Abandoned Homes of Hellhole Canyon
31 Reviews
Hello everyone! This is a friendly reminder that any of these fun places we may visit, we are a guest at. Please treat both businesses and trails with the utmost respect. We here at Hidden San Diego follow the 'Leave no Trace' mantra, meaning whatever you bring with you comes back with you. If you see trash on a trail, please do your part to help remove it. Remember, we are not picking up trash from another person but instead cleaning up for Mother Nature. Happy adventures!
WE ARE NO LONGER GIVING DIRECTIONS TO THE ABANDONED HOMES OF HELLHOLE CANYON
Personal Experience: First off, they don't call it Hellhole Canyon for nothing. This place is hot (I don't recommend going in the summer) it's filled with ticks, brush which rattlesnakes like to hide in, poison oak and the hike is rather bland. Don't go unless you're really interested in finding these homes because the hike is not that fun! And please come prepared with a lot of water, food (in case you get lost) and all other proper safety gear for hikes that can go bad.
With that said, this literally appears to be an abandoned commune. There are children's rooms with drawings on the walls, kitchens with pots, pans and canned food, letters, a well, work station and SO much more!
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Anonymous
Thank you to below!
February 6, 2013
Mini
Tried finding this place today. Got to the preservation but could not find abandoned house!
March 16, 2013
Admin
I have updated the location—Finally!
April 14, 2013
Admin
we entered from Calle de Encinas Ct.
May 29, 2013
Name
To below. Do you know what these homes were used for? It looks like they were running some type of business and also lived there?
June 3, 2013
Ali
This abandoned settlement is not within the Hellhole Canyon Preserve that’s further up Paradise Mountain, as the below directions from Resident state. I made it as far as the gate but wasn’t sure if I should continue. I’ll be going back!
June 7, 2013
Admin
Hmmmm……you somehow got off-path. There is a path the whole way to the homes which makes it rather easy to find them. If you get off path though it becomes a whole new adventure!
July 17, 2013
devilsbard
we recently trekked there at night, completely blind, and still found the place. pretty cool and extra creepy at night. even ran across a couple tarantulas on the way down, no snakes though. Side note: no one in this area seems to keep their dogs in their yard.
August 7, 2013
Admin
To below: you are awesome! I’d love more details of your adventure there!
August 15, 2013
Jessica
My grandmother and her sisters used to own much of the property in hell hole. They had built a house down there for large family parties. There was even a concrete dance floor and bandstand at one time. This all occurred during the late sixties through the late seventies. They sold and abandoned the property when the wild fires became too much.
August 17, 2013
Admin
Are you able to direct me to his personal page? I found Large Louis music page but there are only 2 photos and it doesn’t seem like he goes on there.
August 18, 2013
Anonymous
I don’t but my cousin does; his mother owned the main house. He has posted some to his fb page. He is musician, he goes by Large Louie.
August 18, 2013
Admin
WOW! A HUGE breakthrough!! Do you by any chance have any photos from they during its heyday??
August 18, 2013
Admin
*Louie. Is his name Carl? If so I found that page.
August 19, 2013
KKK
Looks like a abandoned meth lab community to me or is it they always are watching you when you think ur alone but ur never alone
August 20, 2013
Aryan
For all you newbies to So Cal, please get accustomed to the “nest of some sort” as the home of our famous swallows, which painstakingly build their nests with mud (do you see mud?) when we get rain, mate and have babies, leave the nest fly away, and return every year to their same home. People think it is ok to knock these down… please don’t. The birds can be messy but they are there for a month or so. it is an honor to have one on your home. Also.. have you ever heard of Pekoke (sp?) pron. pa cocky, gardens? I went to this place once and cannot find the place listed anywhere. Strange.. I know I was there I took pictures, but they were destroyed.
August 31, 2013
Admin
Thank you for the info! Did not know what kind of nest that was. And no, I have never heard of those gardens. Did a quick google, but nothing showed up. Can you describe it? Maybe it goes by a different name now.
September 10, 2013
Admin
Thank you MJ!
December 9, 2013
Admin
I’d say maybe 20 minutes. It’s not a long hike at all. Just a bit confusing for newbies.
January 8, 2014
Anonymous
How long did it take you to hike there?
January 8, 2014
Anonymous
thank you so much for featuring it on your page. That was so cool. I am going to check out many of your other spots. I really like the stuff you are doing on hidden mines. Thank you again and great work on this site
February 7, 2014
Myer
maybe it was migrant worker housing in the 60s or 70s?
February 15, 2014
Admin
Thanks for the heads up. I’ve removed the directions.
February 24, 2014
Admin
The directions were removed for a reason. Too many people were disrespecting the area. Sorry!
April 10, 2014
lost
Went there recently didn’t find anything I need directions. 🙁
April 10, 2014
Admin (mod)
I was informed of the disrespect several months ago and promptly removed all directions. I am sorry some people have no respect.
June 6, 2014
Owner
Please stop trespassing. We have people driving and parking on private roads and driveways, destroying no trespassing signs, vandalizing homeowners houses, and leaving trash everywhere. The police have been informed. Thanks to sites like this nobody respects private property.
June 6, 2014
Anonymous
I went recently in June. Never found the houses but I did find something else. If you hike like hours into it, there is this plot where a house used to be. It still has the tiles and the side stairs. And there is even a broken down car. It has a creepy feel to it. Kinda seems like an old abandoned road but that was the only clue of housing we found.
August 17, 2014
Anonymous
This used to be housing for migrant avocado ochard workers. A fire ripped through the area, the workers evacuated, the avocado trees didn’t survive & the workers never came back. Many of the buildings were built using pallets & whatever building materials they could salvage. The chemical building has MSDS books & OSHA policies on the wall which hardly makes for a meth lab as posted on other sites. Finally, I was greeted by an armed neighbor wanting to know what I was doing there. It’s best to leave this place be. Access is now nearly cutoff, there are rattle snakes everywhere with angry, armed men who’s homes have been tagged with graffiti. Visitors are not welcome.
September 13, 2014
Don
It is sad when people can’t leave things for others to explore and enjoy. Walk it in, pack it out , don’t jack up anything and only leave footprints. Once these places are gone everyone loses.
pack it out,
January 25, 2016
Anonymous
How to I get there
January 23, 2020