With its ease of access and numerous beautiful trails, Mission Trails sees a LOT of hikers. While you’ll have a hard time finding any trail with complete solitude in the park, Mesa Trail in the eastern section isn’t as heavily traveled as some of the others. This hike combines the Mesa Service Road, Mesa Trail, and the Big Rock Trail for a nice little loop with a variety of habitats to explore. You can tack on a summit of Cowles Mountain if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, but on a warm day or if you’re just out for a quickie, this short hike is quite nice by itself.
Knowing this outing wouldn’t be too strenuous, we took our time getting up and didn’t reach the trailhead until mid-morning. It was a warm day, and this hike turned out to be just the right level of exertion considering out late start and the temperature. We found the trailhead at the end of the Lake Murray Boulevard and set off on our way.
The trail was a wide, dirt service road, surrounded by lush riparian vegetation. On our right, a creek was hidden by the dense brush.
Before long the trail crossed the creek, giving us a glimpse of the water course. There was still some water, but it stood still and stagnant.
Around .58 miles we turned left onto the Mesa Trail – a narrow single track.
A small, wooden footbridge spanned the narrow creek. Some lizards were lounging on the bridge, eyeing us warily as we crossed.
On the other side of the bridge, the trail began to ascend.
We wound our way up the rocky slopes, surrounded by buckwheat, laurel sumac, chamise, and manzanita.
It didn’t take long to get some nice views looking out towards Santee. We could see the staging area at the other end of the Mesa Service Road as well as Big Rock Park below us.
We continued climbing until we came to a “T” junction with the Big Rock Trail at 1.35 miles. You can turn left here and continue to the summit of Cowles Mountain if you’re so inclined, but we opted to just turn right and make our way downhill to Big Rock Park.
The trail switchbacked its way down the mountain side.
It was hot and dry, and there weren’t many flowers left along the trail, but we did spot a few, including a mariposa lily.
As we approached Big Rock Park, we passed through a small section that burned last year (2017). The area was still heavily scarred from the fire, but there was new growth showing, including a few bright flowers.
Towards the edge of the burn area, around 1.9 miles, we came to a “Y” junction. We took the right fork heading towards Big Rock Park.
We passed behind Big Rock Park and reached Mesa Road around 2.4 miles. (There are restrooms and water at the park if you need a break). 
Upon reaching Mesa Road, we turned right and walked along the shoulder.
We followed the road to the end where we found another trailhead at approximately 2.8 miles. We continued straight along the Mesa Service Road, heading back towards our starting point.
Around 3 miles we passed the turn-off for the single-track Mesa Trail we had taken earlier, and continued straight along the service road to get back to our car.
Directions:
From Highway 125, take the Navajo Road exit and head west on Navajo Road. Turn right onto Lake Murray Boulevard and continue to the end (approximately .9 miles). Park along the street, the trailhead is at the end of the road. map
| Total Distance: | 3.6 miles |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
| Total Ascent: | 700 feet |
| Dog Friendly?: | Leashed dogs allowed |
| Bike Friendly?: | Bikes allowed |
| Facilities: | None at trailhead; Restrooms and water at Big Rock Park (at approximately 2.3 miles) |
| Fees/Permits: | None |
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View route or download GPX from CalTopo