San Carlos & Del Cerro
Cowles Mountain for the climb, Lake Murray for the flat miles, and Navajo Road for breakfast after.
Every list that covers San Carlos & Del Cerro
Updated as places change
The neighborhood itself
9 verified places · 0 eat & drink and 3 things-to-do listsChoose your effort level first. Cowles Mountain is the 1.5-mile climb to the 1,592-foot summit; the Lake Murray road is 3.2 flat, paved miles to the dam gate. Start early for Cowles because the Golfcrest lot is small, or keep the morning level and save Mission Trails for another outing.
Breakfast at The Trails Eatery fits either route. Later, Sobremesa is the dinner choice on Lake Murray Boulevard, while KnB Bistro combines 32 taps, a bottle shop, and a full kitchen on Del Cerro Boulevard. Check the park gates before adding Old Mission Dam or Kumeyaay Lake.
If you only do 6 things
1Cowles Mountainclimb2Mission Trails Visitor Centerstart3Sobremesadinner4The Trails Eaterymorning5KnB Bistrodrink6Kumeyaay Lake CampgroundcampKnow before you go
Parking: The Golfcrest Drive trailhead lot is small and goes early — the surrounding streets take the overflow
Gates: Father Junipero Serra Trail shuts to cars 5pm–8am November–March and 7pm–8am April–October, so the dam and the campground road have a clock the Golfcrest trailhead does not
Lake Murray: Closed the second Tuesday of every month; fishing permits are cash or check only
Don’t miss: Sunrise from the Cowles summit, then breakfast on Jackson Drive
Where they are — 9 verified places
The index
Ranked places pulled from all 3 listsSobremesa is the word for the time spent lingering at the table after a meal, talking and enjoying the company, and this restaurant on Lake Murray Boulevard is built on that idea.
Coming down off Cowles hungry? The Trails Eatery on Jackson Drive is the San Carlos breakfast spot about 10 minutes from the trailhead, and it has been around since 2007.
Sei Sushi is a small sushi counter on Navajo Road in San Carlos, and it's the relaxed weeknight dinner on this list.
KnB Bistro packs a bottle shop, a bar and a scratch kitchen into one building on Del Cerro Boulevard, and it makes an easy Del Cerro evening.
Some nights the plan is simply the game. San Diego Brewing Co., in the Friars Village center at 10450 Friars Rd in Grantville, is set up for exactly that, with …
Every city has a hill its people climb for the view, and in San Diego it's Cowles Mountain.
Mission Trails Regional Park is big. It spans more than 8,000 acres with about 60 miles of trails, the San Diego River runs through it, and it all sits about eight miles northeast of downtown.
Here's a San Diego surprise: you can pitch a tent inside the city limits.