more stats
3,320 ft
Distance
215 ft
Climb
00:07:38
Avg time
215 ft
Altitude change
209 ft
Altitude min
424 ft
Altitude max
209 ft
Altitude start
423 ft
Altitude end
6.5%
Grade
29.1%
Grade min
3,261 ft
Distance climb
59 ft
Distance flat
00:07:38
Avg time

Switchbacks Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • E-Bike
    • Gravel Bike
    • Adaptive Bike
    • Winter Fat Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Los Peñasquitos Canyon
    San Diego, California
  • Difficulty Rating
    Blue Rate
  • Voted Difficulty
    Blue (1 vote)
  • Local Popularity
    100 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 100 in E-Biking
    • 70 in Trail Running
    • 80 in Hiking
  • Global Ranking
    #27274 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #2239 in E-Biking
    • #61553 in Trail Running
    • #22852 in Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC, Fat, Adaptive MTB, CX, Gravel
  • Direction
    Both Directions
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    Yes up to Class 1
  • Land Owner
    City of San Diego

Used for connecting Deer Canyon to Del Mar Mesa. This trail is bi-directional. Always anticipate other trail users.

Adaptive Bike Info
aMTB Black Rating: Advanced obstacles exist, some trail obstructions.

Bridge at bottom is too narrow. Most of trail is pretty narrow too. Lots of bush wacking

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 4 rides
  • 26.4 km average
6 Months
  • 235 rides
  • 28.8 km avg distance
All
  • 1,971 rides
  • Last: Jun 17, 2026
c1c2c3c4
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
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Status:
on Jun 21, 2025
Ideal
Avg: 4.49 (10 votes)
Your vote: 0

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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)
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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
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  • < 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.
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ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
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US Cell Coverage
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Radar Time
Activity Recordings
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Personal Heatmap
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all / none
▶ Options
2
Date range month
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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.
BC Backroad Status

Service Road Atlas is a free to use, community-driven service for viewing and creating reports on the numerous back-country service roads around B.C. and Alberta.

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Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Flat N NE E SE S SW W NW
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        Directions to switchbacks-48310 trailhead (32.950530, -117.179080)

        Photos

        5 more »
        65 |
        Jan 23, 2026 @ 11:37am
        Jan 23, 2026
        151 |
        Apr 29, 2021 @ 5:54pm
        Apr 29, 2021
        290 |
        Mar 12, 2020 @ 6:46am
        Mar 12, 2020
        269 |
        Mar 12, 2020 @ 6:43am
        Mar 12, 2020

        Videos

        7 more »
        San Diego Mountain Bike Trail Review for...
        15:53 | 44 | Oct 3, 2025 , San Diego
        MTB San Diego Jam Session, Switchbacks. Trail...
        4:51 | 103 | Nov 4, 2024 , San Diego
        Bobbing and Weaving Through San Diegos Tunnel...
        24:45 | 90 | Jul 7, 2024 , San Diego
        San Diego beginner and advanced mountain...
        10:15 | 100 | May 17, 2024 , San Diego

        Technical Trail Features (TTF)

        Routes with this trail

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        Links

        15 Reviews & Comments


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        Nearby Trails

        Los Peñasquitos Canyon

        • By The-dirt-farmerTF Pro & contributors
        • #48310 - 4,732 views

        Frequently Asked Questions About Switchbacks

        ▼ Where is Switchbacks located?
        Switchbacks is located in Los Peñasquitos Canyon, San Diego, California, United States. It is part of the Los Peñasquitos Canyon trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 32.95053, -117.17908.
        ▼ How hard is Switchbacks?
        Switchbacks is rated as Blue difficulty. The physical rating is Hard. The average grade is 6.5%. The climb difficulty is rated Blue.
        ▼ What is the elevation gain for Switchbacks?
        Switchbacks has 215 ft of elevation gain. The elevation ranges from 209 ft to 424 ft.
        ▼ Is Switchbacks a point to point trail?
        Switchbacks is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is singletrack.

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