 1 mile one-way.

Good to know: Why pay for parking (or spend an hour searching for a free spot) when you can take the Coaster or Sprinter. Kids love traveling by train, and both routes stop near the Oceanside Pier.

Palomar College Arboretum: No need to trek down to Balboa Park to see an enchanting Moreton Bay Fig tree; this arboretum has a spectacular one and much more, including a James Hubbell sculpture. The main trails are ADA compliant, so visitors of all abilities can enjoy this space. The arboretum itself isn’t particularly large, so if your kiddos are still brimming with energy after exploring the arboretum, venture out to the rest of the Palomar College campus. It’s also designated as a botanical garden (yes, the entire campus!).

Good to know: Though the arboretum is free to visit, be prepared to pay for parking. Also, only service pets are allowed.

San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve:  Until recently, I had only explored one trail within the reserve’s system, and you can probably guess which one…yep, Annie’s Canyon Trail. But I’ve been remiss to not visit more of the 9 miles of trails that cover this alluring lagoon. One day we started at the Nature Center on Manchester Ave (open daily) and explored the 1-mile loop trail. Another day we discovered La Orilla Trail off of El Camino Real (after I passed the San Dieguito County Park entrance and figured this trailhead 0.5 mile down the road might connect somehow to the park’s trail system…it does not, but it was still worthwhile!). 

Good to know: There are 10 trailheads for the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve.

Kit Carson Park Loop Trail: After discovering that Queen Califa’s Magical Circle is not open daily, I quickly concocted a plan to convince my daughter that our trip to Kit Carson Park wasn’t for naught: “Let’s travel the loop trail and see how many different creatures we can find along the way!” Though she was definitely bummed to see the sculpture garden’s gate closed, two playgrounds, some disc golfers, and a lot of waterfowl later helped soothe her soul. Part of the loop trail is hard-packed dirt, the other half paved. The loop itself is just over 2 miles, but if you add on the Upper Valley Trail and visits to viewpoints along the way, you can reach about 3 miles in total mileage.

Good to know: Queen Califa’s Magical Circle is open 9am-noon Tues/Thurs and 9am-2pm the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.