The hook
A narrow sandstone slot canyon hides in a coastal lagoon between two beach towns, tight enough that you climb out through a crack and up a ladder.
01Why it's worth it
Slot canyons belong to the desert, which is what makes this one strange: it's cut into soft sandstone right at the edge of the San Elijo Lagoon, a few minutes from the ocean between Solana Beach and Encinitas. The walls close in to shoulder width in places, and the fun way through is the one-way upward squeeze, scrambling and then climbing a bolted ladder to pop out on top of the bluff, with an easier switchback trail if you'd rather skip the tight bits. For years the canyon was officially off-limits, a graffiti-covered spot people snuck into, until a donor known only as "Annie" paid to acquire the land and volunteers scrubbed it clean and built the trail, which opened in 2016. It's short and it gets busy, but squeezing up through the sandstone is a genuine small adventure most people don't know is there.
02How to experience it
It's in the San Elijo Lagoon reserve near Solana Beach, about eight hours from the Bay or a few minutes off the coast highway north of San Diego. Park at the Rios Avenue trailhead and follow the lagoon to the canyon; the slot is one-way up, so go early on a weekday to have it to yourself, and skip it right after rain when the sandstone turns slick.