3 Comments

1. 

   Jim the Realtor on January 11, 2018 at 8:27 pm

   From the U-T:

   Carlsbad’s Lake Calavera Preserve is the largest of that’s city’s 13 managed nature preserves. More than six miles of trails, open to hikers, mountain bikers and dogs on leashes, crisscross the preserve.

   The 256-acre Lake Calavera Mitigation Bank Open Space area includes the 110-acre Calavera Nature Preserve that was set aside in the early ’90s by a developer. The open space preserve surrounding Lake Calavera is bordered by housing developments to the north and south, but is next to undeveloped natural lands to the east and west, making this preserve a big swath of open space in the urban core.

   The 400-acre lake is a man-made reservoir managed by the Carlsbad Municipal Water District. Built in 1940, the earthen dam at the south end of the lake rises 67 feet high and 490 feet across. The lake stores 520 acre-feet of water.

   The preserve’s main trail is a 1.9-mile loop that circles Lake Calavera. The main North Trail crosses the dam to continue along the main South Trail for that full lake loop.

   Just beyond the south end of the dam, a steep trail forks off to the south of that main South Trail. Take that trail uphill to reach the cliff side of Mount Calavera, the 513-foot-high summit centered in the preserve.

   “Calavera means skull (in Spanish), which probably comes from the unusual shape of the area’s centerpiece, Mount Calavera,” says Preserve Calavera, a nonprofit citizens’ organization formed about 10 years ago to protect this open space.

   Mount Calavera, says the organization, is not a mountain but rather a 22 million-year-old volcanic plug — a mass of volcanic rock that solidified in a volcano’s vent millions of years ago. “When the volcano becomes extinct and starts to erode away, the ‘plug’ is all that is left.” Mount Calavera is one of only three volcanic plugs in Southern California, it adds.

   That cliff is evidence of mining done here in the early 1900s. It also seems to invite rock climbers, like some I saw.

   There have been several activities in this area for years that Carlsbad has been trying to eliminate, including motorized vehicles, swimming in the lake, rogue trails, trash dumping and unleashed dogs running free. Since 2009, the city has partnered with the Center for Natural Lands Management to manage and patrol the preserve, install fencing and signs, fix trails and close unauthorized trails, survey plants and animals and remove invasive plants, including mustard and fennel that once thrived here.

   When you reach the top of that short spur trail to Mount Calavera’s cliff, head toward the entry opening in the chain-link fence. Just to the right of that opening is a surprising rock maze. You can’t get lost inside this maze, since you can step over one circle to the next. But this concentric trail, like any contemplative labyrinth, simply invites one to ponder the journey rather than the destination. Nearby are rock arrangements that spell people’s names and such.

   Go back down to join the main South Trail around the lake. Just beyond a bench that looks out over the lake, the trail forks with the main trail on the low side and the Serpentine Trail (not currently marked with a sign) to the right. Take that right trail to head uphill. At a kiosk at the top, another trail heads up the top of that volcanic plug for the best views around.

   You can wander around these trails for several hours with very little chance of getting lost. But take a map before you go to locate where you are, since many of the trails are not now sporting signs.

   In winter, I saw lots of red-berried California toyon. In spring, wildflowers here include chamise, yucca, scarlet monkey flowers, fuchsia-colored conchalagua and wild roses.

   On the lake I spotted several black, white-billed American coots. Others to look for include mallard ducks, cormorants, red-shouldered hawks and scrub jays.

   Priscilla Lister is a freelance writer from San Diego.

2. 

   just some guy on January 12, 2018 at 9:38 am

   I expect this town home to go over list price. Ideal location and setup for young people just starting their careers. There is enough space to start a family, too.

   I can also see parents looking to buy this to rent to their kids while they attend San Marcos state.

3. 

   Native San Diegan on January 12, 2018 at 11:27 pm

   Great listing! It is a desireable price point and the type of home that allows people to get into a nice city like Carlsbad at a price that is still reasonable . Lots of other great features with no neighbor behind, oversized garage and finishes that would appeal to many.