Category Archives: Under 5 miles

Lakeside Linkage Preserve


Lakeside Linkage Preserve is a small but scenic open space area in East County. The trailhead is located in what at first glance appears to be a vacant lot on Los Coches Road in Lakeside, but once you get up the first hill you’ll find a peaceful oasis of coastal sage scrub and beautiful vistas of East County. Your destination is the historic Whitaker House, a well-known landmark that was donated to the county by its former owners Mildred and Hale Whitaker.

We were looking for a relatively quick afternoon hike that wouldn’t require a long drive, and Lakeside Linkage Preserve fit the bill. We parked on Los Coches Road right in front of the trailhead kiosk. A single track trail ran east through a field of thick green grass.

We followed the single track a few hundred feet to the base of the hill. Following the trail marker, we turned right and began ascending.

Below us, in the field, we saw the concrete remains of what was presumably a building at one point.

The trail quickly turned very steep as it made a zig-zag then turned almost straight up the side of the hill.

It wasn’t a very long hill, but it was definitely one of the steeper climbs we’d done recently.

Around .34 miles the trail leveled out and we paused to relax a moment, enjoying the green hillside.

The trail gradually turned north. We made our way across the sage topped expanse.

The trail got a little confusing in this area, but we followed the ridgeline as it turned uphill to the east. The lower path to the right leads over to another neighborhood access point. Everything reconnects eventually, but the path to the left up the ridge is the official trail and most direct route.

A little past .5 miles the trail connected with a wide dirt road. We turned left and continued to climb.

It wasn’t long before we spotted another green post trail marker directing us off the road to a path on the left and we turned.

To the west we could see the housing developments along Los Coches Road.

To the east were more houses, and El Cajon Mountain and the Cuyamacas in the distance.

Despite the proximity of civilization, the trail itself was quite peaceful. We startled a rabbit who bounded off into the brush as we approached.

Around .8 mile the trail passed right by someone’s backyard fence, then began a steep descent.

There was a brief ascent to another hilltop where were finally able to see the mountains in the east without annoying power lines obstructing the view.

At just under 1 mile, we noticed a use trail branching off to the left. It led a short way to an overlook, so of course we had to check out the view.

Continuing on the main trail, we found another overlook just a couple hundred feet up the trail. From here we had a nice view of our destination to the north.

The trail wound down the hill through the brush.

We came to a paved road which leads up to the Whitaker House.

Paved roads are of course lame, but fortunately there is a non-lame hiking trail that goes along the opposite side of the hill. So that’s the way we took.

The only problem was that the trail, apparently having suffered a bit of erosion during the recent rains, had erupted in abundant growth of vegetation, making it a little hard to find our way.

But we followed the track the best we could, mostly by spotting some deep hoof prints under the weeds, and eventually found a better marked section of trail.

It wasn’t long before we spotted Old Glory waving from the hilltop ahead of us and knew we were almost there.

We found a short set of cement steps leading up to the top.

On the north end of the hilltop was the gorgeous stone Whitaker House.

Opposite the house was a rather bizarre cement and stone overlook.

We wandered around the hilltop exploring the gardens and interesting stonework. Behind the house there was an amazing view to the north of Lindo Lake and the mountains beyond.

To the northeast was a great view towards El Monte Valley with El Cajon Mountain towering above.

We took our time exploring the Hilltop before finally heading back the way we had come.


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Directions:
From I-8 take the Los Coches Road exit. Head north on Los Coches Road for approximately 1.4 miles where you will find the trailhead on the right side of the road. Park along Los Coches Road. map

Total Distance: 2.6 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Total Ascent: 650 feet
Dog Friendly?: Leashed dogs allowed
Bike Friendly?: Bikes allowed
Facilities: None
Fees/Permits: None

For more information, visit:
View route or download GPX from CalTopo

Cottonwood Creek Falls


Waterfalls are relatively hard to come by in San Diego County, and most are only interesting for brief periods of time when we’ve had a lot of precipitation. As such, the few falls there are tend to get pretty crowded in the rainy season. Cottonwood Creek in the Laguna Mountains is home a small set of falls with a series of cascades and small pools. While less spectacular than Cedar Creek Falls or Three Sisters Falls, Cottonwood Creek Falls is correspondingly usually less crowded. The potential crowds are also lessened by the fact that the route to the falls is an unofficial and unmarked trail. Continue reading Cottonwood Creek Falls

Del Dios Gorge


The Del Dios Gorge section of the Coast to Crest Trail holds both natural beauty and historical significance. The trail runs between the scenic San Dieguito River and the Del Dios Highway, just downstream of Lake Hodges. Remains of the historic Hodges Flume can be seen on the hillside above the highway, and the area is home to the C.W. Harris Site Archaeological District, where artifacts from over 9000 years of human habitation have been found. Continue reading Del Dios Gorge

Eagle Peak Preserve

Eagle Peak Preserve doesn’t actually contain Eagle Peak, but lies just north of it. The Preserve is located on Eagle Peak Road, surrounded by a mix of Cleveland National Forest and private property.  It is the Flagship Preserve of The San Diego River Park Foundation (SDRPF), who began acquiring the property from private landowners in 2008. Thanks to the work of the SDRPF, this land is now protected and can continue to serve as an important corridor for wildlife in the area.

It should be noted that the Preserve does not have well marked, highly maintained trails. Novice hikers or those uncomfortable with route-finding may wish to bring along a more experienced friend on their first visit. But if bush-whacking and exploration is your thing, Eagle Peak Preserve is a great spot to find some quiet solitude and nice views of the upper San Diego River Gorge.

Driving down Eagle Peak Road, we spotted the first entrance to the preserve, marked by a red wooden fence, metal gate and small sign. We continued down the road about half a mile to the second entrance, which had a similar red wooden fence and metal gate, but no sign. But this entrance had something the first one lacked: room to park in a turnout on the side of the road. We parked in the turnout on the road opposite the gate and entered the preserve.

Beyond the gate was an open dirt area. A small pedestal with a trail map and information about Eagle Peak Preserve marked the start of the trail. An old, overgrown dirt road (The Historic Trail, according to the map) led uphill.

Our plan was to follow the the route described in the Coast to Cactus trail guide – follow the Historic Trail through the Preserve to Cleveland National Forest land, then bushwhack our way up to an unnamed peak to check out the views. There are some other potential destinations in the Preserve, including two small peaks with benchmarks: Son and Son 2, and a couple of ponds down in the valley below. We will likely return for further exploration.

For now, we followed the path of the Historic Trail – once part of the original route between San Diego and Julian – as it climbed up the hillside.

We paused frequently to enjoy the views of the surrounding area. Looking west, back towards the parking area, was the San Diego River Gorge.

As we continued on, we spotted a wall of rocks that supported the side of the old road.

We reached a low ridge and the trail bent east.

The trail was a little hard to spot in places due to the brush, but we’d soon spot the remnants of the rock wall and know we were on course.

Ahead, to the east, we could see the small peak we were aiming for.
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In the valley on our left, we spotted one of the small ponds. Nearby was a wooden shade structure. According to the trail map we saw at the start of the trail, there was supposed to be a path from the trail we were on down to the pond, but we never spotted it in all the overgrown brush.

We continued picking our way through the thick brush. We were coming across more and more spots where vegetation made it difficult to see the old road, but continued pushing ahead until we managed to spot remnants of the rock wall and knew we were still on course.

Around 1.2 miles things got pretty messy. We came to what appeared to be a very faint “Y” junction – the left fork led down across a depression in the land, while the right fork contoured along the base of the hill.

Both routes looked reasonable, and we ended up taking the left fork through the small valley. On the return route though, we came back on the other fork and it seemed to be a little more trail-like, so that’s the route you probably want to take and is reflected in the GPS track.

Our adventure took us through a small valley towards a defoliated oak tree. After squeezing through some bushes, we found the rock wall and the road again on the other side.

We crossed a relatively flat, rocky, open expanse, aiming for the low ridge ahead of us. We found a few stone cairns along the way that let us know we were on the right track for something.

We reached the low ridge and once again found the rock wall the marked the old road. We continued northeast along the base of the peak.

The rock wall became increasingly apparent as we continued. We could see it stretch out ahead of us, wrapping the hillside into the distance.

Looking west, we had impressive views of the Preserve below us.

We passed a small sign with the San Diego River Park Foundation logo, presumably marking the border between Eagle Peak Preserve and Cleveland National Forest land.

From the sign it was a short way to the turn off we were looking for. There was a small saddle in the ridgeline above us, and we wanted to get up there. Around 1.55 miles the road began to curve sharply to the left, and we observed a cow path leading straight up the hill. We left the road and began climbing.

While the slope was steep, the ground was very soft and the impressions made by cow hoofs made perfect footholds for our ascent.

A few minutes of sweating and dodging cow pies brought us to the top of the ridge where we found a fabulous grove of oak trees. We turned right and began heading uphill through the trees.

There was nothing resembling a trail at this point, so we just picked our own route south through the trees and sage, aiming for the highest point of land we could see.

We made our way to what looked like the high point, a nondescript pile of rocks and brush. It was a quiet and eminently serene spot to relax and enjoy the scenery.

The views from our pile of rocks and the surrounding hills were awesome. In the southeast were the Cuyamacas.

In the northeast was Kessler Flat and the road we had driven in on. We were able to spot some cows down below, possibly the same ones that had blazed the trail uphill for us.

To the south was Eagle Peak, the San Diego River Gorge, and El Cajon Mountain.

After enjoying the solitude and taking in the views, we headed back the way we had come.


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Directions:
From Highway 79, just east of downtown Julian, head south on Pine Hills Road. Follow Pine Hills Road for approximately 1.6 miles and turn right onto Eagle Peak Road. Follow Eagle Peak Road for approximately 8.7 miles to the second (unmarked) entrance to Eagle Peak Preserve. Park in the turnout on the right side of the road. map

A note on road conditions: Most of Eagle Peak Road is unpaved, but its pretty well maintained and you shouldn’t have any issues in a passenger car.

Total Distance: 3.6 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Total Ascent: 850 feet
Dog Friendly?: Leashed dogs allowed
Bike Friendly?: Bikes allowed but not recommended
Facilities: None
Fees/Permits: None

For more information, visit:
San Diego River Park Foundation: Eagle Peak Preserve Conservation Area
View route or download GPX from CalTopo

West Side Road


The West Side Road in Ramona is an old forest road traveling through the Cleveland National Forest just outside of San Diego Country Estates. The road climbs high above the San Diego River Gorge, providing some breathtaking views. A little past two miles, the road crosses into private property. But just before that point, one can execute a short bushwhack to a hill overlooking the Devils Jumpoff, a nearly 100 foot waterfall active only during the wettest seasons. Even without the allure of flowing water, this is a great hike exploring some of San Diego’s backcountry. Continue reading West Side Road

Highland Valley Trail

The Highland Valley Trail runs along Highland Valley Road, just south of the San Dieguito River near San Pasqual Valley. Despite the nearby road, the trail offers a scenic stroll along gently rolling hills through a mix of coastal sage scrub, grasslands, and riparian woodlands. Views of nearby agricultural farms and the San Dieguito River provide a pleasant backdrop. Continue reading Highland Valley Trail

Rim Trail (Mission Trails Regional Park)

The western side of Mission Trails Regional Park contains an elaborate network of trails and utility roads that can be fashioned into any number of routes with varying amounts of elevation gain. You can explore low-lying valleys and river crossings or climb to hill tops to enjoy the views. This hike along the Rim Trail provides some great views of all 5 Mission Trail Peaks and the Suycott Valley below, as well as downtown San Diego in the west. Continue reading Rim Trail (Mission Trails Regional Park)

Tooth Rock via Rattlesnake Canyon

Poway is home to many of San Diego’s popular hiking areas. In between the very busy Iron Mountain and local favorite Twin Peaks lies the rather distinctive Tooth Rock. Named for obvious reasons, this bicuspid-like monolith sits perched upon a small peak overlooking Rattlesnake Canyon. Continue reading Tooth Rock via Rattlesnake Canyon

Viejas Mountain

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The rugged, triangular peak of Viejas Mountain rises just north of Interstate 8 in Alpine. The trail up the western flank of the mountain is a steep and no-nonsense affair through thick chaparral brush with zero shade. This is not a hike for hot summer days, but makes for a fantastic early morning workout or winter excursion. The climb is steep, but the unobstructed views along the trail and 360 degree vantage from the summit makes the effort more than worthwhile. Continue reading Viejas Mountain