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One option is to carry your overnight gear along this route and stay at Arroyo Seco Primitive Camp; if you decide to do this, you must park your car overnight at Green Valley Campground and make that
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Escape to the Azalea Glen Loop Trail for some of the most peaceful hiking imaginable. It’s hard believe that such forested paradise—filled with wildlife, musical streams, Native American archeological
... Related information:... From the guidebook Best Easy Day Hikes: San Diego
Descanso Junction
,
CA
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Hiking
- 3.6 miles
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The Azalea Glen Trail, the coolest and shadiest pre-Cedar-Fire route in the park, is showcasing some strong signs of botanical rebirth. Amid the ghost forests of closely spaced, blackened tree trunks,
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Here’s one of San Diego County’s hidden treasures, tucked back in a tributary of the upper San Diego River, accessible these days only by non-mechanized means of travel. Before the construction of El
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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The San Diego River and its upper tributaries drain the pastoral valleys and forested hillsides around Julian, and the rugged western slopes of the Cuyamaca Mountains. The water flows generally south
... Related information:... From the guidebook 101 Hikes in Southern California: Exploring Mountains, Seashore and Desert
Julian
,
CA
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Hiking
- 4.5 miles
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Little remains of the century-old, redwood-planked flume, or aqueduct, that once brought the waters of the Cuyamaca Mountains to Grossmont Summit (La Mesa) and farther west. Much of the flume’s 36-mil
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Cool Canyon, a deep crease in the east flank of Granite Mountain, stays truly cool only for a month or two before winter solstice, and for a couple of months afterward. Botany buffs consider it a hot
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Part of the appeal of the Laguna Mountains is the huge eastern escarpment that drops away to the desert floor—4,000 feet below the forested mountain slopes. The transition is abrupt: forest one moment
... Related information:... From the guidebook Best Easy Day Hikes: San Diego
Pine Valley
,
CA
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Hiking
- 1.2 miles
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Cuyamaca Peak, San Diego County’s second highest summit, lies only a few miles from the county’s geographical center. Its strategic position and height make it the best land-based vantage for studying
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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This easy, well-graded path leads to a panoramic view and many perching spots on sun-warmed rocks. This is the most popular hike in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and was one of the first trails to reopen
... Related information:... From the guidebook 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Diego
El Cajon
,
CA
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Hiking
- 4.4 miles
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Plentiful rain and the Cuyamacas’ geographical location between coast and desert make these mountains a unique ecosystem. The 4,000- to 6,500-foot peaks host rich forests of ponderosa and Jeffrey pine
... Related information:... From the guidebook California's State Parks: A Day Hiker's Guide
San Diego
,
CA
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Hiking
- 4 miles
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This easy ramble along the scenic shore of Cuyamaca Reservoir visits the Stonewall Mine historic site—not much to look at today, but once the site of a towering mill and the ramshackle mining town of
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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On a warm spring day, Harper Creek’s shallow, jewel-like pools invite tactile exploration—with more than just the fingers. Slide into one of the pools, and let the involuntary scream rising from your
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Standing tall amid lesser bumps on the west slope of the Cuyamaca Mountains, Eagle Peak presides over a panoramic view of the island-dimpled ocean, scattered parts of urban and suburban San Diego, and
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Oakzanita Peak is one of only a handful of named peaks in the Cuyamaca Mountains, yet its humble appearance— at least on approach—wouldn’t inspire most hikers to climb it. Actually, the view from its
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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When it comes to diversity, it would be hard to find another hike in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park that shows it better than the East Side/Juaquapin Trail. In the 4.7-mile course of this strenuous hike,
... Related information:... From the guidebook Best Easy Day Hikes: San Diego
Descanso Junction
,
CA
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Hiking
- 4.7 miles
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The summit of Garnet Peak will send shivers of joy down your spine, and, if the weather is clear, might offer the most spectacular views in San Diego County. Reach the trailhead before dawn for a subl
... Related information:... From the guidebook Best Easy Day Hikes: San Diego
Pine Valley
,
CA
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Hiking
- 2.25 miles
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Although there’s no trail to Granite Mountain’s summit, it is possible to climb the mountain from nearly every direction. The Pacific Crest Trail meanders around the mountain’s north flank but never a
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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This is probably the flattest of any of the longer hikes possible within Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Instead of climbing a mountain or a mesa, the route follows, for the most part, the gentle valleys
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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The Inaja Picnic Area memorializes 11 firefighters who lost their lives in the San Diego River canyon while battling the 60,000-acre Inaja Fire in 1956. This was one of worst firefighting disasters in
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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The Kelly Ditch Trail, completed in 1985, is perhaps the most beautiful pathway yet built in the Cuyamaca-Julian area. This hiking/horse trail is routed partly along a diversion ditch well over a cent
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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This pleasant hike through varying landscapes offers view after view of postcard-perfect scenery that makes the 60-mile drive from San Diego worth the time. Watch for snakes, including rattlesnakes;
... Related information:... From the guidebook 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Diego
Lake Morena
,
CA
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Hiking
- 4.8 miles
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In 1997, Cleveland National Forest, in cooperation with the Sweetwater Authority (a water utility serving south San Diego County), opened a new fishing-access trail to Loveland Reservoir outside Alpin
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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North of the Laguna Mountains and east of the green meadows rimming Cuyamaca Reservoir, Oriflamme Canyon cuts a curved gash in the mountain escarpment—a natural passage leading to the brown floor of t
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Middle Peak’s north slopes used to feature the “big trees” of the Cuyamaca Mountains—centuries-old sugar pines over 100 feet tall, and plenty of black oaks, white firs, Jeffrey pines, and incense ceda
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Freeway-close for San Diego residents, Noble Canyon in the Laguna Mountains offers an unadulterated look at backcountry Southern California, circa 1920. Today, as suburbia leapfrogs inland from the co
... Related information:... From the guidebook Backpacking California
Pine Valley
,
CA
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Hiking
- 10 miles
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If water is an element essential to your hiking pleasure, you won’t want to miss this hike. Along Juaquapin Creek, you can sit in the shade and listen to the most peaceful of sounds—the gentle flow of
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Honeycombed hillsides and bits and pieces of rusted equipment—that is the legacy left behind by Julian’s gold-mining heyday over a century ago. Although a few mines continue to be worked sporadically
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Oriflamme Canyon’s gurgling waters are borne to the open air at a spring high on the east slope of the Laguna Mountains. For 5 miles or so, they trickle over polished granite and schist bedrock, tumbl
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Before tackling one of the longer hikes in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park—or anywhere in San Diego’s mountains, for that matter—plan to take the short stroll around Paso Nature Trail. This short hike brie
... Related information:... From the guidebook Best Easy Day Hikes: San Diego
Descanso Junction
,
CA
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Hiking
- 0.6 mile
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This hike is especially rewarding during the winter months, when melting snow or soggy ground at higher elevations in the Cuyamacas can make hiking in those areas difficult. A good part of the route i
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Spectacular exposures of colorfully banded and folded metamorphic rock gave “Rainbow Canyon” its so-far unofficial name. The canyon’s colorful nature is enhanced even further during a peak wildflower
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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A trip down the upper San Diego River canyon during the rainy season is a true adventure. Runoff from winter storms fills the rocky riverbed with a silvery band of water. Green grass, new leaves, and
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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As you climb upward, the sound of traffic on the highways below mutes, and the cinema-scopic view takes in the long sweep of the aligned San Felipe and Earthquake valleys below and the parallel Volcan
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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This hidden grotto and 30-foot waterfall lie within Cleveland National Forest, just outside the west boundary of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. They’re part of a remote and roadless area once known as th
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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On top, you won’t see any ocean views (the main Cuyamaca massif stands tall in the west), but the foreground panorama of the park’s rolling topography is impressive enough. Patches of meadow along the
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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It’s just after dawn. In the middle distance, mist gently rises from a mirror-smooth lake. The sun is still a half hour from cresting the eastern hills; deep shadow locks the forested lake shore in ca
... Related information:... From the guidebook Best Easy Day Hikes: San Diego
Descanso Junction
,
CA
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Hiking
- 2.4 miles
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Standing as quiet sentinel over much of southern Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, the exposed summit of Stonewall Peak offers an irresistible call to hikers of all ages. It’s all uphill to the summit, but
... Related information:... From the guidebook Best Easy Day Hikes: San Diego
Descanso Junction
,
CA
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Hiking
- 4 miles
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Stonewall Peak's angular summit of white granite is a conspicuous landmark throughout Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Although stonewall stands some 800 feet lower than nearby Cuyamaca Peak, it's unique
... Related information:... From the guidebook 101 Hikes in Southern California: Exploring Mountains, Seashore and Desert
Descanso
,
CA
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Hiking
- 4.5 miles
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The Stonewall Peak Trail is a popular outing in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, and for good reason. The peak offers a nice workout and exceptional clear-day views of well over a hundred peaks in the Sout
... Related information:... From the guidebook 100 Classic Hikes in Southern California
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Stonewall Peak’s angular summit of white granitic rock is a conspicuous landmark throughout Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Although Stonewall stands some 800 feet lower than nearby Cuyamaca Peak, its uni
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Fed by countless ravines and rivulets on the slopes of the Cuyamaca Mountains, the Sweetwater River eventually becomes a watercourse worthy of the name river—albeit a sometimes-seasonal one. Below Gre
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Fed by countless ravines and rivulets on the slopes of the Cuyamaca Mountains, the Sweetwater River eventually becomes a watercourse worthy of the name "river" - at least in the rain or snow season.
... Related information:... From the guidebook 101 Hikes in Southern California: Exploring Mountains, Seashore and Desert
Descanso
,
CA
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Hiking
- 3.8 miles
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A trio of waterfalls known as the Three Sisters is the focal point of this hike that starts out dry and dusty. This hike’s remote location means few people know about it; the last section of the hike
... Related information:... From the guidebook 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Diego
Poway
,
CA
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Hiking
- 3.5 miles
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This triple set of waterfalls in Boulder Creek, dubbed the “Three Sisters,” is an amazing San Diego County feature not many have seen. In full flood these cascades put on a show reminiscent of Yosemit
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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As San Diego County’s newest (2006) open space park, the Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve is already establishing a reputation as one of the county’s finest parcels of unburned montane landscape. Actu
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Standing apart from nearby peaks, Viejas Mountain can be seen from many parts of metropolitan San Diego as a dusky, obtusely triangular feature along the eastern horizon. A trail of rudimentary constr
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Leave your worries and city mentality in the car and enjoy the utter silence and beauty of Volcan Mountain. This well-kept trail features undisturbed wildlife and vegetation.
... Related information:... From the guidebook 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Diego
Julian
,
CA
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Hiking
- 3 miles
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Rising boldly above the apple orchards outside Julian, Volcan Mountain's oak- and pine-dotted slopes are swept by some of the freshest breezes found anywhere. Soughing through the trees like waves sp
... Related information:... From the guidebook 101 Hikes in Southern California: Exploring Mountains, Seashore and Desert
Julian
,
CA
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Hiking
- 3 miles
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Boldly rising above the apple orchards of Julian, Volcan Mountain’s oakand pine-dotted slopes are swept by some of the freshest breezes found anywhere in San Diego County. Soughing through the trees l
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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Oak leaves fluttering in the sunlight, pine needles soughing in the breeze, gray squirrels scurrying, and pungent-sweet fragrances in the air. These dependable pre-fire experiences are now a work-in-p
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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A lesser-known waterfall of the upper San Diego River drainage system— the Devils Jumpoff in Dye Canyon— comes to life in a dramatic way only after periods of heavy rainfall. The rim of the Devils Jum
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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At least a dozen major Native American villages existed in the Cuyamaca Mountains prior to the mid-1800s. These were the mountain villages or summer camps of the Kumeyaay Indians, who divided their ti
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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At Heise Park you can find the quintessential walk in pine woods. The park is located in one of the most beautiful and unspoiled pockets of undeveloped land around Julian, and is just large enough to
... Related information:... From the guidebook Afoot & Afield: San Diego County
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The variety of landscape and difficulty on this combined-trails loop makes this hike a lot like a planned gym workout. You begin in a scenic forest with a moderate climb, wind your way through a rugge
... Related information:... From the guidebook 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Diego
Julian
,
CA
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Hiking
- 3 miles
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