Doane Valley
2 Reviews
Hello everyone! This is a friendly reminder that any of these fun places we may visit, we are a guest at. Please treat both businesses and trails with the utmost respect. We here at Hidden San Diego follow the 'Leave no Trace' mantra, meaning whatever you bring with you comes back with you. If you see trash on a trail, please do your part to help remove it. Remember, we are not picking up trash from another person but instead cleaning up for Mother Nature. Happy adventures!
34794 Doane Valley Rd
Palomar Mountain, CA 92060
Where to Park:Â 33.341644, -116.901441
Pond: 33.340092, -116.901287
Hike: .1 miles   Level: Easy
Dog-Friendly: No  Kid-Friendly: Yes
CHECK OUT OUR GUIDE ON ALL THEÂ HIDDEN GEMS ON PALOMAR MOUNTAINÂ FOR AN AMAZING DAY TRIP!
About Doane Valley:
HOW TO GET THERE: From San Diego, travel north on I-15 and exit at Highway 76, traveling east toward Pala Reservation and Casino. Turn left onto South Grade Road (S6) and follow this winding road to the Palomar Crest. Make the next left onto Canfield Road and then another immediate left onto State Park Road. Follow State Park to the entrance and pay the $8 day-use fee (at time of writing). Just past the entrance, turn right onto Doane Valley Road and follow it to the parking lot at Doane Pond. The trailhead is on the southwest corner of the lot, closest to the pond and the restrooms.
Personal Experience
I was thinking I maybe made a bad decision convincing my friends to come up here during a scattered rainstorm. The drive was THICK with fog which, although eerie and beautiful, is really scary to drive in!
Once we had parked and were headed to the trail, I fell in a waist-deep sinkhole! I was soaking wet and hit my knee on concrete which really hurt. What a way to start a hike!
After those scares and embarrassments, the real beauty began. There was drizzle most of our hike but the fog made this possibly the most surreal hike I’ve ever been on.
It was SO beautiful. Palomar Mountain is gorgeous any time of the year but when you visit in the winter when it’s thick with fog, oh man, it is a brand new experience!
Make sure to visit Doane Pond when you’re here which is about a minute hike from the parking lot! My two must-visit trails in Doane Valley are the Weir Trail and French Valley Trail, both which can easily be done in the same day!
“Hey, lemme get a picture of you looking in that hole!”
The rest of these photos were taken on other days, closer to spring time:
charley
Wow, amazing photos! I’ve been there many times but never when it’s foggy. This looks like it was a very memorable hike!
January 17, 2017
Marta Tabares
I came to this place, thanks to this Website at the begining of November of this yer, 2020. I was very happy to see the combination of brown and green colors all around, the Pond is really nice and there is that feeling of peace and cozyness all around, so much, that I booked a camping trip to come back on April of 2021 to see the spring here. Thank you so much Jessica, for doing this!!!
December 2, 2020