Plant Guide to N. Los Santos Trail / N. Hidden Valley Road Loop, Santa Rosa Plateau This is a working list, about which we make no guarantees at all until we officially release it. Use at your own risk!
This trail is incomplete for annuals only noticeable in the spring since it has been covered only in the fall and summer, and in March 2006 during a drought.
Introduction and Explanation of Plant Trail Guides
Introduction
Highlights of This Trail
Fieldwork Dates and Summary of List Changes With Time
The Plant Guide
Comments On Specific Species
Introduction This is a loop hike beginning and ending at the Hidden Valley Parking Lot. It begins on the signed Hidden Valley Road heading south from the Parking Lot, traverses the entire North Los Santos Trail and then returns via Hidden Valley Road.
This trip is a nice hike, with expansive views over the grasslands and oak woodlands of the Santa Rosa Plateau, as well as views to San Gorgonio, San Jacinto, Santa Rosa, Palomar and Cuyamaca Mountains.
This loop hike is 2.20 miles round-trip, with 250 feet of elevation gain and loss.
Highlights of This Trail The botanical highlights of this trail are:
Number of Unique Taxa On This Trail
The following histogram gives the number of trails in our database that contain each taxon on this trail. There were 90 trails in our database when this histogram was made; 16 of those trails, including this one, are at the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. A number of "1" means the taxon has only been found only on this list, among all the trails in our database; numbers of "16" or smaller may indicate taxa found only in this area.
Number of Trails
Containing A TaxonNumber Of Taxa
On This Trail% of Taxa
On This Trail1 0 0% 2 0 0% 3 1 1% 4 1 1% 5 1 1% 1-5 3 3% 6-10 11 11% 11-15 17 18% 16-20 15 16% 21-25 14 15% 26-30 8 8% 31-35 7 7% 36-40 7 7% 41-45 7 7% 46-50 2 2% 51-55 5 5% All 96 100% We found 3 additional species not in the above table, since they have not been fully identified yet. The unidentified ones are marked with ?, sp, or ssp in the id? column in the guide, and have no entries in the #all column.
Fieldwork Dates and Summary of List Changes With Time The following table gives the dates the trail was walked and taxa recorded. After each visit, the table gives the total number of taxa on the list and the breakdown of the taxa without positive identification. See Explanation of Plant Trail Guides to understand the symbols below.
Visit Date Visit # # taxa # "?" # "sp" # "~" # "ssp" 12/18/2004 1 56 0 7 10 0 6/26/2005 2 89 0 5 3 1 8/30/2005 3 93 0 6 1 1 3/9/2006 4 98 0 3 1 0 In addition, plants near mile 1.29 were checked on 3/16/06 and 4/13/05, which resulted in the identification of Sanicula bipinnata there.
The Plant Guide Version for printing, without lines and other text on this page (6 pages)
The mileages have been adjusted to a GPS measurement of the entire route, and should be accurate to 0.01-0.02 miles.
Mile s # id? Common Name Latin Name #here #all 0.00 Begin guide just before gate at Hidden Valley Trailhead, heading south on Hidden Valley Road; elevation ~1875 feet (570 m) 0.00 b 1 *short-fruited filaree Erodium brachycarpum 99 / 9 15 0.00 b 2 *foxtail barley Hordeum murinum ssp. glaucum 30 / 4 14 0.00 b 3 *smooth cat's ear Hypochaeris glabra 99 / 9 35 0.00 b 4 *shortpod mustard Hirschfeldia incana 99 / 9 51 0.00 l 5 purple needlegrass Nassella pulchra 99 / 9 20 0.00 b 6 *narrowleaf filago Filago gallica 99 / 9 45 0.00 b 7 *soft chess Bromus hordeaceus 99 / 9 40 0.00 l 8 Spanish clover Lotus purshianus var. purshianus 99 / 9 31 0.00 b 9 *red brome Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens 50 / 9 53 0.00 b 10 *redstem filaree Erodium cicutarium 99 / 9 55 0.00 b 11 *California burclover Medicago polymorpha 99 / 9 40 0.00 l 12 horseweed Conyza canadensis 50 / 9 36 0.00 b 13 *Italian rye-grass Lolium multiflorum 99 / 9 18 0.00 b 14 *nit grass Gastridium ventricosum 99 / 9 25 0.00 Go through entrance on left of gate across road 0.00 l 15 graceful tarplant Holocarpha virgata ssp. elongata 99 / 9 14 0.00 l 16 *slender wild oats Avena barbata 99 / 9 40 0.00 b 17 *sand spurrey Spergularia bocconei 20 / 4 14 0.00 l Sign: "No mountain bikes; no horseback riding". 0.00 l 18 *jointed goatgrass Aegilops cylindrica 99 / 9 4 0.00 r 19 dove weed Eremocarpus setigerus 99 / 9 24 0.00 b 20 *wild oats Avena fatua 99 / 9 26 0.00 r 21 checkerbloom Sidalcea malviflora ssp. sparsifolia 99 / 9 25 0.00 r 22 dwarf lupine Lupinus bicolor 99 / 9 29 0.00 r 23 sp popcorn flower Plagiobothrys sp. / 0.00 l Sign: "Coyote Trail (left), 0.5 mi to Trans Preserve Trail; Hidden Valley Road (straight) to Los Santos Trail; ["0.6 mi" crossed-out] 0.00 l Sign: "Mountain Lion ..." 0.00 r 24 *hairy rattail fescue Vulpia myuros var. hirsuta 99 / 9 19 0.01 r 25 *sow thistle Sonchus oleraceus 40 / 9 42 0.02 r 26 *spring vetch Vicia sativa ssp. sativa 99 / 9 6 0.02 r 27 purple clarkia Clarkia purpurea ssp. quadrivulnera 99 / 9 26 0.02 r 28 vinegar weed Trichostema lanceolatum 50 / 9 14 0.02 r 29 *windmill pink Silene gallica 20 / 2 33 0.02 r 30 *ripgut brome Bromus diandrus 20 / 2 52 0.02 r 31 johnny jump-up Viola pedunculata 50 / 9 16 0.05 r 32 southern California morning-glory Calystegia macrostegia ssp. arida+ 30 / 9 7 0.06 r 33 Indian milkweed Asclepias eriocarpa 50 / 9 18 0.09 r 34 sp like bishop's lotus Lotus sp. / 0.10 r 35 California-aster Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia 15 / 5 51 0.11 r 36 Palmer's goldenbush Ericameria palmeri var. pachylepis 20 / 3 10 0.12 r (prickly lettuce, Lactuca serriola) 0.12 r 37 sharp-toothed sanicle Sanicula arguta 3 / 3 16 0.13 l 38 *scarlet pimpernel Anagallis arvensis 50 / 9 33 0.14 l 39 *prickly sow thistle Sonchus asper ssp. asper 3 / 2 30 0.15 r 40 California poppy Eschscholzia californica 1 / 1 29 0.16 Local high point on road; elevation ~1925 feet (587 m); good view of San Gorgonio, San Jacinto, Santa Rosa, Palomar and Cuyamaca Mountains 0.16 l (Engelmann oak, Quercus engelmannii) 0.18 c 41 *knotweed Polygonum arenastrum 10 / 5 19 0.19 l 42 *Bermuda grass Cynodon dactylon 30 / 9 31 0.19 r (wrinkled rush, Juncus rugulosus) 0.19 r 43 *curly dock Rumex crispus 10 / 9 23 0.20 l 44 shooting star Dodecatheon clevelandii ssp. clevelandii 30 / 3 11 0.20 r Jct. Los Santos Trail; go right on it; Sign: "Los Santos Trail (ahead), to Vernal Pool 2.3 mi; to Hidden Valley Trailhead (right)" 0.22 Local high point on trail 0.22 r 45 elk thistle Cirsium scariosum 50 / 9 11 0.24 r (coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia) 0.26 Cross line of old fenceposts 0.30 r 46 toad rush Juncus bufonius var. bufonius / 14 0.30 Local low point on trail; elevation ~1915 feet (584 m) 0.31 l 47 California fuchsia Epilobium canum ssp. canum 10 / 4 21 0.31 Minor local high point on trail 0.32 Minor local low point on trail 0.35 l 48 big squirreltail Elymus multisetus 2 / 1 8 0.36 Local high point on trail 0.39 Minor local low point on trail 0.40 l (California everlasting, Gnaphalium californicum) 0.41 Begin long switchback left 0.42 l 49 fragrant everlasting Gnaphalium canescens ssp. beneolens 30 / 9 23 0.42 Trail begins many S-curves / switchbacks heading uphill; some have been cut by use trails, blocked off in 2006 by "Trail Closed" signs 0.49 r 50 long-stemmed buckwheat Eriogonum elongatum var. elongatum 2 / 1 28 0.49 r 51 rattlesnake weed Daucus pusillus 2 / 1 29 0.50 b 52 bush lupine Lupinus excubitus var. hallii 5 / 1 10 0.50 l (telegraph weed, Heterotheca grandiflora) 0.55 r 53 California four o'clock Mirabilis californica 1 / 1 23 0.56 r 54 white everlasting Gnaphalium canescens ssp. microcephalum 5 / 3 36 0.56 r (poison oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum) 0.57 l ("Meteor Crater"; perhaps a blow-out due to drainage from a former spring?) 0.61 r 55 *prickly lettuce Lactuca serriola 99 / 9 42 0.61 l Switchback left. 0.62 r 56 blue dicks Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum 99 / 9 46 0.66 Trail curves right 90° 0.71 r 57 California everlasting Gnaphalium californicum 10 / 3 43 0.73 r (goldenrod, Solidago californica) 0.73 r 58 coast-range melic Melica imperfecta 5 / 2 43 0.75 r 59 *tocalote Centaurea melitensis 10 / 4 45 0.76 r 60 common bedstraw Galium aparine 99 / 9 40 0.76 l (blue elderberry, Sambucus mexicana) 0.77 b 61 coast live oak Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia 5 / 1 42 0.77 b 62 southern miner's lettuce Claytonia perfoliata ssp. mexicana 99 / 3 25 0.77 r Jct. path to ridge crest 0.77 r 63 *rose clover Trifolium hirtum 20 / 4 13 0.77 l (narrowleaf bedstraw, Galium angustifolium ssp. angustifolium) 0.77 l (leafy daisy, Erigeron foliosus var. foliosus) 0.79 l View of 200 inch telescope on Palomar Mountain; North Peak now visible north of Cuyamaca Peak 0.84 r (laurel sumac, Malosma laurina; white-flowering currant, Ribes indecorum) 0.86 Local high point on trail, with great views; elevation ~2070 feet (630 m) 0.86 b 64 Engelmann oak Quercus engelmannii 5 / 3 23 0.87 r (in distance: California buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum; white sage, Salvia apiana) 0.88 Local low point on trail 0.91 Local high point on trail 0.96 l 0.98 Local low point on trail 0.99 r 65 western ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya 50 / 5 37 1.00 l Jct. alternate trail, a leftover trail from when the Los Santos Trail was not complete; stay right 1.00 r Walter B. Gerken bench, with great views from it; local high point 1.06 r (Basalt rocks) 1.07 b 66 rattlesnake weed Chamaesyce albomarginata 5 / 1 10 1.08 r (Vasey's prickly-pear, Opuntia vaseyi) 1.11 l Trail turns left 45° 1.17 l Jct. other end of alternate trail; continue straight 1.18 Trail crosses small saddle 1.19 l 67 San Diego birdsfoot lotus Lotus hamatus 20 / 2 24 1.20 l 68 *gazania Gazania X (mounding hybrid)+ 1 / 1 6 1.22 r (western sycamore, Platanus racemosa; big leaf mistletoe, Phoradendron macrophyllum) 1.25 r 69 western vervain Verbena lasiostachys var. lasiostachys 20 / 2 10 1.25 Begin bridge over branch of Cole Creek; elevation ~1950 feet (594 m) 1.25 l 70 California sagebrush Artemisia californica 1 / 1 47 1.25 l 71 *winter vetch Vicia villosa ssp. varia 99 / 5 19 1.25 l 72 wrinkled rush Juncus rugulosus 10 / 2 12 1.25 l 73 *rabbits-foot grass Polypogon monspeliensis 10 / 2 23 1.25 l 74 *Italian thistle Carduus pycnocephalus 20 / 3 21 1.25 b 75 umbrella sedge Cyperus eragrostis 5 / 1 11 1.25 b 76 *grass poly Lythrum hyssopifolia 5 / 1 15 1.25 l 77 spike primrose Epilobium densiflorum 10 / 2 5 1.25 l 78 common spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya 10 / 1 12 1.25 l (deergrass, Muhlenbergia rigens; cocklebur, Xanthium strumarium; common cudweed, Gnaphalium luteo-album) 1.26 End bridge 1.29 l (California coffeeberry, Rhamnus californica ssp. californica; fiesta flower, Pholistoma auritum var. auritum; poison sanicle, Sanicula bipinnata ; pistachio, Pistacia atlantica) 1.30 l 79 western sycamore Platanus racemosa 2 / 2 27 1.34 l 80 deergrass Muhlenbergia rigens 5 / 2 21 1.38 r Jct. S. Los Santos Trail; elevation ~1910 feet (582 m), local low point on trail; continue straigh 1.48 Begin short steep uphill 1.52 l Jct. Hidden Valley Road; go left on it; elevation 1920 feet (585 m); sign facing that section of road: "Los Santos Trail (to right); To Adobes 1.5 mi (to left)" 1.62 Road curves left 90° 1.65 r 81 *annual blue grass Poa annua 30 / 3 13 1.74 r 82 ~ saltgrass Distichlis spicata 20 / 4 16 1.74 r 83 *cut-leaved geranium Geranium dissectum 30 / 2 13 1.75 b 84 clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis 50 / 1 7 1.75 l 85 *common cudweed Gnaphalium luteo-album 3 / 2 16 1.75 r 86 *tumble pigweed Amaranthus albus 20 / 2 13 1.78 r 87 creeping wild rye Leymus triticoides 5 / 2 11 1.79 b 88 *pineapple weed Chamomilla suaveolens 30 / 1 20 1.80 Road jogs left 1.81 l 89 *hedge mustard Sisymbrium officinale 5 / 1 22 1.81 l 90 red maids Calandrinia ciliata 20 / 1 18 1.81 r 91 cocklebur Xanthium strumarium 5 / 1 16 1.81 c 92 small-flowered nightshade Solanum americanum 5 / 1 3 1.81 c 93 willow-leaved dock Rumex salicifolius var. denticulatus 3 / 1 8 1.81 r 94 common fiddleneck Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia 5 / 2 16 1.81 b 95 Mexican rush Juncus mexicanus 20 / 1 16 1.81 r 96 Hooker's evening-primrose Oenothera elata ssp. hirsutissima 5 / 1 10 1.81 r (common monkeyflower, Mimulus guttatus) 1.82 r 97 arroyo willow Salix lasiolepis 1 / 1 35 1.82 b sp (cattail, Typha sp.) 1.82 l (rigid hedge-nettle, Stachys ajugoides var. rigida) 1.82 Cross same branch of Cole Creek again; local low point on road; elevation ~1900 feet (580 m) 1.82 r (red willow, Salix laevigata) 1.86 r 98 telegraph weed Heterotheca grandiflora 2 / 2 35 1.99 Local high point on road; elevation 1920 feet (585 m) 2.00 l Jct. N. Los Santos Trail; end guide 2.20 Back at Trailhead; elevation ~1875 feet (570 m)
Comments On Specific Species Calystegia macrostegia ssp. arida. About half the plants at the SRP appear to be ssp. arida, with the other half split between sspp. "intermedia" and "tenuifolia". It has long troubled Tom to be finding three subspecies in the small area of the SRP. Worse, the classification of a given plant has changed with time, which was extremely puzzling.
These difficulties were resolved when Tom found clear evidence that subspecies "intermedia" and "tenuifolia" are bogus. Hence we assign all the SRP plants to ssp. arida.
Gazania X (mounding hybrid). A single plant was found on 12/18/04, and it was eradicated.
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Copyright © 2004-2006 by Tom Chester and Kay Madore
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Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Updated 11 March 2006.