In the late 1800’s, the San Diego Flume Company built a 37 mile wooden flume to transport water from Cuyamaca to the El Cajon Valley. This elaborate construct consisted of nearly 9 million board feet of redwood lined with cork and sealed with tar, and traveled across 315 trestles and through eight tunnels. By 1935, the flume was replaced with an underground pipeline. Most of the lumber and other material that made up the flume was reclaimed, but in several places throughout the county the course of the flume can still be identified by a wide cut in hillsides and mountainsides where the flume ran. Continue reading El Monte Park Trail
Category Archives: East County
Sycuan Peak
Like so many other trails in the county, Sycuan Peak had been on our “to-hike” list for some time. But every week it got shunted to the bottom of the list because it always seemed like such a long drive for so short a hike. But after countless sweltering hot days, we finally had a day where temperatures were forecast to be reasonable. We decided if we kept the hike short and went early enough, we could bring one of our monsters along, so the ever amazing Apollo joined us. Continue reading Sycuan Peak
Walker Preserve Trail
The Walker Preserve Trail is the most recently completed section of the San Diego River Trail. This section encompasses over 100 acres of mixed sage scrub, riparian and wetland habitat capable of supporting at least 3 federally protected bird species (the Southwestern willow flycatcher, the California gnatcatcher, and the least Bell’s viero). This area was once part of the Walker Family Dairy Farm, and until recently was off-limits to the public as it was used for sand mining. A combination of funding from the City of Santee and various grants were used to purchase the land and construct a beautiful riverside trail that was opened to the public in April 2015. Continue reading Walker Preserve Trail
El Cajon Mountain (“El Cap”)
El Cajon Mountain, or “El Cap” as its often referred to, is a major landmark in Eastern San Diego. The prominent granite ridge can be easily identified from many of southeastern San Diego’s trails and draws your attention as you drive east on Interstate 8. Located in the the County’s El Capitan Open Space Preserve, the trail up El Cajon Mountain is one of the most challenging in San Diego. It is often frequented by individuals training for adventures such as hiking Mount Whitney or competing in Iron Man triathlons, as well as ambitious day hikers. Continue reading El Cajon Mountain (“El Cap”)
Los Pinos Peak
We first learned of Los Pinos Peak last winter when we hiked to Corte Madera Mountain. Not to be confused with the Los Pinos Peak located in the Santa Ana Mountains, San Diego’s Los Pinos and neighboring Corte Madera are offshoots of the beautiful Espinosa Trail in the southern reaches of the Cleveland National Forest. Many people combine the two destinations into a single 10-mile hike, but since we hadn’t had time for both on our first excursion, we finally made plans to get back out there and do the Los Pinos hike. Continue reading Los Pinos Peak
Goodan Ranch Sycamore Canyon Preserve
The Goodan Ranch Sycamore Canyon Preserve, managed jointly by the County of San Diego and cities of Poway and Santee, lies just west of Highway 67. The Preserve contains a wide variety of scenery and habitat, including mixed sage scrub and chaparral covered hills, open grasslands, and riparian creekside. It has an extensive history as well, it has been home to the Kumeyaay Indians and was a working ranch for many years. Nowadays, the Preserve is a popular hiking and mountain biking destination. Continue reading Goodan Ranch Sycamore Canyon Preserve
McGinty Mountain
McGinty Mountain is considerably less popular than some of the county’s more well-known peaks, like Cowles Mountain, Iron Mountain, and Mount Woodson. This can only be due to its comparatively remote location, because it is a beautiful and challenging hike with some amazing views. Continue reading McGinty Mountain
Corte Madera Mountain
Corte Madera Mountain is a great hike if you’re looking for some quiet solitude. A somewhat long drive, rugged dirt road, and limited parking means not too many people venture out for this trek. But should you undertake this adventure, your effort will be rewarded with a peaceful trail that takes you through dense creekside oaks, hills covered in chaparral and speckled with colorful boulders, thick swathes of manzanita, a respectable showing of Coulter pines, and finally some expansive views of the southern portion of the Cleveland National Forest. Continue reading Corte Madera Mountain
Lakeside River Park
Lakeside River Park is a small, yet scenic stretch of the San Diego River. This trail is something of a work in progress. The original groundbreaking took place in 2006, and since then workers and volunteers have built a nice little trail and restored a substantial amount of native vegetation along the river. Future plans include additional removal of invasive plants and planting of natives, as well as extending the trail in both directions. We visited the trail on a warm summer evening shortly before sunset, and found the trail provided a pleasant little stroll with lots of birds and other wildlife. Continue reading Lakeside River Park
Ramona Grasslands Preserve
The Ramona Grasslands Preserve is a relatively new addition to San Diego’s roster of County Parks. Originally acquired by the Nature Conservancy, the land was later given to the County and a portion was opened to the public in 2011. In addition to hikers, the Preserve is a popular destination for horseback riders (we encountered quite a few equestrians on our visit) and is open to mountain bikers as well.
Winter may be the best time to visit the preserve, as numerous hawks and other large birds overwinter in the area. But the trail is an easy hike with views of wide plains and rolling hills topped with oak trees and boulders that can be enjoyed year round, although it does get rather hot during the summer. Continue reading Ramona Grasslands Preserve