Daley Ranch

DISTANCE: 10.5 miles
TIME: 2 hours (bike)
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
COORDINATES:
N33 10.024 W117 03.112

Okay, so I didn't really do this hike; I biked it, and although I did see hikers on the trail, Daley Ranch appears to be much more popular with the mountain bikers, and for good reason. There are several single-track trails and broad dirt roads that can be taken, and maps detailing routes and mileage are readily available at the main trailhead off La Honda road in North Escondido, near Dixon Lake.

We followed the Englemann Oaks Trail on a loop which ended up to be about 10.5 miles. This was one of the longer routes; several shorter routes are also available. Daley Ranch is largely unshaded and has some uphills and downhills that will have both hikers and bikers out of breath.

The only downfall to mountain biking is that you really don't have much time to capture the details of the route. However, you usually come out with better stories about who flipped over the handlebars and went flying into a ravine (see one Scout's cracked helmet to the left after he did just that).

There are two nice ponds and a ranch house that lie in the center of the network of trails. There is also an oddly shaped rock formation, on the Rock Ridge trail which resembles the leathery skin of an elephant. If you are botanist, follow this link to see a list of plant species that were identified on this trail.