Happy Labor Day hikers! I hope everyone has the day off work and will be out hitting the trails. We have a lot of things to look forward to in September, including:

• The start of autumn on the 23rd, which will hopefully mean cooler temps and more comfortable hikes are in our future.
• National Public Lands Day is on the 27th, which means free entry to all Federally Managed Lands including Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and US Forest Service properties. You can head out to Mount Laguna or other Cleveland National Forest areas and leave your Adventure Pass at home, or check out Cabrillo National Monument for free!

If you’re looking for something to look forward to next weekend, how about a rare Back Road Hike up Volcan Mountain Saturday morning? Join Park Ranger Bret Exner up a hidden road leading to the Volcan Mountain summit. The road will wind through towering cedar groves, oak filled meadows along a pristine creek. Once they reach the Volcan Mountain Summit, they will hike down the mountain using the fire road. They will meet at the Volcan Mountain Parking area and carpool with some cars to the entry point of the hidden road. At the end of the hike, they will carpool to get the cars we left at the beginning of the hike. For more info, check out the County Parks and Recreation Events Guide, or visit our Events Page to find more awesome activities.

The San Diego Reader recently published an article about San Diego City Councilmember David Alvarez’ visit to an area of the Tijuana River Valley Trail that was damaged during  last year’s annual dredging. The damaged area is preventing hikers and equestrians from crossing the river and accessing the beach from areas north of Monument Road.

Another recent Reader article discusses Congressman Duncan Hunter’s intervention in the US Fish and Wildlife’s recently published Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. The plan involves closing a significant number of user created trails throughout the area, which has upset a number of local trail users.

And while we’ve been fortunate not to have any major fires break out recently, that’s apparently not through lack of trying. As NBC San Diego reports, 3 people were seen running away from a small brush fire near the Cowles Mountain trail entrance last Thursday. Fortunately, the fire was quickly extinguished.

Get ready for fall with some new hiking gear! Right now you can get FREE shipping on orders over $35, plus a free $10 promotional gift card on orders over $50 at RockyMountainTrail.com

Did you know that Veterans, Service Members, and First Responders get 10% off everday at Underarmour.com?

Have a good week!