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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
- most popular
- popular
- less popular
- not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
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US Cell Coverage
Legend
Radar Time
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Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public ridelogs from the past 6 months.
- mountain biking recent
- mountain biking (>6 month)
- hiking (1 year)
- moto (1 year)
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public skilogs from the past 12 months.
- Downhill Ski
- Backcountry Ski
- Nordic Ski
- Snowmobile
Winter Trails
Warning
A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
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Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
Only show trails with NO bikes.
Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.
SaveSweetwater Preserve is a scenic area with a split personality. The terrain varies from smooth hiking paths along the Sweetwater River to steep singletrack on Mother Miguel Mountain. Whatever your preference for trails, you'll likely find it here.
If you're coming from out of town, there is centralized camping with trails leaving right from the campground.
There is also a thoroughly enjoyable bike park that shouldn't be missed.
Much of the area is part of the San Diego National Wildlife Reserve so please tread lightly and respectfully.
If you're coming from out of town, there is centralized camping with trails leaving right from the campground.
There is also a thoroughly enjoyable bike park that shouldn't be missed.
Much of the area is part of the San Diego National Wildlife Reserve so please tread lightly and respectfully.
Primary Trail Type: Cross-Country
Land Status: Regional Recreation Area
Land Manager: various

Activities Click to view
- Mountain Bike
47 trails
- Hike
47 trails
- Trail Running
46 trails
Region Details
- 6
- 3
- 17
- 19
- 1
Region Status
Caution as of Jun 8, 2025Stats
- Avg Trail Rating
- Trails (view details)
- 46
- Trails Mountain Bike
- 50
- Trails E-Bike
- 11
- Trails Horse
- 12
- Trails Hike
- 47
- Trails Trail Running
- 46
- Total Distance
- 56 miles
- Total Descent
- 6,783 ft
- Total Vertical
- 1,509 ft
- Highest Trailhead
- 1,522 ft
- Reports
- 357
- Photos
- 223
- Ridden Counter
- 5,749
Popular Sweetwater Reservoir Mountain Biking Trails
Sweetwater Reservoir Mountain Bike Routes
title | rating | distance |
---|---|---|
Sweet and Sour | 10 miles | |
How Sweet It Is | 11 miles | |
The Sweet Life | 11 miles | |
Bonita Valley Loop | 10 miles | |
Bonita Valley to Tiki Hut Loop | 12 miles | |
Smorgasbord | 16 miles | |
Diamond in the rough | 21 miles | |
Sweet Water Reservoir 20 Mi Loop | 20 miles |
Photos of Sweetwater Reservoir Mountain Bike
trail: Sweetwater Reservoir
10 |
Feb 24, 2025 @ 5:39am
Feb 24, 2025
trail: Sweetwater River North
2 |
Feb 24, 2025 @ 5:38am
Feb 24, 2025
trail: Sweetwater River North
3 |
Feb 24, 2025 @ 5:38am
Feb 24, 2025
trail: Willow Tree Dam
2 |
Feb 24, 2025 @ 5:38am
Feb 24, 2025
trail: Willow Tree Dam
2 |
Feb 24, 2025 @ 5:38am
Feb 24, 2025
trail: Dawg Leash
99 |
Feb 1, 2017 @ 11:50pm
Feb 1, 2017Videos of Sweetwater Reservoir Mountain Bike

trail: Gnatcatcher
0:09 |
103 |
Aug 8, 2020

trail: Rock House Trail
0:21 |
419 |
May 18, 2019

trail: Rock House Trail
0:06 |
666 |
May 18, 2019

trail: Millar Ranch Road
3:57 |
567 |
Oct 18, 2014
youtuber

10:40 |
60 |
May 7, 2024

trail: Sweetwater Reservoir
12:00 |
535 |
Dec 18, 2021 , Chula Vista

trail: Gnatcatcher
12:00 |
236 |
Dec 18, 2021 , Chula Vista
Recent Trail Reports
status | trail | date | condition | info | user |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conduit Road Connector | Jun 8, 2025 @ 8:30am Jun 8, 2025 | Ideal | ChadColton | ||
Sweetwater Park Trail | Jun 8, 2025 @ 8:30am Jun 8, 2025 | Ideal | ChadColton | ||
Rattlesnake Ridge Single Track | Apr 8, 2025 @ 2:56pm Apr 8, 2025 | Dry | mjones1625 | ||
Sweetwater River North | Apr 4, 2025 @ 4:03pm Apr 4, 2025 | Variable | cedenburn | ||
Sweetwater Ridge Run | Apr 4, 2025 @ 4:03pm Apr 4, 2025 | Dry | cedenburn | ||
Willow Tree Dam | Apr 4, 2025 @ 4:03pm Apr 4, 2025 | Dry | cedenburn | ||
Tiki Hut Bypass | Apr 4, 2025 @ 4:03pm Apr 4, 2025 | Dry | cedenburn | ||
Millar Ranch Road | Mar 15, 2025 @ 4:15pm Mar 15, 2025 | Variable | BenLow2019 | ||
Sweetwater Park | Mar 12, 2025 @ 8:51am Mar 12, 2025 | Wet | aspiringhillbilly | ||
Sweetwater Bikeway | Mar 12, 2025 @ 8:51am Mar 12, 2025 | Wet | aspiringhillbilly |
Activity Feed
username | action | type | title | date |
---|---|---|---|---|
ChadColton | add | report | activity #73381889 and 1 more | Jun 8, 2025 @ 2:28pm Jun 8, 2025 |
alfredoK8jEx4 | vote | trail | activity #73021782 | Jun 3, 2025 @ 2:04pm Jun 3, 2025 |
Tcamis01 | wishlist | region | activity #72752900 | May 31, 2025 @ 12:57am May 31, 2025 |
Skbrumer | wishlist | route | activity #72005573 | May 19, 2025 @ 3:35pm May 19, 2025 |
MattRZ7S8X | wishlist | trail | activity #70174695 | Apr 22, 2025 @ 4:05pm Apr 22, 2025 |
Recent Comments
username | type | title | comment | date |
---|---|---|---|---|
trail | Rode down this. I don’t recommend. Too many... | Apr 8, 2025 @ 2:54pm Apr 8, 2025 | ||
trail | Very rutted. I don’t recommend. Needs a lot... | Mar 30, 2025 @ 10:54am Mar 30, 2025 | ||
report | Looks like you were biking through a swamp. | Mar 13, 2025 @ 7:58am Mar 13, 2025 | ||
trail | The trail has some Gnarly ruts and a few areas... | Jan 29, 2025 @ 7:22pm Jan 29, 2025 | ||
trail | The trail has some early | Jan 29, 2025 @ 7:19pm Jan 29, 2025 |
Nearby Areas
name | distance | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chula Vista Canyon Trails | 16 | 15 | 4 | 2.4 km | |
City Heights | 8 | 1 | 1 | 5.4 km | |
Otay Valley Regional Park | 14 | 7.1 km | |||
Otay Reservoir | 10 | 6 | 7.9 km | ||
Balboa Park | 17 | 30 | 7 | 8.5 km |
Local Badges
-
Completionist1 awarded
Bike & Skill Parks
name | type | city | rating |
---|---|---|---|
Sweetwater Bike Park | skill park | Chula Vista |
Activity Type Stats
activitytype | trails | distance | descent | descent distance | total vertical | rating | global rank | state rank | photos | reports | routes | ridelogs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mountain Bike | 47 | 56 miles | 6,781 ft | 20 miles | 1,509 ft | #2,003 | #1,081 | 231 | 370 | 8 | 5,551 | |
E-Bike | 11 | 14 miles | 325 ft | 3 miles | 1,043 ft | 237 | 1 | 499 | ||||
Horse | 12 | 17 miles | 1,447 ft | 5 miles | 1,171 ft | 86 | 2 | 1 | ||||
Hike | 47 | 54 miles | 6,572 ft | 20 miles | 1,509 ft | #1,527 | #951 | 1 | 370 | 2 | 323 | |
Trail Running | 46 | 54 miles | 6,280 ft | 19 miles | 1,506 ft | #1,593 | #979 | 367 | 2 | 329 |
- By trailthug
& contributors
- Admins: SDMBA, SDMBA-CV
- #20151 - 8,640 views
- sweetwater reservoir activity log | embed map of Sweetwater Reservoir mountain bike trails | sweetwater reservoir mountain biking points of interest
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