If you plan to swap the concrete jungle for genuine greenery with the family this winter, Poway, California has tossed its hat into the ring as a prime destination. This small city is packing a big punch with its 78 miles of trails perfect for folks looking to take a break from screen time and enjoy outdoor togetherness. An online trail map on the city's official website makes it a no-brainer to piece together a hike that fits your family's fitness level and curiosity quota.
Take the Community Park Loop, for example. It's roughly a mile long and can easily be knocked out in 30 minutes or stretched to an hour if you decide to slow-roll it and soak in the surroundings. The loop starts at the north end of the parking lot and winds around the park – with a nice jaunt alongside Poway Creek Trail to Bowron Road – before circling back. This is the kind of low-stress, high-reward jaunt that even the littlest legs won't balk at.
Moving on, the South Poway Trails offer a bit of choose-your-own adventure with their patchwork of trails weaving through the area. Parents and pawrents (yeah, fur babies are welcome) alike find the 1.5-mile loop from the Metate staging area to be a particular hit with its moderate incline and Instagram-worthy vistas. These trails are rarely crowded, making them perfect spots to let the kids roam a bit or for bird enthusiasts to catch a glimpse of local avians without interruption.
The Blue Sky Ecological Reserve offers another family hit with a 1-mile roundtrip hike that's all about balance – you've got a shade on the Creekside Trailside and open skies as you traverse the Green Valley Truck Trail. It's not designed to seriously break a sweat but to allow families to breathe in the tranquil outdoors. Adding to the mix, the Espola Road Trail serves up nearly 8 miles of exploration awaited to be broken down into digestible chunks suitable for any age or fitness level.
Now, for those who want to seriously tailor their trek, the Tierra Bonita/Avocado Link/Twin Peaks/Dearborn Trails mix provides a web of routes that navigate through the kind of scenery picture books are made of – including Poway landmarks such as the local rodeo grounds and the Dearborn Memorial Park cemetery. And for a quick outdoorsy fix, the South Poway Trail beckons from Bette Bendixen Park to The Pond and back. It's a little more than a half-mile and a foolproof strategy to tire out the tykes post-playground time.
So next time you're itching to dig up a little adventure without digging too deep into vacation days or pockets, consider Poway your winter break wonderland – sans snow, but plenty of sun and surprises. If you're ready to plan your getaway or just want to sneak a peak at the options, click here to start charting a course for outdoor fun that’s just right for the whole family.
