Along the Upper Santa Ysabel Trail

Decided to knock out one of my two remaining Coast to Crest Challenge hikes this morning. The partially cloudy skies made it a perfect day to head out to hike some of the Upper Santa Ysabel Trail. Given that this trail is shared with off-road traffic, doing it on a regular weekday is ideal, plus having the shade from the partially cloudy skies is an added bonus. I drove out to Pauma Valley and turned on the dirt road that I have previously taken up to the top of Big Black Mountain. The road was in fair condition—don’t know if I would take a Prius on it, but any 2WD SUV-like car would do just fine. When I got to the wide junction with the Upper Santa Ysabel Trail, I pulled off and parked. I originally had planned to hike a longer portion of the trail, but needed to be back in cell coverage by 9ish. I figured I could still hike enough to make it count for the challenge. I grabbed my smaller daypack, trekking poles, and my hat, and set off.

The road, on which I could have kept driving, descended toward a small wash, before climbing back up a bit. There are lovely oaks along this section of the trail. I cruised along, enjoying the views of the dry creek below and the vistas back to the west. I reached a turnaround spot for vehicles, and in looking at my watch I realized that I needed to turn back. I reached my car and drove back down the mountain, getting back into Ramona and therefore cell coverage. This was a nice stroll, and I think I might try hiking the rest from the other side to “complete” the trail sometime soon.

I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. In 2019, I became the third person to complete the San Diego 100 Peak Challenge. Not stopping with that accomplishment, I set my sights on the harder San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list, which I completed in 2021. In addition, I have conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and Arizona-Winter). Beyond attempting the San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list a second time, I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.

Hiking the Peñasquitos Waterfall

One of the hikes that always seems to be on those “Top 5 Hikes of San Diego” lists is out to the Los Peñasquitos waterfall. For me, it is just down the road and one I do when I don’t feel like climbing Black Mountain. Starting from the dirt parking lot at the west end of the baseball fields, I head west down the North Side Trail. If I am doing this hike in the morning, there is usually the smell of bacon in the air from the nearby houses. This side of the canyon has less shade than the south side, so I am mindful of that as I hike along. Single-track trails break away from the main, wide trail from time to time. Those side trails are meant for hikers and horses only (although, I have encountered a mountain biker or two on them). These are nice during busier times, to get away from the crowds. Just be aware that they tend to be a bit more overgrown and doing a tick check is highly recommended. On the flip side, you will be closer to the creek, so you will probably find some nice spots to watch the water flow past.

As I make my way along whichever route I am following that day, I pass by Carson’s Crossing, one of 5 formal crossings of Peñasquitos Creek. This is almost the halfway point to the waterfall. Soon, I should start to see the small rocky hill that stands to the north of the waterfall, and my destination. At the junction just before the waterfall, a trail leads off to the north. This would take me up to the Duck Pond and Del Mar Mesa (see this trip report). The North Side Trail continues westward, and as the sign will point out, the water is just to the south.

You can climb down the rocks to the water, but I personally would avoid contact with it, as most of the water is urban runoff. On the other side of the creek, you should see some stone steps leading down. You can rock hop over the creek if the water level is low enough, but just watch out for poison oak that lines much of the shore. The Park Rangers have placed signs warning of this for a reason. On the weekend, this area can be quite crowded. You might spy a bench to the west from the main waterfall area. This spot will offer not only a better view of the falls, but usually a more peaceful experience. I leave the main waterfall area behind and walk back to the North Side Trail, continue west for a very short bit, then take the side trail leading south to that bench.

I like to return to the car using the South Side Trail, since it has a bit more shade, so once I reach Carson’s Crossing, I take it to cross over. If I want a longer hike, I could keep going west to the Sycamore Crossing and use it. Once on the south side of the canyon, the trail system is very similar. The main, wide trail and the narrow hiker and rider only trails that dart off to the side. The South Side Trail is also more likely to have some horse encounters, as there is a private stable to the east of Black Mountain Road. As you near the Peñasquitos Creek crossing, which I use to return back to my car, you will pass Eichar’s Grave. Although not the actual grave, this is a small memorial for John J. Eichar, who was believed to be a cook for the occupants of the Los Peñasquitos Ranch House in the late 1800s. An interesting bit of hidden San Diego history. There are some nearby benches on which to rest, but the trailhead isn’t too far ahead. Once across the creek, the trail splits. If you care to visit the Ranch House (check for when it is open), you can follow the trail to the left and it will take you to it. Or stay straight and you will find yourself at the parking lot. Typically, this entire loop covers about 7.7 miles, but if you meander along the side trails, or explore the falls, you might have a slightly different mileage recorded on your tracker.

Strolling the La Orilla Trail

When I hiked Annie’s Canyon from the San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center a few years ago, just after crossing the bridge over the lagoon, I noticed that the trail split. We followed the route that led over to Annie’s Canyon, but I wondered where the other trail went. I decided to take a look online and find out the answer. It turns out that it turns southward along the freeway for a short distance before linking up with the La Orilla Trail. Being focused on climbing peaks, I often miss little hidden gems that might be close by. This trail follows La Orilla Creek as it flows into the San Elijo Lagoon and has a trailhead on El Camino Real, just north of San Dieguito County Park. I made the 15-minute drive over to the small parking area and set off down the trail. Right at the trailhead, near the informational kiosk, is an ADA-accessible picnic area. I learned later from the Park Ranger I spoke with upon my return, that this was just recently added, in part due to the requests of some users.

The start of the trail passes through a section where most of the views are blocked either by trees or other plant life. Along the way, benches would line the side of the trail, each dedicated to someone. At about .4 of a mile, the La Orilla trail intersects with the Santa Helena Trail which runs a short distance to the south, and ends at the Santa Helena Trailhead, while the Stonebridge Trail heads to the north. Continuing westward, I passed several pinyon pines, and their smell hung pleasantly in the air as I passed.

The trail soon made a small climb up, and then split. I took the right fork which led off to Tern Point. From this vantage point, you can see the eastern end of San Elijo Lagoon. Two benches provide a nice resting spot. After snapping a few photos, I continued westward, making my way down the hill and back to follow the lagoon’s edge. Here the trail became quite sandy for a section, and a couple of times quite swampy. The trail came to a T junction, with the trail to the right taking you out to another viewpoint, while the other trail became the Santa Inez spur trail. After enjoying the viewpoint, and seeing some of the waterfowl a bit closer, I followed the Santa Inez Trail. This took me past the native plant nursery that is located near the Santa Inez Trailhead, and the trail that follows the freeway and links up the trails that take you onto Annie’s Canyon or to the Nature Center. I opted to turn back at this point, as I still had some work to do. As I neared Tern Point again, I took the other trail I had bypassed earlier and passed by two massive eucalyptus trees, before rejoining the main trail. This trail certainly fits the bill as a “hidden gem”. I logged the entire trail at 3.4 miles.

Strolling along the Tidal Trail

With the trails dry enough to hike on, I made the short drive toward Del Mar to explore the new Tidal Trail. This trail was recently opened as part of the Coast to Crest system and it shares the trailhead with the Dust Devil Nature Trail. I brought our dog along to enjoy some trail time. We began along the North Loop of the Dust Devil Trail for about 0.2 miles to the junction with the Tidal Trail. The well-groomed and wide dirt trail went northward for a short bit before turning eastward, following the edge of the estuary. Birds could be seen probing the mud and the shallow water in search of a tasty morsel. The route is basically flat, so we cruised along. While the sounds of the cars whizzing along El Camino Real could be heard, they were mostly out of sight. The trail made another turn northward before coming to an end.

We turned back and continued to enjoy the views. Since I had an injection the day before in my knee, I opted not to continue hiking on the Dust Devil Nature Trail and called it a day. Plus, I would not have to edit the GPS track to only show the Tidal Trail. The hike was just about 2.3 miles and with a few dog-related breaks we did it in 45 minutes.

Exploring the Wind Caves

After camping somewhere along Fish Creek Wash, we stopped at the Wind Caves on our way out. We followed the trail up out of the wash and worked our way 0.5 miles to them. I have been here twice before, but previously just made a quick stop before heading on toward the summit of Split Mountain East, so I never really explored them. This time we took our time to explore the area. There are some pretty big caves off to the south of the main trail.

Since we opted not to have a real breakfast at camp, we both were starting to get hungry, so we wrapped up our exploration of the caves and headed back to the car. We had an uneventful drive back out, and before too long a nice hot breakfast at the Red Ocotillo in Borrego Springs sat before us. A nice way to cap off three days and two nights of desert adventures with my son.

Climbing Mastodon Peak

After packing up our campsite, we headed out for a short hike to Mastodon Peak. I had done this loop hike before, but this time I opted to hike it in the opposite direction. So, once we reached the junction, we turned left toward the peak. Informational signs dotted the trail from time to time, highlighting plants and animals that might be spotted.

We cruised along some washes, making our way up toward the peak and the abandoned mine that sits just below the summit. As we gained some elevation, the views became expansive. Off to the southwest, the northern end of the Salton Sea became visible. After inspecting the mine, we looped around the peak and followed the use trail to the summit. We soaked in views for bit before scrambling back down to rejoin the main trail.

We spied a couple of hikers heading out to the Lost Palms Oasis, a trail I haven’t explored yet. Our loop took us down to the Cottonwood Spring, before turning northward and back toward the campground.

Exploring Arch Rock Trail

Rather than attempt to find parking at the trailhead in the White Tank campground, my son and I parked at the Twin Tanks parking lot and started our hike from there. The trail headed briefly south before crossing Pinto Basin Road. The California Riding and Hiking Trail also crosses at this junction (with luck I will be on it this February).

The flat and wide trail heads off to the east for about 0.4 miles to the junction to the spur trail to Heart Rock. After another 0.2 miles, we waited in a brief queue before snapping our photos in front of the clearly heart-shaped stone. Returning to the junction, we then made our way over to Arch Rock. Ben scrambled up, while I made my way to the other side to snap the photo. After we were done, we retraced our route back to the car and then headed down to set camp at Cottonwood Campground for the night.

Hiking around Big Laguna Meadow

I pulled off Sunrise Highway and parked under the shade of a pine tree. About 8 or so cars lined the road, as this is a popular trailhead for mountain bikers and hikers. The forecast was predicted to be in the upper 80s in the mountains, so I wanted something that was a bit more mellow and had a bit more shade along the trail. After grabbing my gear, I crossed the highway to the trailhead. I chatted with 3 mountain bikers who were also just setting off on their ride. I set off following the Water of the Woods trail to the north. I cruised along, letting myself reflect on a variety of things. Soon, I found myself at the small pond near the Los Rasalies Ravine. I then hopped onto the Sunset Trail and began a short climb along the hills to the west of the Big Laguna Meadow. Along the way, I got a great view looking across a canyon to Manza Benchmark. After a while, I spied a nice viewpoint that afforded me a good view of the meadow.

I descended to the meadow floor, then crossed over the northern end of, until I joined with Big Laguna Trail. The trail turned south and hugged the eastern side of the meadow. As I hoped, it had a modest amount of shade to ward off the heat. A light breeze also helped as I passed by cows resting in the shade.

Earlier this year, I hiked a portion of this trail with my wife, daughter, and our dog, and knew a lovely spot to take a break and enjoy the views of the meadow. But as I drew near I could see a young family had beaten me to it. So, I went a little further south and found a place to enjoy a small snack before continuing on.

I crossed over the small dam that created Big Laguna Lake and headed back the way I came. For the most part, I had the trail to myself, which was what I wanted. I soon found myself back at the car, and after tossing in my gear, looked at the temperature and it was now a toasty 89°F. The shade and breeze certainly helped. I stopped off at Mike Hess Brewery for their Margarita Pizza and a cold beer before heading home.

Bernardo Bay & Piedras Pintadas Trail Loop

Like I suspect many of this year’s Coast to Crest challengers, I linked the Bernardo Bay Trail with the Piedras Pintadas Trail to complete two of the five hikes. Under a nice cool marine layer, I set off down the paved bike path toward the north. I cruised along the trail, looking at the fog hanging up above the summit of Bernardo Mountain. Lake Hodges remains empty this far back from the dam. I wonder how long it will take to refill once the repairs to the dam are complete. As I cruised along, bunnies would scamper across the trail in front of me, and the sounds of birds filled the air. As I neared the junction with the Piedras Pintadas Trail, I passed by quite a bit of habitat rehabilitation.

Turning onto the Piedras Pintadas trail, I enjoyed the smells of the various plants as I made my way toward the waterfall. I stopped at a bench to adjust my shoes, this was their inaugural hike, then had some water and set off again. Made the short climb up the hill, and took in the vista. As I returned, two coyotes darted into the brush. Soon, I was back at the parking lot, which was now much fuller. All in all, it was a nice 5 miles to start the day.

Del Dios Gorge

Invited my good friend Mark Better to join me in hiking Del Dios Gorge before work. This hike is one of the five hikes that make up the San Dieguito River Conservancy’s 2024-2025 Coast to Crest Challenge. This hike was previously included in the 2017-2018 challenge. We pulled into the parking lot and gathered our gear. I was hoping for some marine layer to cool things off for a bit, but none was to be had. As we reached the trailhead, three other hikers were just finishing up their hike. After a quick greeting, we set off.

The trail is pretty mellow, with a few small climbs along the way, and one nice bridge crossing. Mark and I caught up with each other as we made our way to Rattlesnake Viewpoint. We took a short break and took in the view of the Lake Hodges dam and then used the viewfinder to locate some points of interest. The day was warming up, and the hike has almost no shade, so we hustled back the way we came. Once back at the car, where the thermometer read just over 90°F, we enjoyed the air-conditioning as we drove home.