East Canyon, Escondido, CA

Winding hill roads, flowering slopes and long views toward the San Pasqual Valley give East Canyon its feel. This southeast edge of Escondido sits east of Bear Valley Parkway and south of Highway 78, where the city gives way to farm fields, wineries and chaparral. Homes are spread out and varied. Spanish Colonial and Pueblo-style houses from the 1970s and 1980s mix with midcentury designs and newer Mediterranean-style estates, a few of them behind private gates. Lots are generous, the streets curve with the terrain, and many houses look out over the valley. The outdoors starts across Bear Valley Parkway at Kit Carson Park, the city's largest. Its trails, three small ponds and arboretum make an easy morning loop, and Niki de Saint Phalle's mosaic garden, Queen Califia's Magical Circle, sits inside. San Pasqual High School faces the park entrance. A little farther south, the Coast to Crest Trail heads past Mule Hill and the fields of the San Pasqual Agricultural Preserve, a mostly flat walk with views of the San Dieguito River. Wine is the local outing. Orfila Vineyards and Winery runs its tasting room on San Pasqual Road, where Italian food comes from its own kitchen partner and leashed dogs are welcome in the small park out back. Out Highway 78 to the east, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park fills 1,800 acres of the valley. For a bigger choice of restaurants, Westfield North County on Via Rancho Parkway has dozens of chain spots a few minutes away. Daily life runs by car. Trader Joe's on South Centre City Parkway and the Vons and CVS stops are each about a mile off, and Interstate 15 is reached by Via Rancho Parkway. The Route 350 bus runs along Bear Valley Parkway toward downtown and the Sprinter at the Escondido Transit Center. There is nothing to walk to from most streets. A coffee, a gallon of milk or a dinner out all mean driving down the hill, and the winding roads add minutes to every trip. Evenings in East Canyon are quiet, with the valley on one side and the city's biggest park just across the road.