Steele Canyon

I have driven past this trailhead numerous times, as I headed out for some of the peaks located further east. Finally, I had a chance to stop and explore the trails here. One of the main attractions for this hike is the historic bridge at the trailhead. I pulled into the smaller parking lot as there were a few spots available. I grabbed my gear and strolled across the bridge. The Sweetwater River flowed underneath it. Just past the bridge, was the larger parking lot. I wandered over to the signboard and checked out the plans to extend the trail system. It is always great to see new trails being planned.

The trail crossed a small stream, and off to the side, a horse and its rider were taking a break. Once over the bridge, I began noticing signs along the sides of the trail. One of the trail options is to take an interpretative nature trail, and these signs highlight the local flora and fauna. Some were created as part of an Eagle Scout Project, and others by a collection of agencies.

I cruised along until the trail reached a marked junction. Here you could continue back along the nature trail, viewing the southern portion of the area, or keep heading west. After about .2 miles I reached the other bridge that crosses back over the river. Once across I stopped to see explore my options, when a couple and their dog caught up with me. We chatted a bit, they actually hike these trails a lot and invited me to join them. Rosci (named after the ship from The Expanse) trotted along ahead of us. The trail was now the service road for the water district, so we had plenty of room to chat about the network of trails and other hikes. Soon we reached where the road was gated. Rosci had a well-earned drink. My new hiking companions told me more about the plans to connect the trail to the west. We headed back once we all had a nice drink. They pointed at a small trail that goes down to the river and a spot that was crossable, but once there the river was running too high. I returned to the service road, and I caught back up with them, as they stopped to give Rosci another break. We chatted some more until we reached the junction again. They stayed on the service road while I crossed back over the bridge and followed the trail to the river and west. After crossing a small stream, the trail climbed a small distance to a nice overlook. From here you can get a great view of the valley. I kept on hiking west for a bit, but it was getting closer to lunch and some chicken enchiladas from Mi Ranchito were calling my name.

Back at the initial junction, I took the trail to the south. The interruptive signs, once again started to dot the sides of the trail. I took a side trail up to a nice shaded bench near one of the other trailheads. I cruised back to the trailhead tossed my gear into the car and headed home. This hike was another great reminder that San Diego is filled with so many great trails tucked away throughout the county.

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.

Kitchen Creek Falls

Since we just had some rain recently, I figured why not go see one of our few waterfalls? The hike to Kitchen Creek Falls seemed mild enough for my neck, so Ted and I headed out for the trailhead. We pulled into the parking area just before the Boulder Oaks campground, grabbed our gear, and darted across Old Highway 80. It was still a bit nippy as we cruised along the PCT. The trail took us under the 8 and then began the steady climb toward the falls. Soon we spotted our first NOBO hiker. PCT season had just started, so I fully expected to encounter a few while we were along the trail. We chatted with the gentleman from Florida for a bit. He was planning to hike as far as Kennedy Meadows. We bid him a good journey and continued on ours.

A PCT marker denoted the turn-off down to the falls. We spotted a few empty campsites near the junction. The trail descended steeply toward the falls, which came into view fairly quickly. They certainly were flowing nicely.

We poked around the area, enjoying the sounds of the flowing water. There was a nice campsite on the other bank that would be lovely to pitch a tent on. But soon it was time to climb back up to the PCT and down to the car. Along the way, we passed quite a few folks headed to the falls. We also stopped and chatted with several more PCTers making their way northward. Finally, back at the car, we tossed in our gear, changed, and set off to Hess Brewery in Alpine for some well-earned pizza and a flight of their beers.

Rass Benchmark

We made the short drive down from the Pena Springs Trailhead to the Hellhole Canyon/Maidenhair Falls Trailhead. I slipped the $10 into the fee slot, while Ted used the facilities that those fees help fund. Four cars were in the parking area already. I wondered if they were hikers out to view the falls early, or were they out hiking some grander adventure? This is the same trailhead that we use when climbing up to Webo Benchmark. After grabbing our gear and snacks, we set off. Soon we reached the junction with the California Riding and Hiking Trail and began our climb up toward Rass Benchmark.

The trail was in better condition than the section we were just on, as being lower, there was less water damage. We could see various plants and cacti starting to begin their spring blooms, but it was still just a bit too early for anything of note. After about 1.3 miles, I began scanning ahead, trying to spot the benchmark. The CRHT basically passes right over it, so I knew I would have to look too hard for it. There, just to the north of the trail, stood a small cluster of rocks. Checking our map, that appeared to be it, so I walked over and spied a reference mark. Welcome to the summit of Rass Benchmark.

Scrambling up, I found the actual benchmark and a register tucked down in the rocks. As I ate my snack, I thumbed through the register, reading many familiar names, and then on a blank page added our own. We snapped our photos and began our descent. The neck was doing ok, but we were starting to think about a real lunch. I had planned to hike over to Hans Benchmark which was nearby, but neither of us felt like doing it. Instead, I pitched driving over and doing Woods Benchmark. It is located near the Borrego Air Ranch, southeast of town. We made the short drive over, sticking to the dirt road that goes around the Air Ranch, and parked at the base of the bump. It really is just a bump on the desert floor. Although we could have driven up, we chose to walk the ¼ mile to the top. There was a concrete block with a mark embedded, so we felt somewhat rewarded.

We snapped a couple of quick photos, then back to the car and into town. We opted to try Carlee’s for lunch. With our hunger resolved, we bid farewell and made the uneventful drive home.

Wee Benchmark

Initially, I considered hiking Volcan Mountain to get it done for this year’s 6-pack of peaks challenge. But I realized I could hike it almost anytime, so instead I looked at some options out in Anza-Borrego. I still needed to be mindful of my neck issues, so I settled on trying a few easier ones on the Borrego Benchmark club list. First up was Wee Benchmark. Ted carefully drove up the dirt road to the Pena Springs Trailhead and parked at the turnaround. We grabbed our gear and set off.

Our route followed the California Riding and Hiking Trail for about a mile, making its way up. Soon, Wee Benchmark came into view, we continued on until we were directly south of it, then made the short cross-country climb to its summit.

There we found the benchmark and two registers. I signed us in, while Ted wandered around snapping a few photos. We gazed over toward Hellhole Flats and the various summits that stood out. Since we were hoping to climb a couple more peaks today we headed back down. Once back at the car, we tossed in our gear and headed to our next adventure, Rass Benchmark.

Monserate Mountain Loop

With some unpleasant weather in the forecast, our planned hike out in Anza-Borrego seemed not to be the wisest option. So, instead, we decided to do something shorter and closer to home. Rick suggested, “Why not do Monserate Mountain?” That hike worked for me. As I pulled into the parking area a bit before 8, there were a lot more cars than I expected. I spotted a tent covering set up near the trailhead, so something organized looked to be happening. I grabbed my gear to investigate. It turned out that this was the conditioning check hike for the Wilderness Basics Course (WBC) participants. While hanging around I spied Casey Wear-Molean milling about. We had a brief chat before I spotted Rick and Andrea pulling in. I headed over to them and filled them in on the extra hikers this morning. They quickly grabbed their gear and were ready to head off. Most of the WBC hikers had left, so we weren’t in the thick of it. Andrea was feeling a little off, so she hiked her own hike. Rick and I would stop periodically to let her catch up. Meanwhile, I picked Rick’s brain about my water caching idea for doing the CRHT. He said it sounded solid, too bad my neck issues are keeping a backpack off me for the time being.

He picked my brain about various desert peaks that they need (and I need again for my x2). Once at the summit, we took a short break, had a quick snack, and snapped a few photos. I learned that the WBC hikers needed to summit within 55 minutes (1.5 miles), but since we stopped several times to regroup with Andrea I could not simply look at my elapsed time and see if I made the cut-off. Thankfully, Strava calculated “moving” time, and according to it, we made it to the summit in 43:23.

The rains had not come yet, so we opted to do the loop now that it was reopened. We made our way down from the summit and made a left turn toward the water tank. Part way down, a small spur trail led off to the side for about 20 feet, and according to Peakbagger, this tiny bump, Peak 1309, was in its database. Ascent recorded! 😉

We made our way down the stair section and soon found ourselves on the road that services the water tank. Following it down a bit, another trail to our right caught our eye. Checking out maps, this was a shortcut back to a trail that would loop back to the beginning, so off we went. It had a “fun” little bit of steep rocky section, but I prefer that over boring pavement any day.

Once on the connecting trail, we passed a wire-fenced trail to our left. Continuing our theme of exploration, we took it. After a short bit, it linked up with what appeared to be a trail that starts in the development to the south. We instead turned right, back toward the Monserate Mountain trail. The trail hugged the contour of the mountain and crossed several gullies with some nice wooden bridges. We reached a junction, and the main trail appeared to continue westward back to the development, while the other trail, we assumed, linked with the trail we started on. Our assumptions were correct, and we found ourselves back on the familiar trail. Once at the trailhead, Rick and Andrea offered me a cold Diet Coke, which I gladly accepted. We chatted a bit more, but soon those forecasted showers started, so we bid farewell before it really started coming down. Hopefully, the weather will be better next weekend and we can go climb something in the desert. The discovery of this new alternative section for the Monserate Mountain loop has my full endorsement. I logged this route at 3:93 miles with an elevation gain of 1,234 feet. The moving time was 1:51.

Woodson Mountain (via Fry-Koegel Trail)

With my usual hiking companions busy, I decided to start working on this year’s San Diego Six Pack of Peaks challenge. I debated between Volcan Mountain and Woodson. Since I did not feel like making the long drive out past Julian, so Woodson it is. I opted to ascend via the Fry-Koegel trail and descend via the service road. Unlike last time, I started after the sun rose. While cars lined the road near the usual trailhead, no one was parked near the trailhead for Fry-Koegel. It was chilly, so I did slip on my light fleece before setting off. The trail follows the backyards of some homes for the first part of the trail. This time there were some lovely smells of breakfast cooking…

Some mushrooms lined the side of the trail as I worked my way westward. After a bit, I shed my fleece and secured it to my waist pack.

A few folks passed me returning either from their earlier summit or a morning walk with their dog.

Reaching the junction with the old Fry-Koegel trail and the new Fry-Koegel trail, I opted to take the old route again, in part to compare my times.

Once on the trail that leads up from Lake Poway, I cruised toward the summit. But first I would pass by the “famous” Potato Chip. I have been out on it several times, so I could bypass the Disney-like lines to climb out on it. Now I did snap a photo with my San Diego Six Pack of Peaks Challenge Legacy badge before cresting the summit.

I slipped my rubber tips onto my trekking poles, as the rest of the hike would now be on asphalt. Streams of hikes huffed and puffed their way up the road. Some were clearly not happy about the steepness of the route they were taking.

Soon I found myself back along the road. A sheriff’s car was parked right at the trailhead, and almost all the cars had a warning flyer about keeping valuables either at home or out of sight. In fact, there was broken glass from two smashed windows near where I parked. Thankfully, I had no issues upon my return. I tracked my hike at 5.3 miles in 2:19, with an elevation gain of 1,410 feet.

Sentenac Mountain

Back at the car after climbing Ghost Mountain, we made the short drive over to Plum Canyon and the trailhead for Sentenac Mountain. The route starts along the California Riding and Hiking Trail before turning west and heading up a side canyon. There the route would transition from a nice trail to picking our way up the narrow canyon. We would scramble over minor dry falls, and a couple that took a bit more to ascend. We weaved around various cacti as we kept pushing upward. We stayed to the left at the fork, then gained the ridge to the summit. As we neared the summit, we spotted a solo hiker cruising ahead of us. So much for checking “Only Party on the Mountain“ on Peakbagger…

He tagged the summit and upon his descent we chatted for a moment, he started at Plum Canyon as well, but we forgot to ask what his ascent route was. When we first spotted him, we assumed he came up from the Blair Valley side. His plan was to loop over to North Pinyon, then back down. We gave him some beta on that peak and wished him well. Once at the summit, we took a short break, enjoyed a snack, and signed the register.

We opted to retrace our ascent route rather than a more direct but steep descent. The return was mostly uneventful except for a poke that I got on my right calf. Turns out I had a good-sized thorn that I had to dig out once back at home. Once back at the car, we began the drive home, with a stop at Dudley’s for some well-earned sandwiches. The neck was giving me some pain, but it might have been all the driving and not the hiking. Will see what tomorrow brings and the options for next weekend.

Ghost Mountain

These were to be my first desert hikes of the season. The plan was to hike a couple of easier ones to see how my neck does with some more intense hiking. I thought why not pick two that Ted needed to summit? Since the three of us (Ted, Susie Kara, & I) had not hiked together in some time, we had some catching up to do on the long drive out to the desert. After a quick bio-break, we continued on to the trailhead for Ghost Mountain, only to be reminded that Ted had done this hike before! D’oh! So much for knocking two out for his lists. We thought of pivoting to Pinyon Mountain, which I knew he needed but decided to stick with the plan.

We cruised up the mountain without issue. It was a tad nippy but soon turned to perfect desert hiking weather. After a quick stop at the Marshall South homestead, we pushed onto the summit. We signed the register, surveyed the view, and then headed back down.

Gaviota Peak

I previously had hiked Gaviota Peak after watching a SpaceX launch from nearby Vandenberg SFB. I found a spot in the parking lot, filled out my day pass, dropped my $2 into the slot, and slipped the stub on my dashboard. After gathering my gear, I set off up the trail. Since there were several cars in the lot, I knew I would be seeing other folks on the trail.

I opted to take the same route up as last time, as I was planning on using the Trespass Trail for my return from the summit. Since I was not racing to meet some friends for dinner, I also had time to take a short detour to see the hot springs. The spur trail was well marked, so off I went. The trail was a bit muddy, so a little care needed to be taken. A smell of sulfur hung slightly in the air from the creek as it flowed past. I came to the hot springs. The couple that had headed out as I pulled in were enjoying the waters. We chatted a bit before I let them enjoy their soak. The spur trail connected back to the road and I continued making my way up towards the summit.

A few runners passed me returning back from their summit, while I continued my journey upward. The ocean came into view and I knew the summit was just a short push more. As I reached it, another hiker was just about to head back down. She had come up the Trespass Trail, and I mentioned that I planned to use it for my route down. She asked about the other route as she always uses the Trespass Trail. I gave her the basic info about the route, and she headed down.

I snapped a few photos, had a snack, mixed up my electrolytes, and set off. Unlike the wide road that I took up, I was now on a traditional trail. While I did have some nice views of the ocean and the Channel Islands, the poor condition of the trail had me paying attention to my footing.

After a bit, the hiker from the summit decided to stick to her tried and true route and caught up with me. Oh, to have young knees…

As I reached the junction with the Tunnel View Trail, I opted to take it. I figured it would provide a nice view of the Gaviota Tunnel. Turns out I was right. I was starting to get hungry, so I did not linger. I soon rejoined the Trespass Trail, then shortly thereafter the main trail. I tossed my gear into the car, changed shirts, and headed to Figueroa Mountain Brewery for lunch and my free beer, courtesy of taking the Six Pack of Peaks Challenge. The stats for the hike were 6.4 miles, with a moving time of 3:12 and 2,138 feet of gain. Just one more peak to summit and this challenge will be complete!

Broadcast Peak

As the end of the year was drawing near, I knew I needed to focus on finishing my various Six Pack of Peaks challenges. I wrapped up the SoCal challenge a few weeks ago and was down to one more peak to complete the San Diego challenge (I am looking at you Hot Springs Mountain…). I still had three left for the inaugural Central Coast challenge. So I hatched up a plan to knock them out in one trip. I drove up and stayed in Carpinteria to help reduce the impact of the driving on my back. I would have camped somewhere, but could not locate an available campsite. I stayed at the same hotel I had back when I recorded courses for LinkedIn Learning (née Lynda.com). Woke up before sunrise and headed to grab my traditional pre-hike breakfast at McDonald’s. This McD’s no longer has a drive-thru, so it was either go inside and order or use their mobile app. With my biscuit, hash browns, and coffee, I set off to Broadcast Peak.

I exited the 101 at Refugio and headed up the canyon, passing a few farms before the road began climbing. Thanks to discovering the YouTube channel “Subietrails”, I knew that I would have a paved road almost all the way. As I wound my way up, a few quail would scamper across the road. Then I spotted a bobcat darting along the road before diving into the brush. That was a first for me! Once I reached the crest, I turned onto West Camino Cielo and worked my way eastward. Due to some poor planning on my part, I found myself staring straight into the sun at times. I would have to stop and put my head out the window to creep along until I could see properly again. You’d think after attending UCSB I’d remember those mountains run east-west!

Finally, the paved road ended not too far from Santa Ynez Peak. Broadcast Peak was about a mile away, so if I did encounter an issue, it was now easily hikeable. Thankfully, the road was in fine shape. Once at the turnoff to the summit of Broadcast, I debated whether should I park here and hike the last bit, or just use my nifty new tires and drive up. The latter option won. I navigated the first real rut of the trip, then parked at the summit.

The views were incredible. To the south, I could see 4 of the Channel Islands. Off to the north was Lake Cachuma and the rest of the Santa Ynez valley. I was fairly certain I could spot Gaviota Peak off to the west. I tried to see if there was a summit sign tucked away somewhere but did not discover one. I snapped my photos and headed back down. Along the way, I spotted 3 mule deer off to the side of the road. Once back at the 101, it was a short 15-minute drive to the Gaviota Peak trailhead.