Maple Canyon: A treasured urban exploration

For those times when you want a way to get away from the hectic pace of the city, it can be done without ever leaving it. Right in our backyard in Uptown is a good number of finger canyons that often link up to other trails and awe-inspiring spaces. Some of these trails lead through thick stands of trees and under the dramatic spans of meticulously built bridges. Others take you to the hiding places of birds and animals.

Standing beneath the Quince Street pedestrian bridge. A steep trial north of the bridge can be another entrance or exit to Maple Canyon.

Maple Canyon is one such magical trail to take a quiet stroll while observing fascinating bridges.

The intricate ironwork of the underside of the First Street Bridge which is still used by vehicles.

Just a few blocks from the hubbub of Uptown and layer upon layer of traffic on Laurel Street, Harbor Drive and I-5 with jet planes searing the sky above while preparing to land on the airstrip at Lindbergh Airport, there is an easy-to-reach retreat. From Laurel Street going west, turn right on State Street, and once again on Maple Street where there is parking for cars. Follow the end of Maple Street to the trailhead, and like magic, you’ll find yourself surrounded by tall eucalyptus trees.

The trail is accessed through a steep ravine which makes it inaccessible to wheelchairs and bikes.

As you listen to the twitter of birds such as the California Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow and Cassin’s Kingbird, you’ll notice a deep ravine created by streams that run through during heavy rains. When the ravine is dry, it forms perfect hobbit-like spaces where you can slip around and under tree roots and pass the time reading or daydreaming and watch the light change as the sun sets lower in the sky.

The First St. Bridge, known as the People’s Bridge, is one of the rare steel arched bridges in San Diego.

Go further up the one-mile there-and-back trail and you’ll see an enormous bridge spanning over the trees. That is the elegant First Avenue Bridge. Built in 1931, the bridge was assembled completely in Ohio before being dismantled and shipped to San Diego. Cars driving over First Street create the soothing clip-clop rhythm, a sound reminiscent of a far-away time even though created by modern machines.

Lemonade Berry found in the canyon. (Photos by Cynthia Robertson)

Along the dirt path are healthy bushes and plants such as Lemonade Berry, an evergreen scrub with white to pink leaves in the winter and tiny, tart fruit that tastes lemony. Laurel Sumac and Castor Bean plants bloom among the stands of palm trees and eucalyptus.

The stately Quince Bridge comes up next. The pedestrians walking across the wooden trestle bridge seem a mile high up. Built in 1905 for less than $1,000, the bridge allowed easier access to the-then Fourth Avenue trolley station, in the days when electric streetcars crisscrossed the streets of San Diego’s now-Uptown neighborhoods.

The Quince Street bridge is open to pedestrians.

Along the stream bed past the Quince Bridge are palms and oaks, wild radish and nasturtiums, along with prickly pear cactus lining the sides of the canyon. A steep set of stairs underneath the bridge’s elaborate ironwork will lead you to the other end of Maple Canyon at Third Street where you can reverse your steps and then re-enter the city.

Our next exploration will be nearby Arroyo Canyon and Spruce Street Bridge.