The city of San Diego’s natural spaces can feel like a peaceful escape from the urban hubbub — without driving too far from it. At Chollas Lake Park, in the Oak Park community located south of El Cerrito and Rolando, hikers can do a 2.3-mile easy loop that passes by tall eucalyptus trees and families
The city of San Diego’s natural spaces can feel like a peaceful escape from the urban hubbub — without driving too far from it.
At Chollas Lake Park, in the Oak Park community located south of El Cerrito and Rolando, hikers can do a 2.3-mile easy loop that passes by tall eucalyptus trees and families of ducks and geese. The route goes around the lake and near the North Chollas Community Park and provides a view of downtown San Diego and the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.
I did this hike on a cloudy June morning, which unfortunately meant that the views were muted and gray. However, more than half of the hike is exposed to the sun, so the clouds helped make for nice hiking weather.
Chollas Lake is a 16-acre reservoir that was built in 1901 to provide water for San Diego. In the mid-1960s, the Department of Parks and Recreation began managing the reservoir and later turned it into a youth fishing lake. Today, fishing at the lake is only permitted for children ages 15 and younger.
To reach the park, head to its parking lot on College Grove Drive, just southwest of College Grove Way. There are restrooms, water fountains and a Little Free Library at the start of the trail.
Begin by walking west along the reservoir’s northern side. Hikers can choose to walk on the main paved path or take a dirt trail off to the right, which is marked with a trail sign.
The routes ultimately connect, and I took the trail for about 0.3 miles before it intersected with the paved path. From here, I headed west and descended toward a grove of eucalyptus trees.
Continue down the center of the grove before reaching a gate that leads to an open space.
After about half a mile of hiking, take a trail on the right-hand side that winds up along the ridge of the open space. The turn is marked with a directional sign that points to local places — like the nearby Carver Elementary School — and farther flung destinations like Panama and Canada.
Hikers will stay on this path as it passes behind Carver Elementary School and the houses on Redwood Street. The trail also encircles the North Chollas Community Park below, and it was sweet to see kids playing on the grassy field.
Hikers will continue along the trail as it passes behind Carver Elementary School and above the North Chollas Community Park.
Around the 1-mile mark, the trail starts to head back toward the lake. Hikers will pass the North Chollas Community Park and its parking lot, and a small portion of this section is on the sidewalk. At 1.4 miles, hikers will find their way back onto the dirt path that heads east.
Pass through the eucalyptus grove again to head toward Chollas Lake. Instead of veering left to follow the trail I first took through the grove, I went up a steep trail on the right-hand side of the grove. Either way, hikers will end up on the western side of the lake.
From here, simply follow the perimeter trail for about 0.4 miles as it winds around the lake and back to the parking lot.
I was glad to do a longer hike — the full trail around the lake is only 0.8 miles — but I admit that my favorite part of this excursion was the section around the water. It was mostly shaded, and I stopped a few times to take in the scenery and birds.
The full trail around the perimeter of Chollas Lake is 0.8 miles. …Read More