Monument Peak in the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area may not be the most pristine peak, topped with numerous antennae and towers – not to mention a satellite laser facility – but it is still a beautiful destination. The peak sits along the edge of the Laguna Mountains, with the Anza-Borrego desert lying below to the east. Continue reading Monument Peak
Category Archives: Trail Write-Ups
Dictionary Hill Open Space Preserve
Dictionary Hill Open Space Preserve in Spring Valley is the newest addition to the County’s open space parks. Thanks to the dedication and perseverance of the Dictionary Hill Open Space Advocates, the County Board of Supervisors recently voted to acquire and preserve these 175 acres.
In the 1800’s, Dictionary Hill was known as Lookout Mountain. Rufus King Porter, one of the founders of Spring Valley, would climb the mountain to check whether the steamer was in port before making the trip into Old Town to pick up mail and sell produce. Today, standing atop the hill, one can enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of southeast San Diego.
There are several access points to the new open space, but we chose the trailhead at the end of S Barcelona Street as it appeared to offer the longest hike to the hilltop, and incorporates a stretch along Bancroft Creek. The trail began at the road’s end, leading into a dense grove of eucalyptus trees.
We followed the trail through the trees and turned right, heading west.
The trail climbed a short hill through the chaparral.
Before long it leveled out. There was a dry creek bed on our right, full of brush – Bancroft Creek.
Around .25 mile the trail crossed the dry creek bed and continued through the canyon.
Around .4 mile we came to a 4-way junction.
We took the left fork to begin making our way up the hill.
The path was steep and rocky. We were glad we’d bought our trekking poles as the footing was a bit challenging.
Around .55 mile we came to a “T” junction and turned left. Up the hill, we could see a small water tower.
Taking a moment to pause and catch our breath, we admired the stunning view to the east.
The trail wrapped around the southwestern flank of the hill.
Soon we were able to see Sweetwater Reservoir to the south. Here there was another wide junction, and we turned right to make our way towards the summit.
We passed a few more intersections but stayed straight, aiming for the high point.
Finally, right around the 1 mile point we reached the wide, open top of Dictionary Hill. We looked around for a benchmark or peak register but didn’t find anything other than rocks and brush.
The real destination though appeared to be on the western edge of the hill top, from where we had an outstanding view of the city below and the coastline beyond. We began picking out local landmarks and were even able to spot our house. In the distance, we could see the Silver Strand, Point Loma, the Coronado Bridge, and the Coronado Islands off the coast of Mexico.
We walked around the hilltop, taking in the panoramic views all around. To the north was Cowles Mountain and other peaks of Mission Trails.
Mount Helix was closer, to the northeast, and Iron Mountain and Mount Woodson could be seen far in the distance to the left. We were also able to pick out the distinctive forms of El Cajon Mountain and Cuyamaca Peak. All in all, we were extremely impressed with the view given the short climb that had brought us here.
After exploring the hilltop we decided to take a slightly different route down. We found another rough path leading down the northeast side of the hilltop, heading towards another water tower (different than the water tower we had passed on our climb up).
There was quite a network of interconnecting trails up here, but we just headed for the water tower.
Upon reaching the tower, we turned right and followed the fence line east down the hill.
We continued downhill, reaching a “T” junction with another utility road and turning left.
This road curved around and continued west down an extremely steep hill. The dirt was very loose and slippery, being that it hadn’t rained in pretty much forever, and we were once again thankful for our trekking poles.
Finally we reached the bottom of the hill and turned right.
We were now in the canyon through which we had come in, and in just a couple hundred feet passed the turn-off we had first taken to begin climbing the hill. From here, we retraced our route back to the start.
Directions:
From 94 east take the Sweetwater Springs Blvd. Head south on Sweetwater Springs Blvd for approximately .9 mile. Turn right onto Austin Drive and continue for approximately .7 mile. Turn left onto S Barcelona St and proceed about .3 mile to the end of the road where you will find the trailhead. Park along the street. map
| Total Distance: | 2.1 miles |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
| Total Ascent: | 565 feet |
| Dog Friendly?: | Leashed dogs allowed |
| Bike Friendly?: | Bikes allowed |
| Facilities: | None |
| Fees/Permits: | None |
For more information, visit:
Dictionary Hill Open Space Advocates
View route or download GPX from CalTopo
Canyon Oak and Desert View Loop
William Heise County Park in Julian suffered significantly during the 2003 Cedar Fire, but the damage is mostly evident only on the outer portions of the park, away from the campground. The northeastern end of the park contains three intersecting loop trails – the Canyon Oak Trail, Desert View Trail, and a Self-Guided Nature Trail – where you can witness nature’s recovery. The trails travel through a mix of oak and pine woodland and thick chaparral. The trails are rather steep in sections, but you will be rewarded with some beautiful panoramic views from the “Glen’s View” viewpoint in the middle of the Desert View Trail. Continue reading Canyon Oak and Desert View Loop
Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve (East)
Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve, with its long, looping trail system, year-round creek, and easily accessible waterfall, is a highly popular hiking destination. In addition to all of its many natural attractions, it is also home to the historic Rancho Penasquitos Adobe Ranch House. The Ranch House has a long history as a private residence and bunkhouse for ranch hands. You can incorporate a tour of the Ranch House into your hike if you like, or maybe just stop by to visit some of the barnyard animals that live on the grounds. Even if you bypass the Ranch House, the eastern half of Penasquitos Canyon offers a scenic and interesting hike along Penasquitos Creek to a small but scenic waterfall. Continue reading Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve (East)
Kelly Ditch Trail
The Kelly Ditch Trail runs between William Heise County Park in Julian and Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. A section of the trail overlaps what was once “Kelly’s Ditch,” a ditch dug in order to route water runoff from North Peak to nearby Lake Cuyamaca and named after John Kelly, a rancher who owned the land along the course of the ditch.
The trail can be hiked as either a 5.6 mile point-to-point (best hiked south to north, beginning at Lake Cuyamaca and ending at Heise County Park), or as a more ambitious 11.2 mile out and back. We chose the out and back option to avoid the hassle and expense of shuttling two cars. Besides, who would argue against more hiking? We started at Heise County Park in order to get the worst of the climbing done up front.
We paid our day use fee at the entrance kiosk then turned around and parked in the day use parking lot just in front of the kiosk. At the southern edge of the lot we spotted a sign that read “Trail,” pointing us to the right.
We followed the road as it led south until we spotted the trailhead.
We passed through a small patch of pines and cedars.
The trees quickly quickly gave way to thick ceanothus.
At .3 mile we reached a wide dirt road.
The trail continued on the opposite side.
We made our way across an open field, then downhill a short distance to where the trail crossed Cedar Creek.
Just past the crossing, the Fern Trail branched off to the right. This trail reconnects to the Kelly Ditch Trail further on so you can take it as alternate route, but we decided to save that adventure for another day and continued straight. The trail led steeply uphill.
Around .7 mile we came to a “T” junction and turned right to continue on the Kelly Ditch Trail.
The trail continued uphill for a short distance, then began to descend.
Right around the 1 mile point we found the other end of the Fern Trail. There was also a wooden bench which provided a nice spot to sit and relax while listening to the nearby water.
Just beyond the bench was another branch of Cedar Creek.
We carefully crossed the creek and continued uphill on the other side.
From this point we had a seemingly endless maze of ceanothus to navigate.
There were a few spots where a hole in the thick brush allowed us a view of the surrounding area.
The occasional Black Oak in the midst of its fall color change brightened up the trail.
The trail continued steeply uphill, and the ceanothus began to get even thicker and taller.
Around 1.75 miles we reach the border between William Heise County Park and Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. We noticed an interesting difference in the trail markers between the two parks: all of the signage in Heise County Park referred to it as the “Kelly Ditch Trail,” whereas the Cuyamaca signs read “Kelly’s Ditch Trail,” – an interesting bit of trivia to impress all your hiking friends.
The thick walls of ceanothus continued, and we found some downed trees on the trail to keep things interesting. A little bit of climbing and crawling got us past the obstacles.
While the ceanothus walls didn’t do much for the view, they were beneficial for helping keep the sun off. The day was warming up and we were thankful for the shade.
Around 2.35 mile we reached a spot that was relatively free of towering ceanothus. We paused for a few moments to enjoy the view.
The trail continued uphill, the trail littered with fallen sticks and branches. The remains of fire-ravaged trees lined the mountainside.
Once again, we found ourselves surrounded by tall ceanothus.
We continued to climb until about 2.75 miles, when the trail leveled out. With the lack of view, it was hard to see if we were atop any sort of high point, but the respite from climbing was noticeable and welcome.
Soon enough we found ourselves travelling downhill, and the brush subsided enough to give us a view of North Peak in the distance.
Around 3 miles we found ourselves in a level, open area. We had nearly given up hope of seeing anything other than solid walls of ceanothus, but the scenery here was a welcome change. There were a mix of fire-damaged tree remnants, new pine growth, and Black Oaks.
The trail soon merged with an old, overgrown road as we began to make our way around the western flank of North Peak.
Views to the west began to open up, and we were able to pick out some distant peaks like El Cajon Mountain. There was a solid wall of clouds along the coast.
At 4.2 miles we came to a “Y” junction. The wide road continued to the right, the trail markers indicated this route led towards Engineers Road. We took the narrow single track on the left.
The trail was rockier than it had previously been, and we noticed a subtle change in the vegetation as manzanita began to dominate the trailside.
At 4.5 miles the trail crossed the road and continued on the other side.
The trail continued to wind downhill through manzanita and toyon.
Eventually we found ourselves under a thick oak canopy.
We began to spot remnants of a low rock wall along the trail – Kelly’s Ditch.
With all the leaf litter on the ground, it was difficult to move quietly. We startled a large herd of deer who were foraging beneath the oaks.
We could hear the sound of traffic and knew we were getting close to the Highway.
At 5.6 miles we reached the end of the trail where it met Highway 79. We turned around and began the long hike back to our starting point.
Directions:
From downtown Julian, head west on Washington Street (CA 78/79). After approximately 1 mile, turn left onto Pine Hills Road. After approximately 1 mile, turn left onto Deer Lake Park Road. Follow Deer Lake Park Road for 2.1 miles, then turn left onto Frisius Drive. Keep right to continue onto Heise Park Road and follow it to the park entrance. map
| Total Distance: | 11.2 miles |
| Difficulty: | Moderately Strenuous |
| Total Ascent: | 2390 feet |
| Dog Friendly?: | Dogs not allowed on Cuyamaca portion |
| Bike Friendly?: | Bikes not allowed on Cuyamaca portion |
| Facilities: | Restrooms and water at Heise County Park |
| Fees/Permits: | $3 day use fee at Heise County Park |
For more information, visit:
View route or download GPX from CalTopo
Mother Miguel Mountain (aka The Rock House)
Mother Miguel Mountain is a modest prominatory in the shadow of the much more impressive San Miguel Mountain (aka Mt Miguel). Since San Miguel Mountain is sadly not open to the public, Mother Miguel is one of the few easily accessible hikes with notable elevation gain in Chula Vista. This distinction, along with the photogenic Rock House (a large man made pile of rocks complete with flagpole) at the summit, make Mother Miguel Mountain a highly popular trail. Don’t expect to find solitude on this hike, but you will be rewarded with a great workout and fantastic views of the South Bay. Continue reading Mother Miguel Mountain (aka The Rock House)
Gonzales Canyon
Gonzales Canyon has a modest network of trails that explore several connected canyons. The Torrey Pines Loop Trail, which has only a modest stand of Torrey Pines at the very end, explores two adjacent canyons full of mixed chaparral and coastal sage scrub. We combined this loop with a section of the Lagoon Trail, which travels along a lush riparian belt, for a scenic and varied figure-8 dual loop. Continue reading Gonzales Canyon
Stonewall Peak Loop (Cuyamaca Rancho State Park)
Stonewall Peak is one of the most popular hikes in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, and with good reason. The trail is easily accessible, beginning just across the street from the park’s main campground, and it provides some amazing views. If you’re looking for a new twist on this popular hike, you can try this variation. After summiting, continue along the Stonewall Peak Trail as it descends the back side of the mountain to meet with the California Riding and Hiking Trail, then continue on the Cold Stream Trail to loop back to the start. This adds about 1 mile to the hike, but will offer significant solitude compared to the busy trail that leads up to the Peak. Continue reading Stonewall Peak Loop (Cuyamaca Rancho State Park)
Oasis Spring
Oasis Spring was once a source of water for several camps and cabins in Mount Laguna, but is now an all but forgotten side trip off the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The Spring lies at the end of an old, overgrown road, which is slowly fades into an overgrown and unmaintained trail. The trail leads to a lush pocket of vegetation on the edge of the desert, and an old metal pump house is situated among the dense growth. Continue reading Oasis Spring
Hosp Grove
Hosp Grove was established in 1908 as a business venture by F.P. Hosp, who hoped to profit by selling the wood from fast-growing eucalyptus trees for use in the railroads. Unfortunately for Hosp, eucalyptus wood turned out to be unsuitable for construction purposes, and much of the land was eventually sold for residential development. Hosp’s misfortune turned into a benefit for hikers however, when in 1986 the City of Carlsbad purchased the remaining 53 acres of the grove and turned it into a park with several miles of hiking trails. Continue reading Hosp Grove