Hooked on slots: Annie's Canyon

Thanks again to Josh, of California Through My Lens, for pointing me toward another fun hike. The hike starts with an easy stroll along the south side of San Elijo Lagoon, in Solana Beach.

It’s a little over a half mile from the street to the beginning of Annie’s Canyon. From there you have the choice of taking the switchbacks up the back side of the canyon or the trail through the slots. Well duh. The slots are the whole point of the place. Either way is rather short.

The idea is to go up through the slots and back down via the switchbacks. Or, as in my case, go three-quarters of the way up the slots until you reach a step up that’s about crotch high. All the surfaces were rounded and there was nowhere to grab to pull myself up. If two or more people are hiking together, they can do the you-push-me-up-and-I’ll-pull-you-up maneuver. But I retraced my steps, took the switchbacks to the top and came down from there—even though that’s in violation of the One Way sign. I met no one coming the other way, so all was cool.

It’s a little creepy entering from the top,

climbing down into who knows what

Josh explains that Annie’s Canyon “was off limits for a long time and had become a graffiti-ridden location until some residents took up the cause to make it pleasant again.” I believe Annie was the one who spearheaded that effort. Sadly, the graffiti is still there, scratched into the sandstone until Nature wears it away. Because some people are jerks.

The narrowest sections are only wide enough at the bottom for one foot in front of another, but the walls flare out so there’s hip and shoulder room. I didn’t need to do any sideways scooting. And at no time did I feel claustrophobic.