Santa Ysabel East Preserve
0 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!
 About the Santa Ysabel East Preserve
The Santa Ysabel Preserve is a combined 4,600 acre sanctuary which is presently divided into two preserves: East and West. We wrote about the Santa Ysabel West Preserve on this page and finally made out to the other side to document it!
There are many trails you can take on the Santa Ysabel East Preserve making this a place you can return to time and time again and continue having new adventures! 
There are multiple trailheads you can take to enter the preserve but we entered from the Santa Ysabel Nature Center.
Be mindful that this parking lot has a gate with varying hours so do your homework ahead of time so you don’t get locked in! 
While you’re in the area, make sure to grab a bite at Dudley’s Bakery!
It appears the shortest route is 7.5 miles which is not even a loop but an out and back. We just kind of went for it knowing we would not be going the entire way.
We did have our baby with us afterall and were more interested in exploring the area and getting some fresh air! 
We did this hike in December so the weather was mild and greenery was beginning to sprout up. You will be sharing the trail with cows. Please admire them from a distance, never try to spook them, and let them be in peace.
We spotted multiple cows with baby calves which was so sweet to see!
Very quickly we began to ascend up the mountain which allowed for beautiful, scenic views. It should go without saying to make sure you have enough water packed. This is a back-country hike and you will very quickly get pushed away from civilization.
