Part of Hiking Trails, our guide to hiking trails across San Diego County, from city peaks to desert canyons.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is closed to all visitors from September 22, 2026. Cedar Creek Falls needs a $6.00 permit reserved in advance. Cleveland National Forest pages showed fire danger “High” on 2026-10-23. Official pages warn of heat and rattlesnakes. Check the agency page for each trail before you go.Checked October 23, 2026.
Closures Come First
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is closed. State Parks wrote on its page, read 2026-10-23: the Reserve “will be closed to all visitors, including pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles,” starting Tuesday, Sept. 22, including all trails, the Beach Trail Staircase, the Lodge and both upper parking lots. See our Torrey Pines trails page. The same State Parks page also says “All trails are open,” which conflicts with the closure; we go with the closure until State Parks says otherwise. The page does not give a reopening date.
Closures, fire orders and heat closures change. This guide states what each agency page said on 2026-10-23; it is not permanent. Always open the agency page before you leave.
Fire Danger
Cleveland National Forest trail pages read on 2026-10-23 showed a fire danger banner of “High” for the ranger districts (the Garnet Peak page showed it for the Descanso Ranger District). Alerts are posted at the forest alerts page. Two alert pages found in a search (an extreme-heat closure for October 2 to 8, 2026, and a San Diego River Gorge closure area) returned “not found” when we opened them, so we state no current closure for Cedar Creek Falls. Check the alerts page.
Heat and Rattlesnakes
Official pages that mention heat or snakes: the City of Poway says some popular trails are “dangerous to hike in the heat” and that rattlesnakes, mountain lions and poison oak can be found in the Poway outback; the National Park Service says rattlesnakes may be active along the Bayside Trail; State Parks asks hikers in Anza-Borrego to “use EXTREME CAUTION” in summer and to carry and drink plenty of water; the Forest Service says to bring 3 to 4 liters of water per person and pet at Cedar Creek Falls. Mission Trails publishes an article on dog heat safety.
Not every page we read has heat or snake text. Where a trail page here is silent, that means the agency page we read was silent, not that the trail is safe.
Fees and Parking Passes
Fees are only what each agency page says. State Parks lists $10.00 per vehicle day use at Palomar Mountain State Park (cash or check only) and $10 at Anza-Borrego. Cleveland National Forest pages disagree: the Big Laguna page says “$5/vehicle/day,” the Garnet Peak page says “Penny Pines parking is now free of charge,” and the Sunset and Noble Canyon pages say an Adventure Pass is required. We show all of them; confirm with the Forest Service before you park.
Dogs
Dogs are not allowed on Torrey Pines trails, the Bayside Trail at Cabrillo National Monument, Palomar Mountain State Park trails, or the Pacific Crest Trail inside Anza-Borrego. Leashed dogs are welcome at Elfin Forest and the Forest Service pages for Sunset, Big Laguna and Noble Canyon say pets are allowed. Many county, city and river park pages did not state a dog rule; those are marked not confirmed.
Trails Already on Our Site
We already have pages for Mount Woodson and Potato Chip Rock, Daley Ranch, Stonewall and Cuyamaca Peak Trails, Borrego Palm Canyon Trail, Ramona Grasslands County Preserve, El Capitan County Preserve and Louis A. Stelzer County Park.
What We Could Not Verify
- Reopening date for Torrey Pines is not posted. California State Parks, Torrey Pines, (858) 755-2063, can confirm.
- The State Parks Torrey Pines page contradicts itself (“closed to all visitors” and “All trails are open”). We follow the closure wording. California State Parks can confirm.
- Cleveland National Forest fees conflict between trail pages (free, $5 per vehicle per day, Adventure Pass). The Cleveland National Forest can confirm.
- Current Cedar Creek Falls closure orders are not confirmed (alert pages did not open on 2026-10-23). The Palomar Ranger District, 760-788-0250, can confirm.
- Many pages do not state trail length, gain or dog rules; each trail page lists what is not confirmed.
More in Hiking Trails
FAQ
Is Torrey Pines open?
No. California State Parks says the Reserve is closed to all visitors from September 22, 2026, per its page read 2026-10-23. No reopening date was posted.
Do I need a permit for Cedar Creek Falls?
Yes. A $6.00 permit covering up to 5 people must be reserved in advance on Recreation.gov. None are sold on site.
Sources
- California State Parks: Torrey Pines
- Cleveland National Forest alerts
- City of Poway: Safety and Hiking Tips
- Mission Trails: dog heat safety
Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s San Diego. Cite this page: It’s San Diego (itssandiego.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link to this page; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.