A pretty short hike through a slot canyon. The parking area is at the end of the road in a neighborhood. Very limited parking! The hike up to the slots was pretty but it's next to the freeway, so it kind of ruins the scenery, but not terribly. You'll still enjoy this little walk in nature. The actual slot canyon section is really short, it's only a small portion of the hike, the rest of the hike is out in the open on a pretty and very well marked trail. It does get really narrow once you're in the slots and there's one section where there's a ladder. It's really fun and easy to get through. I don't recommend putting your dog through that, unless you have a small doggy and you can carry them up. But, it's up to you. It is fun for the whole family, kids can easily do this hike. I did it on my way out of San Diego. It's right off the freeway so it was well worth the stop. Highly recommend.

Annie's cannon things to know: Parking is on the street where you can find it. We did this trail with my 3y old, husband, and myself picking the hardest route to the right and coming down the intermediate side. It took about 30 minutes. Please keep in mind the harder side is sandy, narrow, has ladders, and steep inclines. The intermediate side has many stairs and is also sandy. (It's about average shoulder width so you can still wear a backpack) I saw many people bring their dogs on the trail. I would not recommend this trail if it's rainy. It was about 75⁰ and close to the beach, so I was glad to have a light sweater and a hat! Bring good shoes and some water- you'll be good to go!

Easy fun little trail to introduce kids or novice hikers to. Parking is easy, there's a lot you can route to on maps for free. Just follow the purple signs and go towards the suspension bridge. I went towards the right and kept walking until I saw signs for Annie's Canyon Trail! There's two entrances, one for the slot canyon which can be narrow and claustrophobic, so I wouldnt recommend bringing dogs through there! The views are beautiful walking to it, you can see wildlife, ponds, and plants. Fairly flat, not too difficult of terrain. There's shaded areas, so I didnt find it too hot. When you hike up, there is a ladder you need to climb, but then you can enjoy a nice panoramic view when you're on top :)

The trail is a really cool experience. My 5 year old son loved it too. We got there about 9am and would recommend showing up early because it got busy quick. We were able to get through the slot canyons in about 10 minutes. They do get very narrow in some parts, probably about 2ft wide, so definitely more reason to go early and avoid getting stuck waiting to climb up the ladder at the end of the trail. The trail is about a half mile walk from the start of the trail to the actual slot canyons and there are several hills as well. Definitely bring some water.

We loved this trail a lot! It was many things, the walk to the trail, the different types of flowers and shrubs and trees, the canyon feel, the little elevation challenges in the canyon paths, the view from the top! The view has two sides, one with highway with super speed cars that looks beautiful with the water under that. Another side is the canyon. Both wonderful! We love a hike and this was certainly the smallest we have done but it’s worth the experience. Also it’s not too long so you ll be fine. If you don’t like compact places it might not be for you. Some places were very narrow.

Annie’s Canyon Trail has two trail options: Moderate and difficulty. Guess which one we tried? We tried the difficulty and it was honestly a great hiking experience. My kids didn’t go on the hike with us and honestly I feel they wouldn’t be comfortable yet but the older kids would enjoy it. The trail starts off with a wide trail and once you pass the sign “Annie’s Canyon Trail “ the trail then begins to become very narrow and you will be unable to pass people, be mindful people are enjoying the hike and the wonderful canyon. There is a ladder you have to climb at the very end to finish the slot canyon loop. Once you reach the top, enjoy the beauty of the surrounding wetlands. There are multiple benches if you need a break while hiking. We parked near N Rios Ave

I recently explored Annie's Canyon Trail, and while it's a short 10-minute walk within the canyon itself, the experience was quite unique. However, if you're seeking a more extensive hiking adventure, I'd recommend the Saigon Trail. Annie's Canyon Trail offers a brief but fascinating glimpse into the beauty of nature. The highlight here is the chance to walk along the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve Center, which is truly remarkable. The sights and sounds of the reserve add an extra layer of wonder to the short hike. If you're looking for a longer, more challenging hike, Saigon Trail might be a better choice. But for a quick nature fix and the chance to explore the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve Center, Annie's Canyon Trail is a delightful choice.

Mother's Day hike was very busy but well worth spending the time in the canyon. If you have no physical issues to stop you doing a bit of climbing and squeezing in the tighter places, choose the difficulty trail. It really was not difficult, so don't be daunted. You will miss out if you don't go the canyon route. Multiple older and very young people were able to do the difficult trail, so it's not difficult, you just need you to be nimble.

I parked my car on Solana hills road at the end for street parking. It was a weekday morning so not crowded at all. ( don’t know how crowded on weekends) I always wanted to come here and finally came by myself. It’s about one hour and half lovely view trail and I liked to go between the narrow canyon. There’s a narrow and cool climbing canyon part but short excitement. I was expecting longer way. Only this part is not for babies and toddler. Other places is a wide open area and lovely so family can enjoy it.

This trail is a true joy and a true slot canyon. If you are not happy in a tight space this trail is not for you. Also this trail is hot! Lots of sun = a hot hike. The view is amazing and getting to see the ocean at the top of the trail is really nice. The hike itself is not long so this makes for a great morning hike when you just want to get out for a bit. Dogs are welcome on most trails but not the slot canyon as you will have to climb a steep ladder to make the final bit of the trail.

This little canyon was so much fun! We took our 3 and 5 year olds and didn't have any issues. I wish we would have known there were 2 ways to enter. We went in the back way, which was more walking and good size hills. Nonetheless we had a great time!

Fun and quick. Fully exposed, it was 70 degrees and I was HOT, I wouldn’t want to do this hike if it was too much warmer outside. You start and end by walking up and down some big hills along the highway - give your self some patience for those, they’re rough. The canyon is really cool. It’s one way, you can only go up the canyon then back down the switchbacks.

Very interesting trail. You can park along the street at the trail head and enter from there. It has a trail that meanders along the salt marsh or you can take the Annie's slot canyon trail for a great look out. It exits out by the beach or allows access to other trails. Beautiful place. Would recommend. Not that difficult for the physically capable.

This nice trail Includes short slot canyon with stairs in steep section. Nice view of Elijo Lagoon. Several other trails to enjoy as well. Can circumnavigate lagoon if you choose the trail on the left from the street. Annie's and others are the trail on the right. Many dogs enjoying it too. Easily accessible off the 5 fwy.

Loved it!!! The trail is very short and easy. It gets steep especially on the way back. The highlight is definitely going through the slot canyon, it's very narrow but totally worth the climb. The view at the top....just beautiful!

Came at 830am on a Sunday, pretty empty! We did the full loop but headed to the slot canyon first to avoid traffic. We had the slot canyon to ourselves! Unfortunately there's a lot of graffiti in the sides of the canyon itself, I'm sure that's not helping the health of the canyon! Otherwise, it's pretty narrow, might have to suck your stomach in 😁. Beautiful views at the top. We did the loop at the bottom, really serene with birds and a pristine lagoon to look at. About 1.25 hours of leisurely doing this hike and loop, a must do in San Diego!

Beautifully hike, and fairly easy if you’re fit. There are a couple of stretches of inclines and declines so save your strength for the walk back to your car. Make sure to bring at least 2 liters of water if you’re going to explore the whole reserve. On a hot day, bring a hat and sunscreen, most of it is uncovered. The canyon is a very tight space, so if you have claustrophobia, it might not be the ever route for you. You can still get to the top by doing the moderate route. Go on a weekday to avoid large crowds; we went on a Sunday and it was super crowded. We found parking down the road, and that adds to your hike. Get your steps in!

Quite busy due to holidays. Had to line up in the cabin and wait for others to Nash's their way through. Might want to not there's sone steel ladders at the end of the cabin if you are considering taking a small child. Free parking can be found on nearby roads in different directions.

The slot canyon was a novel experience for me so I was very happy to take this trail. The actual slot canyon part is only about 10 minutes long but then you can continue along with the trail alongside the salt marsh. The trails aren't very busy so it's quiet (minus the highway). Definitely recommend to at least go once to check out the slot canyons.

Very cool slot canyon. The trailhead is actually one of many. The walking trail has you go up and down a steep hill a bit away from the freeway. There is also a bike path along the interstate that is loud, but very level. We took the bike path on the way back to help out the little legs. The trail is a part of the wetland estuary. Don’t forget to walk along the wetlands and view the incredible preserves.

Annie’s canyon trail is an awesome place to hike and enjoy nature’s beauty. Need to walk about 3/4 mile to get to the trail. Its a bit of ups and downs. Once you reach the trail you will walk through the tress for about half a mile. Then your adventure starts. You will have difficult and moderate options. Choose difficult option you will enjoy it won’t find it difficult. Need to walk through narrow passages and climb through canyons. There are some steep steps as well. But overall awesome experience. Moderate route won’t even give10% of experience you get in difficult route.

Very fun, but this is the parking lot, not the trail. Once parked here, walk past the neighboring gas station, under the freeway overpass, across the shaded pedestrian bridge in the pic, turn right at the end of the bridge, turn left at the end of the underpass, walk on a trail along the freeway with a striped pattern on the side, then take the first right towards the canyon before the trail goes uphill. There aren't signs to the trail til you get just below the canyon. Watch out for rattlesnakes.

Sick trail. The slot canyon piece is super short, like 100ft, but it gets sooooooo tight. As in, turn-sideways-tight. And the rest of the trail is right near the lagoon, so it's really beautiful, especially around sunset. I love this hike.

Fun hike. Mostly flat around the lagoon, but Annie's Canyon requires a decent level of fitness. Narrow channel walls with some steep spots, and two steep ladder climbs (or descents depending on the direction you're going) are involved. There is a moderate alternative trail that leads to the lookout point above Annie's if you don't feel up to the challenge of the slot canyon trail. We did encounter a 3' rattlesnake lying across the trail near the freeway. It crawled off without incident after a few minutes, but be aware and watch where you step. This was a very fun and interesting hike.

Come early (a line around 10:30am on Saturday) to avoid the crowd, lots of kids. Two ways to access the canyon: 1) Solana Hills Dr, which has plenty of street parking but need to hike up and down the hill to get to Annie's Canyon Trail; 2) N Rios Ave, which has pretty busy street parking but it is a relatively flat hike to Annie's Canyon Trail, compared to starting at Solana Hills. Alternatively, the canyon is also accessible from the San Elijo Nature Center

found this hiking spot on instagram but i was not expecting it to look like THIS! i was really cool climbing through the actual rocks. got super small at some points, i thought anyone bigger than me would not be able to walk through haha

Short hike in the morning. We really enjoy it. Dont be fooled by picture that a really easy trail well maintened. Take about an hour from the parking with 2 kids. Enjoy and leave no trace please.

Great little mini adventure/ hike. Canyon gets pretty narrow. If you are a very large person 270+ lbs, then you may have a problem getting through. Otherwise, it is fun and different than your typical trail. A dog will not be able to do the canyon loop unless you taught them how to climb a ladder. 🤪

Amazing! Just amazing. Have gone here several times and the views never stop being amazing. The ladder up is just so fun, and drawing on the walls as well. It is nice and cool being near the beach, making this a perfect sunset view place. Highly recommend bringing water, as it’s a short hike, but close to a mile to actually get there from the road.

Great trail. It's got a cool little slot canyon and connects to a longer running trail. The lookout has a great view. The slot canyon itself is pretty tight and places and has a ladder/staircase thing to climb out of the end. Great hike and the canyon is cool. Parking at the trailhead is a little awkward though. Also some nice wildlife around.

Very short hike but the canyon was fun to climb through. Completed in about 45 minutes (while taking it slowly). The climb through the narrow section is very doable but can get crowded and slow as folks look to get that IG photo capture... yes I was one of them backing up traffic (a little)

There are several trails to choose from. The difficult one isn’t really that bad. It is rather tight and steep. But because it is so tight it doesn’t feel that intimidating. To me anyway. The steel stairs at the end are definitely something people need to think about bringing younger children or dogs. My son carried his toddler in a hiking carrier. It got tight for sure. It scared my grandson. The other trail to the top is pretty easy. We where there close to lunch and quite a few people where there.