12 miles roundtrip with the potential to add 2 miles to the cliff overlook. A smart man wouldve turned back at that point, but theres no way I was ascending back up to the Fry-Koegel junction and descending the way I came. Almost every year a buddy of mine or several and I team up and tackle a hard hike, usually somewhere up in the Sierras. I also thought it was underwhelming when it wasnt something I had to really work up the courage to get on. Easy San Diego Hikes. MOUNT WOODSON TRAIL - 2069 Photos & 831 Reviews - Yelp Hiking up Boucher Hill towards the fire lookout tower. Mt. Time to complete:5-6 hours depending on fitness levels. The Trail on the east side of the Mountain is fairly steep but is about half the distance of the trail on the west side of the mountain. PDF secure2.wish.org . Its a great shaded spot (one of very few) to catch a quick breath. After coming back from Death Valley National Park, the 52 in 52 series continues with more hiking adventures around San Diego County. Distance:9 Miles. Potato Chip Rock - Wikipedia Time to complete:1.5-2 hours. Were currently in Las Vegas. I recommend leaving early as the desert landscape heats up fast. Usually the snow level is not going to get really low here in San Diego, so when it snows the usual areas to grab a little Its amazing how much the landscape can change over the years, especially when there is a lot of human interaction with it. Crossing the creek before you start the hike at Elfin Forest. Tons of people just chillin at potato chip rock and the area around it. If one hikes over five hills of 100 vertical feet each, the cumulative elevation gain is 5 (100 feet (30 m)) = 500 feet (150 m). The switchbacks will continue to get harder until you hit the one and only true shady spot to enjoy on the hike, so if you need to, sit for a few minutes under the shade of the wonderful tree until you are ready for more, and then hit the trail. When you pass the rusted jeep, you can breath a sigh of relief knowing that you're close to the peak. Ive even seen Mt Baldy to the north when its not to hazy, and lets not forget everyones favorite Facebook photo, Potato Chip Rock. Elev Gain. Yes, it is uphill both ways. Elevation Gain and loss : 1462 FeetTime to complete: 3-5 Hours, Looking down into the slot canyon from above, Distance:7 8 miles. Oh, and I recommend hiking poles as there are many inclines! As you get towards to top of the fire road the trail will level out and you will reach a great spot to look out towards the city on a clear day. Frye Koegel route is quite beautiful with some shade! Time to complete:2.5 hours, Big Rock Trail up to Cowles Mountain Peak. To Start this hike head to the Lake Poway recreational area park. I descended back the way I came and upon reaching the first junction continued down towards Lake Poway. At the park you will walk to the left of the tennis courts past the limits (the fence) of the park and turn right where you will see a wooden figure with papers on it. Photos (9,568) Directions Print/PDF map Length 7.4 miElevation gain 2,109 ftRoute type Out & back Get to know this 7.4-mile out-and-back trail near Poway, California. Most of the popular hikes are easy to access, well maintained, and offer great views of the city. Asyou continue to go up the Mt Woodson Summit Trail you start to hit a lot of switch backs. Its open year round except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Hike, Views and SOTA Activation of Mt Woodson (with Potato - Reddit Six, twelve, twenty-four: Mount Woodson - Blogger If you have the time and the energy, you should keep heading past the peak to check out the cliff overlooks. We prefer finding more secluded spots when were hiking, because its our way to be amongst nature. anyone who likes to hike this is a must hike. The least useful - and sadly a very common - method is simply to subtract the starting elevation from the ending elevation. . It is located in an unincorporated part of San Diego County between Poway and Ramona. The mountain was renamed as Woodson Mountain in honor of Confederate dentist Dr. Marshall Clay Woodson, who moved into the area in 1895.[5]. Enjoy the beauty. Being completely transparent, the weekend after coming back from Death Valley, we were so adventured out that we did not plan anything adventurous and took . If you are going to do a solo hiking, this Trai is not recommended!!! The Eastern Route is also a great spot to bring up climbing mats for bouldering; and is a great spot for a quick, steep trail run that will test your hill climbing ability. Elevation Gain: 1067 feet . Hike El Cajon Mountain, Lakeside, California - The Outbound W arren Canyon Trail is a 2.3 mile trail that starts about 1.6 miles into the hike up the front side of Mt Woodson. Looking up at Potato Chip Rock during the week day with no one around, A typical busy weekend day on Potato Chip Rock. The trail starts out at a hill in a residential area and ends in an unexpected spot where there is a beautiful waterfall complete with swimming hole. Starting at the trail-head, head down towards the oak-lined ravine marking the beginning of the hike. From there it was another mile back to my car along the busy road which normally I wouldve minded, but I was comforted by the fact that if I passed out hopefully Id be rescued by a motorist before the hawks circling overhead made mincemeat of me. The only scary part was when other people were jumping onto it, and you can feel the vibrations of the rock. Hot but very pleasant! Lake Poway has plenty of parking but it will get crowded on weekends. This past weekend I decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and head out to the 3 Sisters Waterfalls to check out the new trail I had heard all about. . Distance:12 miles .Elevation Gain: 1808feet. Once you see the cell towers, the end is in sight! The Valsir World Mountain Running Cup, for example, has several events, including the short uphill race (3 to 8 kilometers in distance with 750 to 1000 meters of elevation gain), the classic . Hi. As you continue to go up you will start to pass by larger and larger boulders, this is a popular spot for bouldering http://www.mountainproject.com/v/mount-woodson/105791148, many times as I head up this road Ill see a couple of people heading up the trail with large cushions strapped to their backs as theygo looking for some adventure. It felt safe enough for us to walk and sit on, but this depends on careless you are. Make sure to bring lots of water as this hike does get hot. The view from the summit is glorious! If youre on reddit, you might recognize him as the reddit travel guy. You will get to experience all different views from the top of Cuyamaca Peak. This is a popular trail for birding, hiking, and horseback riding, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. You may have heard others tell you how tough the hike is and they're not kidding. But you have to work hard there and back. I find storys of people overcoming the challenges that life throws your way to be inspiring. Mortero Palms to the Goat Canyon Train Trestle Bridge, Check Out The Goat Canyon Train Trestle Hike. There is no parking, you just have to park on the highway, bring a headlamp or flashlight and make sure you have nothing visably sitting in your car that someone might want to break into your car for, but on the flip side you dont need to worry about getting locked into the parking lot when they close the gates like they do on the front and its a much shorter hike. Mt Woodson The Eastern Approach ( or Backside) Distance: 4.0 miles .Elevation Gain: 1500 feet. Potato Chip! Easy San Diego Hikes Nice, peaceful trail on Friday. Overall, its a well marked route to the Mount Woodson summit. . Elevation gain 4100'Duration: 4-6 hours. Hiking Fitness & Hiking Related Injuries. Highest Elev 862m. It is know for its breath taking views and the famous potato chip rock. Heading straight for another .5 miles will take you directly to the ruins of the old Goodan house. Once you're moving, you'll notice that the trail is well marked with mileage markers and elevation. This is great training for higher elevation trips to the sierras. Poway 1078 Dam Loop via Mount Woodson Trail This trail kicked my butt and I consider myself in good shape! Nearby Hiking Trails. Difficulty :Moderate. Time to complete: 5 hours roundtrip. A short route begins from free parking areas along Route 67 and takes Mt. Woodson is the tallest peak of the small range of mountains in the area, including Iron Mountain. Our friend, Daniel, is spending the next 30+ days traveling around the country and doing whatever missions you want him to do. I would not suggest that you drag your pets, or loved ones up this hike starting in the late morning or early afternoon, especially without a good supply of water. As you head up the fireroad continue to look behind you and see the unwinding view of Lake Poway and the surronding San Diego Countryside. Time to complete:3 4 hours roundtrip. Then you climb, and climb, and climb a great butt workout for sure! Elevation gain 4100'Duration: 4-6 hours. The trails are well dried out and ready for the rain that's due in tomorrow. Once you've made it back to the parking lot, head to Eastbound Bar & Grill for a cold one. Top Elevation: 3953 feet. Woodson Mountain Hiking Trail - Ramona, California, USA | Pacer From here the trail starts to turn into single trackand continues on level until you get to the point where the trail splits. Seemed secure enough, but if it happened to break off, at most you would only fall one and a half stories. Rough! This is a for-profit blog and contains occasional affiliate links, where we receive a small commission on sales of the products that are linked at no additional cost to you. there are two trail heads. Looking down into the slot canyon from above. I will try to concentrate on running without stopping except at the water fountains. Woodson summit and is famous for resembling a potato chip. This 3.75-mile round-trip hike is paved and steep. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title.