This Week in San Diego Hiking – December 19, 2016

Photo: Sunrise from Cowles Mountain

Hello Hikers!

I know it’s winter in San Diego when I have to shut all the windows in the house. It looks like the cool and clear weather should persist for a little while, so make sure you layer up before heading out!

This Wednesday, December 21, is Winter Solstice! Ditch work, get up early, and join the San Diego Natural History Museum Canyoneers for their annual sunrise solstice hike on Cowles Mountain. Ascend Cowles Mountain in near-darkness to watch the sunrise on the first day of winter. The viewing spot is a Kumeyaay solstice observatory, about halfway up the mountain. Bring a flashlight with a a red lens cover. This is a difficult 3 mile hike with an elevation gain/loss of up to 1000 feet. Check out our write-up from a couple of years ago to see what you can expect. For more information, visit the Canyoneers’ web site, or check out our Events Page to find even more upcoming hikes and events.

You may remember a story from last summer about a California State Parks proposal to limit off-trail use in certain sensitive areas of Parks. Many users and groups felt the proposal was overly broad and restrictive and did not allow individual parks to decide where off-trail access should or should not be allowed. California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has revised their proposal and has initiated a new comment period from December 7, 2016 – January 18, 2017. The new proposal verbiage seems to make it clearer that individual parks will have the authority to decide if and where to implement restrictions. Visit the DPR Notice of Proposed Rulemaking web page to view the revised text and find details on how to submit your comments.

If you still need to do some shopping for your hiker, remember Amazon Prime members get unlimited, free 2-day shipping. You can get a FREE 30-day trial for Amazon Prime, and have everything in time for Christmas morning. Here’s the latest outdoor and fitness deals from Amazon to fill those stockings:

Happy Holidays!

Photo: Sunrise Trail/Big Laguna Loop