To stretch your legs after visiting the ridgetop Palomar Observatory, nearby Palomar Mountain State Park has forested hikes along panoramic-view trails where wildflowers bloom in early summer.
Palomar Mountain State Park
San Diego
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.29 MILES
High on Palomar Mountain, at an elevation of 5500ft to avoid light pollution, the Palomar Observatory is simply spectacular – as large as Rome’s Pantheon, with…
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19.76 MILES
Old Town Front St’s turn-of-the-last-century storefronts and wooden sidewalks make for an attractive stroll – pick up the Historic Old Town Temecula…
28.43 MILES
A fantasy environment built largely of those little colored plastic blocks from Denmark. Many rides and attractions are targeted to elementary schoolers:…
16.91 MILES
Take a walk on the 'wild' side at this 1800-acre open-range zoo, sibling of the San Diego Zoo, in the suburban San Pasqual Valley. Giraffes graze, lions…
28.81 MILES
The 50-acre flower fields of Carlsbad Ranch are ablaze in a sea of the carmine, saffron and snow-white blossoms of giant tecolote ranunculus. Take the…
29.77 MILES
Carlsbad’s long, sandy beaches are great for walking and searching for seashells. Good access is from Carlsbad Blvd, two blocks south of Carlsbad Village…
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Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
29.52 MILES
The largest state park in California, Anza-Borrego comprises a staggering 640,000 acres of land punctuated with hiking trails, canyons, palm groves and…
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29.46 MILES
This nonprofit outfit in a modernist glass-fronted bungalow in central Borrego Springs presents desert-themed paintings, sculpture and crafts created by…
Nearby San Diego attractions
0.29 MILES
High on Palomar Mountain, at an elevation of 5500ft to avoid light pollution, the Palomar Observatory is simply spectacular – as large as Rome’s Pantheon, with…
16.05 MILES
Twenty minutes' drive from Front St, this winery offers award-winning viognier and melange de rêves, plus sweeping views from its sort-of-Teutonic tower.
16.91 MILES
Take a walk on the 'wild' side at this 1800-acre open-range zoo, sibling of the San Diego Zoo, in the suburban San Pasqual Valley. Giraffes graze, lions…
18.24 MILES
This place makes almond champagne (infused with almond oil in the fermentation process) and a chocolate-infused port.
18.57 MILES
A nice stop if you’ve got children in tow; the kids can look at Clydesdales at this 'Old West'-style tasting room, while mommy and daddy sip. They have…
19.76 MILES
Old Town Front St’s turn-of-the-last-century storefronts and wooden sidewalks make for an attractive stroll – pick up the Historic Old Town Temecula…
19.84 MILES
Just off Old Town Front St, this one-room museum tells the history of the region through artifacts from the Native American Luiseño people through to the…
23.3 MILES
Pan for gold and be regaled with tales of the hardscrabble life of the town’s early pioneers during an hour-long underground tour through the former Eagle…