How to Hike Annie's Canyon Trail | Solana Beach, CA

Annie’s Canyon Trail, located in Solana Beach, CA along the 5 Freeway is a unique little trail. This short hike will take you through a beautiful slot canyon with a couple of sandstone caves, narrow walls, moderate climbs, and ladders. Along the hike, you also get spectacular views of the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve. Since it was established, Annie’s Canyon Trail became a popular hike for all different types of hikers including beginners and children. The slot canyon section is not that hard but it can be a bit challenging for smaller children, bigger dogs, or those who are not used to steep inclines and declines.

Note: Please don’t scratch or scrawl onto the soft cave walls and make sure to respect this beautiful place and the surrounding areas. Always practice LEAVE NO TRACE. This means no loud music, no graffiti, no taking artifacts or fossilized items, and pack out what you pack in! Please help us protect this place for generations to come!

Stats

Where

Solana Hills Trailhead (Official trailhead)
498-450 Solana Hills Dr, Solana Beach, CA 92075
33.000250, -117.258342

Holmwood Trailhead
33.002211, -117.266239

North Rios Trailhead (Gemma Parks Interpretive Trail)
150 Solana Point Cir, Solana Beach, CA 92075
33.003601, -117.272497

Parking

Street parking

Restroom

There is no restrooms at the trailhead or at Annie’s Canyon.

Fee

It’s free

Distance

To Annie’s Canyon: 1.8 miles
With Lagoon Loop: 2.5 miles

Elevation Gain

470 ft of climbing
Max elevation: 270 ft

Level

Easy to Moderate

Time:

1 hours

Pet-friendly

You can bring your pet, but they have to be on a leash. However, if you’re attempting to go through the slot, you will have to carry your dogs up the ladders.

Ideal Time

You can do this trail anytime but it gets very busy on a weekend or holidays. Get there early if you don’t like the crowd.

Weather

Video

Quick History of Annie’s Canyon Trail

Before Annie’s Canyon became Annie’s Canyon, it was known to a small circle of adventures and locals as the Mushroom Caves. When it was still Mushroom Caves, it was very fun because you had to find your way there since there weren’t any markings or signages. So, it made for a super fun adventure. Unfortunately, people used this place to get high and party. They also leave trash and graffiti all over the beautiful canyon walls.

In 2015, a long-time San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy supporter named Annie made a generous donation to acquire the land. So, a few volunteer groups removed the graffiti and built the trail, which officially opened as “Annie’s Canyon” in 2016.

What You Need to Know

The canyon gets very narrow, maybe about 2ft or less wide. You may have to walk sideways. If you’re bigger than 250ft, or bring bigger bags, you might not be able to pass through.
If you bring a dog or a toddler/infant, you will have to carry them up the ladders in the slot canyon. These ladders can be quite steep.
The slot canyon section is one-way (up), however, there might be some freaked-out people trying to back out.
This hike is very popular, especially on weekends or holidays. Go early or go on a weekday if you want to avoid the crowds.
Wear good hiking shoes. It will help you in the slot section.

The Adventure

Where is Annie’s Canyon Trail?

There are 3 different trailheads that you can take to get to Annie’s Canyon, one on Holmwood Lane, one on North Rios Ave (Gemma Parks Interpretive Trail), and the official trailhead is located on Solana Hills Drive. We’ve hiked to Annie’s Canyon using all 3 of the routes before. The first two are the easier and less steep while the official trail has a few steep hills. In this guide, we will be showing you the official route for Annie’s Canyon Trail.

To get to the official trailhead for Annie’s Canyon Trail on Solana Hills Drive, use the address we listed above. The trail starts at the end of the road. There is parking along the side of the street. These are all open parking, however, please make sure that you obey all the signages and DO NOT block any driveways.

The Start of the Trail

To start your adventure to Annie’s Canyon, go through the gate at the end of the street. There are signs at the gate so you’ll know you’re at the right place. Once pass through the gate, follow the wide dirt trail. You’ll have to climb up and down 3 hills, with one steeper than the other as you progress. The hills are quite steep and can be slippery so be careful on your way down. Once you get to the last downhill section, the trail will follow along I-5, all the way to the bottom. It is a wide, obvious trail so you won’t get lost. Once you get to the bottom of the last hill, you’ll see a small sign on the left, pointing toward Annie’s Canyon trail. Follow the trail to via toward the left. You’re about 0.5 miles into the trail so far.

Annie’s Canyon Trail

Once you turn left, the trail follows under a small shaded forest. If you hike this trail in the Spring, there are tons of wildflowers lining this section. However, keep an eye out for poison oaks, they tend to mix in with the wildflowers. Along the way, there will be more signs for Annie’s Canyon. You’ll also get some views of the San Elijo Lagoon. Eventually, you’ll reach a big information kiosk in the middle of an intersection. There is a big wooden sign for Annie’s Canyon on the left-hand side. This is the start of the beautiful slot canyon named Annie’s Canyon.

After going past the wooden sign, we came up to the start of the loop for Annie’s Canyon. If you prefer to go through the slot canyon, you go right. If you just want to go up the switchbacks for the view of the lagoon, you go left. According to the sign, it is difficult if you’re going through the canyon, but I mean, this is what you’re here for so why wouldn’t you? And really, it’s not that bad. You just need to take your time, take small steps. By the way, if you do the slot canyon, it’s one-way (going up).

The Slot Canyon Section

Now the fun part! Once you go right, you’ll immediately be taken into the small canyon. Make sure to stay on the trail and don’t go into the close-off areas. As the trail curves left, you’ll reach the beginning of the slot canyon. In the beginning, you can walk head-on, however, it gets narrower and narrower. When you get to the split, you can either go left to make a short detour to the grotto of the mushroom cave or go straight up to continue. We recommend checking out the mushroom cave. It’s pretty cool.

After the cave, you’ll come to the narrowest section of the slot canyon. You’ll have to go sideways to go through here. Once you pass over this section, you’ll come to a narrow and steep metal ladder. This section can be challenging for smaller children or dogs. At the top of the ladder, there is a short section of the canyon left because you reach the top and the end of the slot canyon.

The Way Back

On top, you can take a quick break to enjoy the beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean and the San Elijo Lagoon. Once you’re done with the view, head down to the switchbacks. So if you were going to go left on the loop for Annie’s Canyon, these are the switchbacks that you would be using. When you get back to the information kiosk, you can either go back the way you can from or go left and turn this hike into a loop. That would add an additional 0.7 miles to the trail. We usually go back after Annie’s Canyon though. If you’re looking for another short, yet interesting hike, check out Ho Chi Minh trail in La Jolla. For longer hikes, Potato Chips Rock is another iconic one.

These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.