6th Ave & Upas St Hiking Trails

A lot of people don't know that Balboa Park has over 65 miles of running/hiking trails. I believe the best starts at 6th Ave and Upas Street. The trails are laid out with color-coded markers for different difficulty and length. While the park has five different trail starts, the individual starts can then be broken up in 1-5 trails in themselves.

This start has a great level of variety. They range from a 1.5 mile "easy" trail through tree lined walkways to a monster 6.6 mile trail that goes from the asphalt to steep dirt paths. If you've ever been driving up the 163 from downtown, and saw the trail next to the road -- this is it, or at least a section of it. The 6.6 trail is one of the few places in San Diego that has oak shade trees.