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1.6 miles
Distance
-518 ft
Descent
00:10:23
Avg time
-518 ft
Altitude change
522 ft
Altitude min
1,041 ft
Altitude max
1,041 ft
Altitude start
522 ft
Altitude end
-6.3%
Grade
-29%
Grade max
2.1%
Grade min
125 ft
Distance climb
1 mile
Distance down
1,217 ft
Distance flat
00:10:23
Avg time
Horned Lizard Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
-
Riding AreaRancho La Costa Preserve
Encinitas, California -
Difficulty Rating
-
Local Popularity
-
Global Ranking
-
State Ranking
-
Trail TypeSingletrack
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Bike TypeAM
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DirectionBoth DirectionsPopular Direction Shown
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Climb DifficultyBlack Diamond
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Physical RatingModerate
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Trail VisibilityAlways easy to follow
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Dogs AllowedYes
-
eBike Allowed
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TTFs on TrailDrop, Jump
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Land OwnerCenter for Natural Lands Management
Fun downhill with some fast sections. Climb Switchbacks and descend Horned Lizard for a solid loop.
Local Trail Association
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-
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 1 rides
- 10 miles average
6 Months
- 167 rides
- 9 miles avg distance
All
- 1,237 rides
- Last: Nov 11, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Horned Lizard Trail Reports
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3D
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)
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The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Used
Trailforks scans activity logs 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 activity logs 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 activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
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- popular
- less popular
- not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
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Activity Recordings
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Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
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Winter Trails
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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 users jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
BC Backroad Status
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Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
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Directions to horned-lizard trailhead
(33.087190, -117.214000)
Photos
97 more »
Videos
17 more »
mtb
10:18 |
728 |
Aug 7, 2023 , Encinitas
mtb
12:29 |
738 |
Mar 15, 2021 , Encinitas
mtb
15:40 |
270 |
Feb 16, 2021 , Encinitas
mtb
6:48 |
439 |
Jan 12, 2021 , Encinitas
Routes with this trail
more »
★ 4.3 • 7 miles • 1,148 ft • 4 • Loop •
Though Rancho La Costa is a small area, and this route is relatively short, as the song goes, every inch...
★ 5.0 • 11 miles • 2,102 ft • 11 •
This route ascends the water tower access road at Rancho la Costa Preserve to ride Horned Lizard, then...
★ 5.0 • 20 miles • 3,672 ft • 39 •
20 miles and tons of climbing to hit the fun downhills in Rancho La Costa. This route has you do Horned...
11 Reviews & Comments
bkesrfsnw
Lots and lots of e-bikes. Illiterate or entitled?
dtdaniels
Lots of fun! Less uphill than Whiptail and in pretty good shape erosion-wise
Outdoorsd
Not sure why this trail is getting such negative comments. Horned lizard is a great trail with a nice mix of flow,chunk and rocks. This is a fun an challenging trail solid blue trail and one of the better rides in North county.
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Nearby Trails
- Lizard Shortcut 240 ft
- Whip Tail 568 ft
- Switchbacks 968 ft
- Drop Down (nascar) 978 ft
- Nascar Alt. Line 1,007 ft
Rancho La Costa Preserve
- By jabrones & contributors
- #21623 - 11,397 views
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