Annie's Slot Canyon San Diego

If you're looking for a super short hike, this 10 minute flat walk couldn't be more ideal. Start at 840 N Rios Avenue, Solana beach and walk east towards the FWY 5 where you will see Annie’s Canyon on your right.

1. If you are looking to get away and do a quick slot canyon, this is the perfect canyon close to downtown San Diego. Although it will only take you about 10 to 20 minutes to complete the slot canyon portion of this hike, it is still great to be outdoors and find a fun little slot canyon in the heart of San Diego.
2. Hiking in Solana Beach, CA.

Annie’s Canyon, formerly known as the “Mushroom Caves,” in San Elijo Lagoon has quickly become one of San Diego’s “must-do” hikes. For years, the narrow sandstone slot canyon was officially closed to the public, but served as an illicit party spot. Thanks to a generous donation by someone known only as “Annie,” as well as tremendous effort by volunteers, the area has been cleaned up and a new trail known as “Annie’s Canyon Trail” has been established. The hope is that by opening the area to the public it will no longer be a desirable hangout for illegal activities.

We had previously hiked Annie’s Canyon by starting at the Solana Hills trailhead east of the canyon. Unfortunately, that trailhead has been temporarily closed due construction work. So we decided to do a shorter, easier route to Annie’s Canyon starting from the N Rios Avenue trailhead to the west.

We arrived early in the morning, hoping to beat the crowds, and parked along the street at the end of N Rios Avenue. The trail began at the end of the cul de sac, and we took the right fork leading east.

We had our first wildlife encounter right off the bat. A Mourning Dove perched on the fencepost, hardly flinching as we approached.

We followed the trail down a short hill.

The trail leveled out, and the brush cleared long enough to allow us a view of the wetlands.

We came upon a flock of Mourning Doves hanging out along the trail.

As we approached, the birds scattered, most taking up position in a dead tree on the side of the trail.

At .22 miles we came to a “Y” junction where the Gemma Parks interpretive loop split off on the left. This reconnects to the main trail further up, and we intended to return by that route. For now we stayed to the right for a more direct route to Annie’s Canyon.

The brush was lower growing along this section of trail, with buckwheat, sage and baccharis replacing the taller elderberry and willow trees we’d seen earlier.

At .32 miles we came to another “Y” junction. The right fork led up to another neighborhood access point. We stayed left.

Soon we could see I-5 in the distance. Birds in the lagoon below didn’t seem to be disturbed by the nearby traffic.

There were plenty of benches along the trail, offering some quiet spots to sit and enjoy the views. At .44 miles, across from one of these benches, we noticed a side trail leading off to the left. This led to the Gemma Parks Interpretive trail we had noticed earlier, and we made a note of this junction so we could take it on our way back.

At just over .5 mile, we came to the turn-off for Annie’s Canyon on our right.

We followed the path to the start of the loop that traveled through the canyon. If you don’t want to squeeze through the slot (which I do not recommend if you have a dog with you), you can head left to just visit the view point. We were going all the way though, so we turned right to head into the canyon.

The canyon started off nice and wide, with sandstone walls towering above us.

But as we continued, the trail began to narrow.

The trail bent east, narrowing down to the point where we had to squeeze through.
As we made our way through the narrowing canyon, we found the “mushroom cave” on the left. Despite all the restoration work that had been done in the canyon, the cave ceiling remained charred and the walls still showed deep carvings and paint, leading me to imagine how horribly defaced the entire area must have been before the restoration work had been done.

Past the cave, we continued to squeeze our way through the canyon, climbing upwards.

It didn’t take too long to reach the metal ladder that led us out of the tightest section of the slot.

From there it was just a bit further to the viewing area at the top.

At the top, we had a terrific view of the sculpted sandstone canyon walls.

We continued along the trail, following it down the outside of the canyon.

We soon found ourselves back on the main trail under a grove of towering Eucalyptus trees.

We turned left, retracing our route back towards the start, but around .9 mile we took a side trail on our right. This led to a section of the Gemma Parks Interpretive Loop, where we could enjoy some better views of the wetlands on our return journey.

We quickly came upon a “T” junction and turned left, heading west.

Soon, we found ourselves alongside a wide channel of water.

Ducks floated in the water, while various shorebirds wandered through the shallows looking for food.

Around 1.2 miles, the side trail curved back towards the north and rejoined the main trail. We turned right, and retraced our path back to the staging area.

Directions:
From I-5, take the Lomas Santa Fe Dr exit, and head west on Lomas Santa Fe Drive. Turn right onto N Rios Avenue and continue to the end of the road and park along the street. The trailhead will be at the end of the cul-de-sac. map

For more information, visit:
San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy – Annie’s Canyon Trail
San Diego County Parks and Recreation – San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve
Virtual Tour of Annie’s Canyon
View route or download GPX from CalTopo

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The slot canyon in Anza Borrego is one of those hikes that you never realized you had right in California. The slot is a beautiful natural formation nestled in the heart of Anza Borrego State Park, about an hour and a half east of San Diego. The park has no fees to enter and hundreds of miles to explore and off-road through. It even has unique areas such as the palm tree oasis of Hellhole Canyon, abandoned mines, and of course, the slot canyon itself. Here is all the information if you want to check it out.

Details

Getting There

Make no mistake, you will have to work to find this place. While it is technically on the map, it is still challenging to find, as it is located about two miles down a dirt road that is very easy to miss. My suggestion would be to check in with the visitor’s center before trying to head out to the canyon. The map below will get you close, but it is really easy to miss if you do not know where the road will be. Here is a map that the visitors center provides.

The road to the slot was dirt and a little rough, but we were able to go 3 /4ths of the way with a Ford Focus, so most cars should be able to get at least as close as we did. From where we parked, it was about 200 yards to the start of the hike. There are no signs to direct you where to go, just know when you get to the area in the below picture you want to head down into the canyon for the start of the slot.

Right where the above car is, is where you can make your way down. Also, make sure that you mark your entrance as it can be hard to tell exactly where you entered when you come back out. We made a small pile of rocks that let us know this was our exit.

Annie's Slot Canyon San Diego Map

The Slot

After walking about 100 yards, you will see the entrance to the start of the slot canyon. As you proceed, the canyon starts to get taller and taller around you, while the path gets more and more narrow. You can see the entrance below.

The next mile or so is a fantastic experience. You simply weave your way through the canyon as it gets to about 100 feet on either side of you. The canyon gets so narrow in some places that you actually have to go sideways. I was carrying a hydration pack, which I took off and left halfway through the hike to pick back up on the way out, as it was scraping and making walking through the narrow canyon difficult.

About three-fourths of the way, you will reach the natural rock bridge. It is a great place to stop and take in the size of the canyon you are in.

After you pass the bridge, the slot canyon opens and dumps you out on a dirt road. From here, you can walk all the way out and loop back around, or you can simply head back into the canyon. We elected to do the latter and headed back in only to see a nice tarantula greeting us at the entrance.

Annie's Slot Canyon San Diego Hotels

Check out my video to get a glimpse as to what walking through the canyon is like and make sure you put this on your list of places to check out. It is a unique experience that is easy enough for the whole family or can be combined with other hikes in the park if you are going with an active group of hikers.

For more great things to do in Anza Borrego check out this great site.