Note: In December 2025, a National Defense Area, approximately 750 acres from the Arizona border to the Otay Mountain Wilderness, was created. This may impact access to this peak.
With the 4th of July weekend upon us, the thought of fighting holiday traffic and crowds on any of the Six-Pack of Peaks I still needed to do did not seem appealing. Since I was still on vacation, I opted to go ahead and summit Otay Mountain and Tecate Peak. These are drivable summits, and I really don’t have any desire to hike them. Ted Markus was also free, so he hopped into the passenger seat, and we set off.
The road was in really good shape. I was hoping that, being early and on a Friday, we would not encounter anyone on the road, as it can get narrow at times. It was not until Doghouse Junction that we passed our first car. Thankfully, we were at a nice, wide spot, so there were no issues. Since it was warm, rather than parking at Doghouse Junction, we drove to the turn-off to the summit and parked there.
We hiked the 1/2 mile to the summit and took in the views. A new rescue station was in place for any migrant who finds themselves here and in trouble.
We poked around the summit for a bit, then headed back to the car to continue on to the second peak of the day, Tecate!
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. I am the co-author of Urban Trails: San Diego, coming in Spring 2026!
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 both the Arizona-Winter and Arizona-Summer).
I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.