When the whole family goes on a hike, there are certain elements you have to consider.
How long is the route? Can a person do the hike while carrying a small child? Is there a spot to rest and have lunch? Each person should find something enjoyable about the hike, otherwise it’s not a good option.
Fortunately for me and my family, Barnett Ranch County Preserve, an open space in Ramona, checked all of my boxes. I’m shocked I haven’t previously come across the preserve, where we completed a 4-mile loop, passing under shady oak trees and through open grasslands, even walking past a pasture with grazing cows.
The roughly 720-acre preserve is named after Barnett Ranch, a working ranch from the 1800s that is still partly in operation. The Barnetts were important figures in Ramona’s history, credited with the 1894 construction of the Ramona Town Hall on Main Street.
To begin this hike, park at the trailhead located on Deviney Lane, off San Vicente Road. It’s well established with ample parking in a dirt lot, and the entrance to the preserve is clearly marked with an information kiosk.
To reach the trails at Barnett Ranch County Preserve, hikers must first walk along a paved road. (Maura Fox / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Hikers will start by walking southwest on a paved road before soon turning onto a trail that heads southeast. The trail appears to be unnamed. It travels for 0.4 miles, largely through a small oak grove before climbing a hillside to meet the Valley View Trail.
Hikers can either go southwest or east at this intersection, and I chose to head southwest. After about 500 feet, I reached another intersection and opted to hop on the Rattlesnake Trail that headed south.
After recent rains, the trail was damp but not muddy, and the surrounding grasses glowed a vibrant green. Wispy clouds — and the peaks of Iron Mountain and Mount Woodson — loomed in the west.
A hiker and her dog, Milo, on Rattlesnake Trail. (Maura Fox / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Around the 1.3-mile mark, the trail starts to loop around and head north. Just before I reached the 2-mile mark, I spotted a pond on the right side of the trail, along with a bench to enjoy the view. There are benches along the entirety of the hike, too.
Rattlesnake Trail ended shortly after, and I walked again on the paved road, this time passing by the ranch and several cows, including a few adorable calves. But it wasn’t long before I was able to rejoin the Valley View Trail, heading south, and where I heard what sounded like a western meadowlark.
Hikers can take this trail back to the start, but I was still looking for a nice place to have lunch. So near the 2.8-mile mark, instead of returning back the way I came, I continued east on the Valley View Trail, which led to a lookout over the whole preserve. It was exactly what I wanted, as my family plopped down on the inviting boulders and pulled out our sandwiches.
Once done, I hiked back along the Valley View Trail, to the unnamed trail I started on, and returned to my car.
Cows graze along the paved road before hikers reach the Valley View Trail after leaving the Rattlesnake Trail. (Maura Fox / The San Diego Union-Tribune)