With this early heat wave blanketing San Diego, I knew that I could not attempt any of my remaining peaks. So, once again, we looked over Ted’s remaining peaks and decided to knock out East Mesa High Point. A cotton-candy sky greeted us as we neared the parking lot. We paid our $10 day use fee and soon headed out. It was actually nippy and Ted opted to wear a fleece, while I went “bold” and started cold. We cruised up the Harvey Moore Trail, the sun peaking over the mountains to our east.
Unlike the last time I climbed this minor peak, I would try approaching it from the west side. We left the trail and began our climb. From the satellite imagery, I had a rough idea of where I wanted to begin working my way through the brush. I also brought some hand clippers to help trim our path to the summit. I found a fairly decent route through, and soon we were at the same spot I had declared as the summit last time. There is no register or benchmark, just some sweeping views of the east mesa.
After a few photos, we set off back down. We missed our exit route and followed another and this route turned out to be even better. So, if you are using this as a guide, look at our exit track for the easiest route. Once past the brush, we debated our options: loop around to see the Granite Springs Campground, retrace our route, or meander along some of the other trails. The latter won.
So, we hopped back on the Harvey Moore Trail and headed west until we reached the Dyer Springs Trail. This took us northward, crossing two small streams along the way. When it reached the Juaquapin Trail, we followed it to the south. Staying on it, we eventually reached the East Side Trail, which we would use to return to the car. Along the way, we crossed Juaquapin Creek, which was flowing nicely. Our loop around the East Mesa of Cuyamaca State Park was 8.0 miles in 3:38 with a total elevation gain of 1,165 feet.
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.