Reasons to Love Living in Carlsbad – Hiking Trails & Parks

There are plenty of reasons to Love Living in Carlsbad CA. A few of them include the beaches, the arts, dining, shopping, recreational opportunities and attractions, and the weather.

In this post the focus is on hiking trails and parks.

HIKING TRAILS

Carlsbad offers a lot of opportunities, whether you like a casual walk or prefer a vigorous hike. Do you want trails with views? Carlsbad has them. Would you like to do some mountain biking? Yep, you will find that, too.

There are 67 miles of trails and 51 miles of open space trails ranging from easy to difficult. Additionally, you will find both paved and unpaved trails. Some are short (.1 mile) and others are 2+ miles in length.

The hike up Mount Calavera in the Calavera Hills area is good exercise and offers views in all directions. As a result on a clear day it’s beautiful. I hiked there a number of years ago and it was lots of fun. Moreover, the walk around Lake Calavera at the base of Mount Calavera is pleasant, too, and an easy stroll.

Residents and visitors alike enjoy the paved walk (about 1 mile) along the beach and Carlsbad Boulevard. The path begins in the Village and you can walk south to the Terramar community past the power plant. As a result the views are wonderful along the beach. Moreover, others enjoy walking along the edge of the ocean with their feet in the sand and water.

Here’s the current list of the Carlsbad hiking trails.

PARKS AND COMMUNITY CENTERS

Carlsbad has a number of beautiful parks. Indeed, there are currently 17 parks and community centers in the city, readily accessible to all.

The amenities vary by park but might include playgrounds, ball fields, exercise areas, basketball courts, picnic areas, BBQs, and more. Additionally, more pickleball courts are being planned for a couple of the community parks.

The Alga Norte Community Center in La Costa has an aquatics center with multiple events during the year. In addition, you’ll find a dog park plus a skate park.

And if skateboarding is of interest, there’s also a skatepark adjacent to the Carlsbad Safety Training Center off Farraday (east of El Camino Real) at 2560 Orion Way.

Here’s a list of the parks and community centers. Plus a new park, Veterans Memorial Park off Cannon Road by the Aqua Hedionda Discovery Center and Faraday Road, is under development. In addition, there are plans for a park by The Foothills community at the intersection of El Camino Real and Cannon Road.

The Senior Center offers a range of activities and services for Carlsbad adults 50 and older. Furthermore a lunch program is available Monday through Friday for adults 60+. The Senior Center is located in Carlsbad Village at 799 Pine Avenue, south of Carlsbad Village Drive.

You can enjoy 4 of Carlsbad’s Community Park at the free TGIF Concerts in the Parks each summer on consecutive Fridays. The schedule varies each year. While there were 6 concerts in 2023, the plan is to go back to 9 concerts in 2024.