SUBSCRIBE | NEWSLETTERS | MAPS | VIDEOS | BLOGS | MARKETPLACE | CONTESTS
TRY BACKPACKER FREE!
SUBSCRIBE NOW and get
2 Free Issues and 3 Free Gifts!
Full Name:
Address 1:
Address 2:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Email: (required)
If I like it and decide to continue, I'll pay just $12.00, and receive a full one-year subscription (9 issues in all), a 73% savings off the newsstand price! If for any reason I decide not to continue, I'll write "cancel" on the invoice and owe nothing.
Your subscription includes 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Or click here to pay now and get 2 extra issues
Offer valid in US only.

Also on Backpacker.com


Enter Zip Code

Backpacker Magazine – October 2009

Quick Escapes: 10 Trails Near Major Cities

The perfect metro-area trail: close, wild, uncrowded. Here are 10 major city options.

by: Adrienne Saia Isaac

PAGE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Hohokam Petroglyphs, Phoenix's South Mountain (Jon Mancuso)
Hohokam Petroglyphs, Phoenix's South Mountain (Jon Mancuso)
San Diego, CA (Brett Holman)
San Diego, CA (Brett Holman)
Coastal Trail, Golden Gate Recreation Area (Ed Callaert)
Coastal Trail, Golden Gate Recreation Area (Ed Callaert)

The Wild Edge: Exploring Portland's Forest Park
When urban trails blend with raw wilderness, the sum is much greater than the parts. By Bill Donahue

trip iconFree Maps! Our Contributors Favorite Local Hikes
Online or via your cellphone these trips are ready to be downloaded and explored.

Phoenix | San Diego | San Francisco | Boston | New York | Philadelphia | Chicago | Seattle | Los Angeles | Austin

San Diego, CA
See SoCal the way it was.

Think this city by the sea is all beach? Think again. According to the Trust for Public Land, it has one of the highest park-land-per-capita rates in the country (36.2 acres per 1,000 residents). It's easy to find your slice. In town: Balboa Park's Trail #5 makes a 6.6-mile loop that passes through Palm Canyon, an oasis fed by an underground stream (balboapark.org). Close to town: Climb San Diego's 1,591-foot high point on the Cowles Mountain Trail (three miles round-trip). It's in Mission Trails Park, eight miles northeast of town. mtrp.org


PAGE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter
Name:
Address 1:
Address 2:
City:
State:
Zip:
Email (req):
Reader Rating: -

READERS COMMENTS

Eric
Nov 18, 2009

I think you forgot Portland.

gordon larson
Nov 12, 2009

that's the very area i like to hike when i'm in nyc after some appalachian tr hiking. get to nyc a day before your departure flight, the hostel's only a half mile from the park. a few blocks from the subway. perfect.

ADD A COMMENT

Your rating:
Your Name:

Comment:

My Profile Join Now

Most recent threads

Gear
back pack gear list / cost
Posted On: May 18, 2013
Submitted By: no_granola
Rocky Mountains
WIND RIVER RANGE pack: July 4-12
Posted On: May 18, 2013
Submitted By: melikeethewild

Go
View all Gear
Find a retailer

Special sections - Expert handbooks for key trails, techniques and gear

Editors' Choice 2013
412 trail-tested products

Boost Your Apps
Add powerful tools and exclusive maps to your BACKPACKER apps through our partnership with Trimble Outdoors.

Carry the Best Maps
With BACKPACKER PRO Maps, get life-list destinations and local trips on adventure-ready waterproof myTopo paper.

FREE Rocky Mountain Trip Planner
Sign up for a free Rocky Mountain National Park trip planning kit from our sister site MyRockyMountainPark.com.

Follow BackpackerMag on Twitter Follow Backpacker on Facebook
Get 2 FREE Trial Issues and 3 FREE GIFTS
Survival Skills 101 • Eat Better
The Best Trails in America
YES! Please send me my FREE trial issues of Backpacker
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Full Name:
City:
Address 1:
Zip Code:
State:
Address 2:
Email (required):
Free trial offer valid for US subscribers only. Canadian subscriptions | International subscriptions