Went for the weekend with my family I loved it!! We hand fun hiking the campground was clean and…read morefelt safe!

A surprise in our own backyard!!! A recommendation from a dear friend and an opportunity came to…read moretry the Burnt Rancheria Campground in the Cleveland National Park on Mt Laguna. Weather was perfect and the campground was ideal!!! Clean and well maintained helped to make our time this weekend worthwhile to truly appreciate and experience the Creations around us provided for our enjoyment but our Heavenly Father. Use GPS directions or you may pass the entrance. The entrance is right after the Pine Valley Cafe. Cellular reception is good in the mountains. I couldn't sleep the first night from all of the excitement so I sat alone in the middle of the field to gaze at the beautiful expanse of the heavens. Unbeknownst to me, that night a geomagnetic storm was creating amazing aurora borealis around the earth. Although my eye could not detect any hues or colors in the sky, my camera did and took some amazing photos!!! The next night I tried to take the same pictures and there were no hues, so I deduced that the night before must have been the Northern lights that the camera detected and recorded. At 6000' elevation I guess you can see incredible views of the sky!!! If you are 62 years old or older, apply for the "America The Beautiful" Senior Pass to receive a 50% discount on the Camping Fees. The Campground Hosts were very friendly if you show some respect and love to them. Shouldn't we all?

I love Mount Laguna!!! I've been hiking and mountain biking out here for years. It's got such a…read morevaried landscape, ranging from huge desert overlooks to green meadows and trees. There is adequate parking along sunrise Highway pretty much anywhere you go. You are supposed to have an adventure pass to park here and they have a kiosk to pay for it but it never works. Fortunately if you have the America, the beautiful pass, you can put that on your dashboard and that will cover it. Today, my man and I went out and did a hike on the PCT portion to Foster point. Absolutely stunning, one of my favorite overlooks in the area. On this portion of the trail, there is very little tree cover and you've got to be careful not to get dehydrated. It was only 74° and it got toasty in the sun. We were out there for three hours, and I had 3 L of water. I drank pretty much all of it and a Gatorade bottle that I brought. If you come out here for biking, be sure to hit Los Gatos Trail. It's so flowy and fun and has a bunch of little features you can play on. Noble Canyon is a legendary trail but if you are going to ride it, make sure you've got strong bike skills because it is quite technical.

Some of my favorite hikes in the winter are here. Previous years when I came here in February there…read morewas snow but no snow when we went today. We could tell that the snow recently melted because parts of the trail was muddy. There are at least 4 trails here. The trails range from easy to moderate depending which one you go on. The views are stunning!

It's a great river swim with the family…read more However be very careful.. I feel in a whole in Sept 5th,2022 and twisted both ankles. Which I'm still suffering pain from Two month in my injury. My family had lots of fun( I didn't since I was in pain but since it was 2hr drive I suck it up for them). My toddler love it.. we went when LA hit over 100* heat... it very nice in the water!! Many ppl with floating I do suggest to make sure everyone know how to swim as its now drag ppl down the stream..

I could see this being a 3 or 4 star hike depending on the season and weather conditions you do the…read morehike in. I hiked it on 2/24/19 and found the conditions to be ideal for my enjoyment! Location- it was only about a 30 minute drive for me since I spent the night after attending a party at a family member's house in El Cajon (suburb of San Diego); I jumped on the 8 East and as the elevation reached 3,000 ft I could begin seeing snow on the hills near the fwy and I got even more excited for this hike- took Exit 47 for Sunrise Hwy and the trailhead parking was about 2 miles away from the fwy and there was a large lot on the side of the hwy to park Trail- you access the trail by walking across the road and going to the right of the metal barrier...the snow was the deepest on this portion of the hike for about half a mile and the first part of the hike is where the trail is the narrowest with portions where you have to bend over and get low to continue past low branches; at about 3/4 of a mile you will get down to creek level and make a left to get to the waterfalls...I carefully climbed up to reach about 4 parts of the waterfall and it was flowing really well with all of the recent precipitation of this winter and it was a pleasant surprise to find this so close to the city of San Diego; it is about 2 miles RT and not anything too extreme in the way of incline and I loved having the trail/falls all to myself for the nearly 2 hrs I was there *I used microspikes just to be safe but I could see it being fine with just hiking shoes

Ooh! This is a beautiful park!…read more We were there for a "family" picnic, with friends who have become family. We were in area with a pavillion and lots of seating around the perimeter with picnic tables. There were a few big trees we could use to spread out for shade. And right nearby was a volleyball/"beach" ball court. It was a beautiful day for wonderful time with friends. The one issue I had was the parking situation. If anyone goes on a weekend, bring your patience because there was no parking available nearby, especially not for the disabled. For the size of the park, multiple pavillions, and other grassy areas for picincs, etc., there should be more disabled parking available with ramps to the pavilions.

What an awesome little park! It has lots of parking, it's clean and there are a ton of tables! They…read morehave two nice playgrounds close to the tables so it's perfect for Birthday parties. They have two clean bathroom facilities; one by the field and one by the picnic area. They have a beautiful field that looks untouched as well as basketball and tennis courts. The park rangers are very nice too.

My family and I drove up to Julian for a day trip but we knew we needed to let the kids get their…read moreenergy out and we stopped here to explore the playground. The playground equipment seemed newer and the kids loved it. What I loved was that it is completely fenced so I didn't have to be on top of my toddlers and they could explore a bit more on their own. We had a ton of fun climbing up everything and sliding down and using the swings. No one else was there for the majority of the time we were. One other family came for a short period of time and it seemed they were killing time before a photoshoot. Outside of the playground there is some picnicking areas and some sports areas as well. It seems like there can be a good use of space to do many different activities. There is a bathroom there however it is like a camping bathroom with a sink on the outside and nothing more than an outhouse on the inside. I opted to skip it and wait until we got to Julian to use a more modern bathroom. Overall, it was a great stop on the way to Julian for the kids and we will likely stop there again on future trips.

Yes, there actually is a playground! First of all it has…read morewood (pine?) chips and not sand and the play structures are all fairly new and in excellent condition! There is a swing set suitable for babies and a regular one for older kids and two other structures to climb up with a total of six slides.

If you are a San Diego hiker and haven't done this hike- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???…read more And for those of you who see these photos and think damn I need to go do that, please be aware of the temperature because it is dangerously hot down there at lower temperatures than in other areas. The hike goes down into a canyon and the heat settles down there. Even if it's not as hot as you think coming up can be extremely dangerous. Every year I hear about somebody dying from heat stroke on that hike so don't take it lightly. I always check the weather on the actual trail using the AllTrails app. I saw that the weather out there was max 65° that day and I was like hell yeah. The hike really isn't that difficult, 3 miles down and then 3 miles back up. Lots of nice switchbacks, and there are a few sun shelters for shade. The views are gorgeous all along the trail. I've done this hike, probably 20 times over the years. It's the best in the spring and in the fall. In the winter it's way too cold. The reward for this hike is the gorgeous rock bowl and waterfall that the locals call Devils Punchbowl. This past Thursday when we did this hike, there were a lot of young folks at the Punchbowl when we got there. Some of the guys were climbing up and jumping into the water. I would not recommend it, even if the waterfall is still flowing that water is not safe to swim in. In the fall, the waterfall doesn't flow anymore after being dried out over the brutal summer, but the trees at the bottom of the canyon turn a beautiful gold color. One of the few places in San Diego you can actually experience fall.

Great trail! Well-marked path down to and back up from the falls. Gorgeous water feature!read more

San Diego's most underrated drive is best experienced during fall when the gold and amber oak trees…read moreare brilliant with the season's color. Because of this byway's location most people tend to stay around Julian and Cuyamaca to hike. There are some trails off of this road which are a lot less crowded but just as fun. - Big Kahuna Trail (yelp erroneously has this trail under Rancho Bernardo CA) - Monument peak off the PCT (puts you under all the cool transmission towers) WINTER SNOW is also a popular time to come here as it's less crowded than Palomar Mountain, Julian and Cuyamaca snow spots. But less crowded is still very crowded. Tips: Always plan to bring snow chains. Sometimes the road is shut down to "chains only" as a way to curb insane crowds. Perhaps the biggest tip is to get to the snow early. Before 9am is best. People who show up later on a whim cause the most problems. The later it is the more accidents you'll see. I've witnessed this stupidity myself while driving back down the mountain. The sooner you arive the safer you and your family will be. Don't expect any parking after 11AM.... When you do find a spot hopefully you're facing the road back to your house. Trying to do a theee point turn is difficult on this narrow road and I watched some idiot back into a parked car trying to do it. Top- If you don't bring gloves you'll be turning around and going home within 30 minutes.

My favorite place in SD county to experience those lush pine forest vibes and snow during the…read morewinter time. If you're able to come here on a weekday, I recommend it, as you'll pretty much have the entire place to yourself. I choose this place over Palomar Mountain hands down, there's actually a place to eat here and the views are nicer IMO. If you get a chance, check out the Desert View Picnic site, you'll be able to see some breathtaking views of Anza Borrego State Park and contrast both the mountain/desert landscapes.

The Desert View Tower, built in the 1920's, offers a stunning view of the Anza Borrego Desert. It's…read morealso currently available on a short-term rental website listed as "Lighthouse in Jacumba, CA"! If you're driving by, it's worth a stop. Free to look around the grounds and giftshop; but there is a fee to climb to the top for the best and most expansive view ($9.50 as of this writing). The tower is next to "Boulder Park" featuring some truly hideous sculptures created by an unemployed engineer during the depression. The boulders are much more notable for what may be cupules created by Native Americans, cups that are carved out of rock as part of ceremonies and rituals. A smattering of animals live on the grounds including chickens and peacocks. Free parking.

I've been trying to figure out what to write about this fun little stop an hour east of San Diego…read more It's a wonderful piece of history and definitely worth exploring. My husband and I enjoyed our visit quite a bit. We paid the fee to climb to the top of the tower and go exploring the boulders on the property as well. The tower interior is home to a magical shop full of antiques and second-hand treasures. The boulders next to the tower are fun to explore and have lots of animals painted onto the boulders in the shapes of various animals. As you can tell we really enjoyed our visit BUT... The one road in and out of the Desert View Tower property is absolutely littered on both sides with (maybe) abandoned motor homes, shanties, and whole collections of god-only-knows-what! And the road itself is like driving on the surface of the moon. I felt like I was driving into a scene of "The Hills Have Eyes" (kids ask your Gen X parents about that one). Seriously... I thought we might be murdered and eaten! But if you're feeling brave, come well-armed, and are willing to pop a tire and ruin your suspension, it's a GREAT place to visit!

It's a challenge to find serenity in San Diego county. And even harder within driving distance of…read moredowntown. But then there's Lake Cuyamaca, a hidden gem. I went on a 6 mile hike with my wife around the lake and also through a couple of spurs off the main trail. There's one spot where you can look down into a valley and see where all the water collects. In those moments I try to use my mind's eye to see all sorts of animals running around thousands of years ago.

I didn't realize how much you could do at Lake Cuyamaca. Look no further if you want a great…read morecampsite with fishing spots and trails scattered around the area! If you're just visiting for the day like us, you'll need to pay for day use which is $10 per car. This fee is waived for campers or if you purchase a fishing permit (which is separate from the California fishing license). We started off at the Tackle Shop where we figured out our day passes and fishing logistics. The worker gave some great recommendations for fishing spots and this is where our group split, with several people fishing and the rest hiking. The Lake Cuyamaca Loop Trail is fairly easy and straightforward. It's about 3 miles total with little to no elevation gain. The trail mostly wraps around the edge of the lake but there was a section through an open field...the lake probably at one point stretched all the way out there but has dried up now. There's only a small section that had shade so for the most part, you'll be exposed to the sun (I got extremely sunburnt). You can use AllTrails if you're worried about getting lost but I thought the trail was pretty clear. We finished the hike in about an hour and just hung out with the rest of our friends fishing. We got lucky and it was such a beautiful day, with clear blue skies. Will definitely be back because I heard you could rent boats to fish off of! Oh and dogs are allowed as long as they're on a leash!

Nice little hike. $10 for parking. Has a bathrooms. Fire road over some rolling Hills until you…read moremake a left to go visit the "river". Trail ends up at a nice watering hole. Could definitely do some wading during the summer months if there's water. Even though you're not supposed to touch the water. ‍. The fire road continues through the rolling Hills for several miles if you wanted.

Nice easy hike. Beautiful waterfall. Had this waterfall all to ourselves. Took a nice little dip in…read morethe swimming pool. Chilly but refreshing!