Santee Boulders

For those who love to climb on rocks, Santee Boulders is the perfect place! There are boulders of all shapes, sizes, and abilities, so this is a great adventure for both young toddlers and big kids alike. If you are a rock climber, they have bouldering and climbing routes too. There is also a secret swing on your way to the boulders! The trail to get to the boulders is steep and covered in gravel and rocks. Children roughly three to four years old and older should make the hike no problem, but younger kids will probably need to be carried until they get to the boulders. There are no bathrooms at this trail and it is not stroller friendly. Santee can get very hot and there is no shade on this trail, so just check the weather before you head out.

Park along Boulder Vista, near the grass area. Walk along the paved road and around the gate toward the trails/hill. Once you pass the gate the road will become a dirt fire road. Continue along the road a little way until you see a trail forking off to your left. Ahead you will see some trees and the trail heads up hill. In the biggest tree to your right you will find the secret swing. Continue up the trail to find the boulders. After the first hill, the trail will fork. Either way will take you to the boulders. The left way goes down hill then back up hill to the boulders, while the right goes up hill some more and then once it flattens out you will see a trail to your left which will lead you to the boulders below. When you are done exploring the boulders and are ready to come home, you can either take the same path you took to get there, or you can take the opposite path to make a loop, which will then meet up to the original trail where it forked. In the pictures I included a map, the blue line is the trail we take to get to the boulders, the yellow dot is the secret swing, and the red pin is where the boulders are. There are more boulders in the distance you can also go explore, and many other trails to make this hike longer and harder if you want.