Dictionary Hill, also known as Lookout Mountain, is 1,059 feet high. The area is home to beautiful, bountiful wildflowers and some of the last remaining coastal sage scrub habitat in San Diego County’s urban boundary.

Rare species such as the coastal cactus wren, the California gnatcatcher, the San Diego horned lizard, the orange throated whiptail lizard and the rosy boa snake also live in the area.

The endangered quino checkerspot butterfly had at one time been spotted throughout the canyon, but not in many years, said Sonya Heiserman of the Dictionary Hill Open Space Advocates Board. She said regular hikers on these guided walks always hope to find one of the butterflies.

Other animals previously seen on Dictionary Hill and adjacent include several hawk species, owls, coyotes, gray foxes, bobcats, raccoons and deer.