Upcoming Events:

Registration is now open!

Valley Center Trails 5K & Kids Fun Run before the Western Day Parade June 1, 2024

Timeline

7:00AM same-day registration
8:00AM plan to arrive before the roads close
8:15AM warm up with CrossFit Valley Center
8:30AM roads close, and 5k will start shortly after
9:30AM Kids 12 and under ½ mile fun run starts
9:45AM winners announced

New this Year!

The 5K will be timed, and age division winners will be announced at the conclusion of the event.

This year at the VC Trails 5K we will have a separate Fun Run for Kids 12 and under it is a 1/2-mile race.

Come for the 5K and stay for the Parade or come for the Parade and join us for the 5K before the Parade. See you there!

Events details and to Register for the 5K and/ or Fun Run (click here)

Email Hannah at infovcta@gmail.com with ideas to make 2024 the best year yet!

Check back for more hikes in and around Valley Center

All are welcome to our hikes. Hikes are subject to cancellation if there is a heat warning in effect, if there is steady rain one hour before, or if there has been substantial rain during the 24 hour period before the hike. Dogs are not allowed on hikes unless otherwise specified. Contact infovcta@gmail.com to get on our email list and receive emails about our events. We update this page as new hikes become available.

Follow us on Facebook at Valley Center Trails Association
Valley Center Trails Association is a 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to the creation of non-motorized trails and pathways in Valley Center.

Membership in the Valley Center Trails Association is open to all individuals/households and businesses in the community. A modest membership fee is charged. Please support our efforts with your Membership or Donation. Thank you!

Membership Options

Past Events:

Celebration Picnic in the Park

Thanks to the help of our local community and our friends throughout the San Diego area who supported the efforts of Friends of Hellhole Canyon Open Space Preserve and the Valley Center Trails Association, we have added 959 acres of park and preserve land in Valley Center. Butterfield Trails Ranch, and Rancho Lilac Preserve when developed and open to the public will have multi-use trails. This celebration is to thank everyone involved for supporting these projects, including Supervisor Jim Desmond and his staff. It takes a community effort: Thank You!

To view photo from this event click here!

Featured Speakers for Celebration Picnic in the Park Oct. 14, 2023

Stephanie Holbrook, Founder of Wings of Change is a guest speaker at our Celebration Picnic in the Park on Oct. 14th. Wings of Change is spreading the word about the importance of butterflies and how they ultimately affect everything in our environment. At the Wings for Change booth, you can create a native seed ball that will create butterfly habitats.
Stephanie will be speaking about the Monarch Migration.

Krista Brown will be a featured speaker at our Celebration Picnic in the Park on October 14, 2023. Krista Brown is a licensed wildlife rehabilitation professional with over 35 years of hands-on rescue work.  She rescues sick, hurt and orphaned wildlife & cares for them until they are healthy and then she releases they back to the wild.  Meet Krista and learn what you can do if you see injured or sick wildlife. 

Hillary Hankey and Katie Pnewski & their owls from Avian Behavior International are guest speakers at our Celebration Picnic in the Park on Oct. 14th. They are speaking on “Coexisting with Owls in San Diego County”.

Our Appreciation and Thank You to:

  • Our property hosts: Wayne Hilbig and his family

  • Musicians: Marsi & Charles Carr for today’s music

  • Event sponsor: Rincon Tribe

Celebration Picnic in the Park is made possible by Friends of Hellhole Canyon Open Space Preserve & Valley Center Trails Association – Your local open space and public trails advocates.

Picnic in the Park
October 8, 2022

Our Picnic in the Park was a very successful community event to support Butterfield Trails Ranch becoming a San Diego County Park. We had over 600 people attend the event, and gave out over 400 Ice Cream Treats. More importantly we raised support for Butterfield Trails Ranch becoming a San Diego County Park.
Butterfield Trails Ranch a key element of our vision for more recreational open space in the Valley Center area. Valley Center needs a large, beautiful Park for picnics, family outings, easy walking trails, and the preservation of natural beauty in the middle of our town. Together, we were able to show our community support for this parkland purchase to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

Click to see photos from our Picnic in the Park 2022!

VCTrails 5K @ Western Days 2023