Now that I’ve shown how Balboa Park makes any New Year’s fitness resolution easy and fun in a recent blog, I’d like to dig a little deeper into a hidden gem of a nature hike known as the Bridle Trail. Part of the Park’s fabulous new trail system (Trail #5 to be exact), it offers “behind-the-scenes” access to some of the Park’s more lush terrain.

Located on Balboa Park’s west end, the Bridle Trail runs parallel to the 163 freeway from the Marston House to the Pine Grove picnic area. Walkers, joggers, and four-legged friends are treated to a gamut of scenery along the way: dense groves of pine, redwood, and eucalyptus; majestic views of the historic Cabrillo Bridge; and a vista of the downtown skyline at the trail’s southern-most point. There’s even a convenient pit stop at Nate’s Point Dog Park!

The soft dirt pathway is ideal for trail running, and sloped trail heads north of the Lawn Bowling area and at the Sixth and Upas trail gateway provide extra challenge. For those who have always admired the beautiful scenery along the 163 as they zoomed past it, here’s your chance to leisurely explore it up close and personal.