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Another comfort factor is elevation, which is the leading determinant for easy versus difficult trails. While coastal San Diego County isn’t highly mountainous, the landscape does rise and fall in a dramatic fashion here and there. As a consequence, the most demanding trails in this book may involve hundreds (but never thousands) of feet of elevation gain and loss—cumulative elevation change—over the course of the hike.

Your payoff for elevation gain in this region is views, views, and views. San Diego is not only highly scenic, but it’s also scenically diverse. One route offers a vista of waves and ocean bluffs, while a nearby trail darts into a fragrant eucalyptus grove, and yet another threads through oak woods next to a trickling stream. One trailside panorama encompasses square miles of boulder-frosted mountainsides, while an urban vista frames downtown San Diego’s glimmering skyline over the sparkling waters of San Diego Bay.

For a healthy mix of flora and fauna, city and country, you’re in the right place when you hike here. The whole of San Diego County (4,526 square miles) is home to more than 2,000 species of native plants and has more biodiversity than any area of comparable size within the continental United States. Some 500 species of birds have been spotted in San Diego County, more than most other counties or parishes in the nation, including Hawaii. Among the 50 routes covered in this book, you will come upon enough living things to not disappoint. And the hike descriptions tell you what to especially look for among plant and animal species along that trail. Also among these 50 routes, at least a quarter of the hikes weave through some of San Diego’s most interesting urban neighborhoods. You’ll enjoy the inner city’s treasure trove of historical, architectural, and cultural points of interest.