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Lake Calavera Loop Trail

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CARLSBAD HIGHLANDS ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE

Activity: Day Hike

Distance 4.8 miles, 650’ elevation change, duration 2+ hours, rated Moderate

Feb. 26, 2020

Not every hike can be an epic hike, nor should it be. There needs to be local hikes close to your home, and hikes where you are training and building up towards that epic hike, or just maybe you are only interested in nice little local hike, and have no desire to traverse a treacherous trail barely etched into the side of a mountain, nor plant a flag thus conquering a massive peak.

Lake Calavera Loop Trail is a nice hike for Carlsbad locals. When you stand on top of the Cerro de la Calavera you see that you are surrounded by houses in every direction. The saving grace is down below this area you are left with another impression. You still realize you are in an urban setting, but from the get go you drop down into a bit of a canyon, and because there is a good amount of vegetation you lose that urban feel and it’s more like you are going for a walk in the country.

The Preserve has trails going all over the place, so you can really mix and match your hike to what you would like to do, and how long you want to hike. If you want to hike to the top of Cerro de la Calavera- so be it, or you may want to go over to the little pond like Lake Calavera. You can hike more in the open or more in the bush. So lots of flavors to choose from.

I wouldn’t travel to hike this spot, but if you are in the area it could make for a pleasant afternoon, and it sure beats walking around the neighborhood.

  • This may look like a rock mosaic, but the winter rains have chewed up part of the trail and it looks like a trail crew is doing a nice job for all of us in repairing it.
  • Lake Calavera
“We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down.” – Robert Sweetgall

This was a nice afternoon in the Carlsbad area ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’, stay tuned to San Diego Hiking or perhaps checkout the menu above. PBTA goes adventuring all over the West. Each location is a separate site and thus needs to be FOLLOWED separately. Speaking of which… please COMMENT, FOLLOW, SHARE and LIKE. Like my hat? You can buy it at SHOP APPAREL.

Happy Trails,

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure