Hiking is one of my favorite activates and over the last decade I have been discovering and enjoying a number of trails in Southern California. This year I really want to spend more time hiking instead of running. I discovered this location thanks to its proximity to Interstate 15 on a recent drive to San Diego.
This is a nice step up from other “hill climbs”. In the past my go-to locations included Cowls Mountain in San Diego (over crowded most days) and Double Peak in San Marcos. If those trails are a 4/10 on difficulty, I would rate this trail as 6/10. The initial ascent is a rather steep set of switchbacks over the course of about 1.7 miles (climbing about 1500ft/460m). Part of the trail is used as a memorial for 11Sep Fire Fighters and features signs for every 10 floors climbed.
The top of the mountain features delightful views of North San Diego County and the Pala Reservation lands.
Many people go to this spot, turn around and head back down the same path (about 4 miles). However, there is a side path that follows the ridge to the south and adds another 2-3 miles of distance (6 miles). Some of the parts of the trail were rather steep so I took my time and used my Black Diamond hiking sticks to get 3 points of contact. Of course there were trail runners just gliding down these hills while I was moving so carefully. This side/ridge trail proved to be quite a delight due to the lack of other hikers and the extra exercise opportunity.