It had been over a decade since I've done this hike -- mostly because dogs are prohibited on this…read moretrail (and usually I like to take my dogs hiking) -- but this week I decided to do it again.
The short of it:
- The first mile is pretty uninteresting as it is on a fire road.
- Then you hit an open dirt plateau, walk straight across to the open path on the opposite side.
- The remaining 1.3 miles is really fun -- lots of scrambling up boulders, and then a little challenging rope climb through a chimney to get to the peak where there are fantastic views
Things to know:
Cell service is spotty up there, so if you are going to use Google Maps to find the trailhead,, start to navigate while you are still in a populated area with cell service.
Finding the entrance to the chimney can be tricky. There were three of us that were close to it, but it took us about 10 minutes to find it. To make it easy for the rest of you to find: download the What3Words app in advance, and when you get to the point that you are actively looking for the chimney, put in the words "dreadful.joining.tilts" and hit Navigate / Compass Mode...this should guide you to the exact entrance of the chimney. (( Side note, if you are not familiar with What3Words, watch this cool 5 minute TedTalk by its founder: https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_sheldrick_a_precise_three_word_address_for_every_place_on_earth ))
There are lots of holly-like shrubbery on the second half of the trail. Long pants aren't required, but they can definitely help you avoid abrasion.
It gets hot there: the high was supposed to be 60 degrees in that area yesterday, but it felt like it was in the 70s when we were doing the hike. This is definitely a hike to do when the weather is cold in San Diego proper.
Download the All-Trails trailmap in advance: the latter 1.3mi is not well-marked, and having that GPS accessible trailmap sped up our hike by letting us know if we were getting off the beaten path.
For a meal afterwards, I recommend Panchos: we went to Panchos Mexican on Jamacha Rd....huge serving sizes, and very tasty.