A map of the canyons of San Diego’s Uptown communities shows acres of prime open space in the area—40,000 acres to be exact. Much of the open space, or “greenbelts” as they are commonly called in urban geographical terms, is left in its natural state so that the native plants and animals can thrive without human intervention.

Thousands of the acres are open for hiking through a set of trails created by San Diego Parks and Recreation. The Canyonlands of San Diego organization helps to promote, protect, and restore the natural habitats of these natural urban jewels of green space. They offer an excellent map of the open space areas so that those interested in hiking and exploring them know how to access them at different entry points.

Such is the case with Juniper Canyon, a small jewel of open space bordering North and South Park. Nestled within the 34th Street Open Space, a map reveals a short trail that is good for anyone of any age and almost any ability to explore.

Juniper Canyon is the last urban canyon within San Diego’s Uptown area that my husband and I explored. On the cloudy Friday afternoon before Thanksgiving, we followed the GPS instructions to Nutmeg Street off 34th, near St. Augustine’s School. The trailhead is easy to find and the trail itself easy to walk.

A plethora of native plants thrive there such as Toyon berry, also known as holly berry for its bright red Christmas-like fruit, chaparral broom and bladder pod. The prickly pear cactus plants along the trail are some of the healthiest that we have seen, with big round tunas.

As we hiked the easy trail, we encountered only a few passersby. The birds were invisible on this trail, but we heard the call of a bird that sounded like a ping-pong ball bouncing rapidly until coming to a rest: it was the song of the tiny Wrentit.

This canyon, like many others, also has a streambed filled with cobblestones and pebbles that can make walking a bit tricky. Wear sturdy hiking shoes or carry a walking stick. Take a moment to study the rocks; they are a fascinating geology lesson. You’ll find stones of every color, including reddish and purple ones, which are rhyolite, a silicon-rich lava. The origin of these particular rocks have been traced back to a mountain in Sonora, Mexico. The rocks show evidence of continental drift, also known as plate tectonics, which used to be a controversial theory. This phenomenon of drift occurred millions of years ago.

After we’d wobbled about 50 feet over the rocks in the streambed, which basically is just a drainage ditch, we encountered a gray-green shrub whose leaves were fuzzy and sticky. It was a Yerba Santa, which means sacred herb in Spanish. The leaves and stems of this shrub are some of the main ingredients in Native Americans’ medicinal preparations and are often used as an incense.

At a marker indicating 34th Street, a short steep path lead us up to one of the healthiest, robust prickly pear plants we have ever seen. We were hoping to see a cactus wren visiting, but instead we saw only the brief flitting of a sparrow in the grass nearby.

A mini-pocket space off the trail lead us to a grove of trees, some of them coast live oak. As I looked around the dirt floor underneath the church-like trees, I could easily picture someone coming here to escape the dead heat of summer and spend a couple of hours reading on a blanket or on a folding chair, maybe even have a picnic.

At another grove of trees, the tiny space was even more remote—I called it the secret meeting space—tucked in the very bottom of the canyon. The streambed breaks off into a smaller path at this secret meeting space leading alongside and be hind back yards to the houses. We explored some of the rocks for a while before turning around to get back on the main trail.

Located very near St. Augustine High School, Juniper Canyon is one of the easiest canyons to access in the North Park neighborhood. It is a good one to travail in nearly any time of the year. The winter season will be the quietest because most birds will be in hiding or simply resting, as mating season won’t be for a few more months. Beginning in March, the canyon will sound like a miniature forest with hundreds of birds.

It has been a great pleasure traversing the canyons of Uptown San Diego. My husband and I will remember these secret oases and re-explore them when we want to get away from it all for a short while, right in the middle of our bustling city.