The hike is brutal. The trailhead says 2.2 miles to the infamous Potato Chip Rock, but my watch…read moreclocked 1.9. And no, I didn't take any short cuts as there are no short cuts to take. This is a switchback hike to the summit, but at least it's paved. The parking at the base may seem a little sketchy, and it is. If you can't nab one of the 5 or so dirt spaces right in front of the trailhead entrance you basically have to park on the side of the road with cars flying by at 60+ mph. Bring lots of water. You'll need it, especially on a hot, dry summer day. But also be careful how much you drink. There are no bathrooms on the trail. When you reach the summit, stay right past all the sketchy buildings that leave you feeling like you're in a 1990s Bond film. The Potato Chip is about another 1/4 mile to the right. If you're brave enough to climb on top of it, it takes some maneuvering. I was not. There's a clearly visible crack in the rock. It looks like it's ready to fall downhill any day now - hopefully with nobody on it.

Having hiked the traditional route to the summit of Mount Woodson a few times, I decided to try the…read moreeastern ascent starting from Hwy 67 in Ramona. It's actually a paved service road. The distance was about 60% of the length with 1/3 more steepness than the western climb. You park your vehicle on the shoulder of the highway and then walk through a short dirt path before hitting the asphalt. There were numerous curves and turns, but your calves will definitely feel a burn as the elevation change was about 1200 feet over two miles. Watch out for the numerous potholes on the pavement. No body of water was visible on this route like when you walk around Lake Poway starting from that trailhead. Lots of rock formations and boulders dotted the side of the trail before you reached the top. After walking near all the radio and cell phone towers, I arrived at Potato Chip Rock. On the day I went, there were only two groups of hikers in front of me snapping photos and scaling on to the Chip. In the past, I have seen queues of 30-60 minutes to get an opportunity to climb on the rock and to snap pictures for social media postings of this famous local landmark. The time it takes to finish the ascent from this side can range from 45 minutes to an hour depending on how many breaks you take to catch your breath and rest. Therefore, the round trip up and down can be accomplished in less than two hours. That provided a great cardio workout over a total distance of 4.1 miles. I gave this backside trek to Potato Chip Rock a four star rating.

Great trail maintainance and everyone was so friendly! We had a great day riding from 9am to 4pm;…read morewith three shuttles running we were able to get a ton of laps in. Looking forward to comming back again soon!

I was with my family camping there. Me and my daughter 2 weeks ago we zipline there. It was…read moreamazing. It was my daughter birthday. They where so nice to her and they sing happy birthday to her. They are realy nice and professional. Abby, Avin, and Adin they treated everybody great. Thank you so much. They only need 2 lower little bit the price or maybe last zip line repeat it another time. We recommend this place for sure.

The "Star" of Palomar Mountain State Park is the California Institute of Technology's Hale…read moreTelescope at the Palomar Mountain Observatory, but there is also a rare bit (for San Diego) of Alpine terrain to explore with hiking trails in the trees and meadows with pounds and lakes. The views are always spectacular, and adventure awaits for those willing to get out and explore. Plan ahead for camping, the campgrounds fill up fast on weekends when the weather is nice.

A beautiful state park and such amazing campgrounds. There are a few campground options, but during…read moremy recent visit, we stayed at the Doane Valley Campground. It was very easy to book ahead online and pay for our daily parking pass once we checked-in. The campsite itself is tucked into the forest, very high up on Palomar Mountain. We found it easy to park our one SUV at our campsite and pitch our tents. The sites do have water, tables, and food boxes. The bathrooms were kept quite nice and tidy. We were all very impressed with the simple but clean and well maintained facilities. We did do a dog friendly hike that starts in the Doane Valley Campground and it's about 4 miles round trip. We had a lovely hike with a decent amount of incline along with beautiful weather. They also have a lovely stop/view area at the beginning of the campgrounds with picnic tables. Palomar mountain is great for camping, hiking, a nice Sunday cruise up the mountain for the beauty, etc. Cell phone service is spotty up there so make sure to either download your map ahead of time or use satellite service.

This is an experience the kids will NEVER forget. I'm glad the instructions said to get there an…read morehour early. There's lots to do before the event! They give the kids a little passport to stamp after they visit each activity area. If all the passport pages get stamped, kids get a 2nd round in the race for FREE. Or you can buy a chance to go again for $5. The booth areas were all free too. They got to catch cliff bar wrappers in a machine, color, do some little workouts, get free mac n cheese/rice crispy treats from a vendor. Take before/after photos in front of the Kids obstacle challenge backboard. The challenge itself was fun. I didn't give 5 stars because I was disappointed by the lack of mud. The event photos made it seem like there would be more. So I hyped the kids up for that! There was only 2 real chances to get muddy at the end. They had food truck vendors, water stations, bathrooms, an area to hose down. No bag check area though, unfortunately. All and all, we had a great time. Got some great GoPro footage and would do it again. We didn't spend any extra money there so that was nice. Ticket was $50/each but adults are free.

This was a fantastic hike! I went on a Sunday afternoon around 4 PM. The trail was 4.7 miles and…read moretook just under two hours to complete. It's mostly uphill, and since the trail markers are no longer in place, I used my Apple Watch to track the distance. At the very end, there's a fun challenge -- two chairs with ropes attached that you can use to pull yourself up. It's a unique touch that makes for great photos, especially with the stunning view at the top. We only came across one hiking group and two solo hikers, so it was very quiet -- possibly due to the overcast weather and occasional drizzle. There was plenty of parking available at the trailhead. Overall, it was a quick, scenic, and enjoyable hike.

Only reason for 1 star to have greater visibility. South Trail 09/14/2025 7:45am Less than a mile…read moreinto the tail, where the stream is, we heard a loud mountain lion growl. I think we were close to it because of how near it sounded. We immediately turned back around and made it to the car safely. We noticed quite a few poops (all but one fresh looking) on the trail and not following our instinct decided to ignore. Lesson learned: know how mountain lion poop looks like & don't ignore your gut!

A beautiful wildlife preservation site where you can enjoy animal encounters with exotic animals!…read more - PARKING - We parked on the hill past the entrance of the business, and walked down. Pretty steep but it's a short walk. - SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT - Book your visit online! There are group rates and additional attendee rates, so just make sure you have the right count of people! Staff was very friendly from start to finish, and I loved seeing the enthusiasm shine through their work. It's not a huge site, so not a ton of walking involved, but there are some steps if you're worried about accessibility. Make sure to wear closed toed shoes! - EXPERIENCE - We booked a Wallaby encounter, and initially I thought it was only going to be a single animal experience but I was pleasantly surprised we were taken on a tour around the area! We did get to feed and pet the Wallaby, but we also walked to see all the different animals in captivity. They also brought out some animals for us to pet and see up close! - OVERALL - A wonderful wildlife preservation site, and amazing staff to take care of them all!

We spent our anniversary here for their Sip & Paint event. Great different wines to sip and snacks…read moreto snack on. Great staff. And we had a blast! Great group of attending people too, had a lot of laughs together. The painting teacher walks you through the techniques so even though I'm not even good at stick figures, I didn't do that bad! My cheetah looks more like a racoon, but that's ok ha. Mine is on the right & my wife's on the left.

Absolutely amazing experience for adults and kids alike! Went with my little one and husband for a…read morest. Patrick day event! It was above and beyond what I expected and we enjoyed every minute of it! St. Patrick was a highlight for my son and husband who enjoyed his spot on Irish accent very much! The scavenger hunt was sweet and well thought out with very fun prizes at the end! Everyone made new friends, the petting zoo was great too! I made friends with one of the brand new goat babies they're very sweet and tiny! My husband held a couple snakes and my little guy had fun watching the tortoises eat! If your family want to have a great time I highly recommend visiting fort cross! Incredible Photo ops everywhere! Did I mention paint ball slingshot , tomahawk throwing and archery ? Well done and family fun great for bonding! We loved the very welcoming and compassionate owners! We are already planning our next visit back!

If you are looking around Julian for an activity outside of shopping, eating and apple picking; I…read morewould recommend Fort Cross Adventures. This family owned and built setup gives an old timey backyard feel with games ranging from treasure hunt, archery, ax throwing to a large garden/nursery. Like a large backyard it is all dirt paths with over grown trees & bushes so i would not come in high heels or nice shoes. The garden area is an "instagram" worthy spot for influencer photos as it is decorated with vintage photo frames, art, pottery giving it a rustic yet artsy feel. Pictures on yelp do the venue more justice than the companies website or TripAdvisor. Dates and hours are limited, as the family runs all aspects of Fort Cross. Highly recommend confirming they are open before just heading out. My one reservation or word of caution is with the archery. There are no forearm guards or finger protection offered. The bowstring with repetitive can possibly hurt your skin and cause of injuries.

This trail offers a spacious parking lot and a selection of different paths to explore. We chose an…read moreout-and-back route that was about 2.5 miles with a 367 ft elevation gain -- a steady, moderate incline. We shared the trail with a few mountain bikers, but it wasn't too crowded. It was a foggy morning, so we didn't get a view of the lake, but the cool weather made for a pleasant hike. Overall, a nice spot for a moderate outdoor adventure.

Great trail with plenty of parking at both the top and bottom, plus bathrooms for convenience. The…read moreloop offers beautiful views of the lake and hills and is easy to enjoy for all skill levels. At the top, there's even an amphitheater perfect for stargazing. A well-kept, scenic trail that's great any time of day!