Hiking Big Rock to Cowles Mountain

I decided to hike up Cowles Mountain via the Big Rock Trail. Believe it or not, I have actually never taken this route up Cowles as I generally take the Baker Way route when I care to climb this peak. I pulled into street parking and gathered my gear. It was still a bit chilly and the first part of the ascent would be on the northern slopes of the mountain. The trail passed by the dog park and the empty paddleball courts. Then the trail split, and the left fork climbed a short hill, while the right path skirted it. Off in the distance stood the communication towers next to the summit of Cowles Mountain.

The trail crossed a dry creek before beginning its real climb and I cruised along the fairly well maintained path. As the trail worked its way upward, I was afforded some nice views to the north – Woodson, Iron mountain and El Cajon Mountain were all standing tall.

I soon came to the junction with the Mesa Trail but stayed on the Big Rock Trail. Once it reached the service road, the warmth of the sun was enough to have me shed the light fleece I had been wearing. I had a short flat stretch before the road began its fairly steep climb to the summit, as it is designed for trucks and not hikers. As I reached the summit I took a moment to soak in the views. It was a very clear day, and standing atop the highest point in the City of San Diego offered up some nice vistas. After snapping a few photos, I extended the length of my trekking poles to assist with the steep descent and headed back down.

The return went quickly, and I gave friendly nods to others as they made their way up. As I neared the paddleball courts, they were now filled with players. I collapsed my poles and turned off my tracker. It recorded the trip as 4.8 miles in 1:56 (including the time at the summit).

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.

A windy hike to Cuyamaca Peak

Having knocked out two peaks on the San Diego Six Pack of Peaks challenge on New Year’s Day, I decided to cross another off the list — Cuyamaca Peak. While the forecast did call for some windy conditions, that did not deter me. I arrived at the trailhead just before 8. Unlike last time when I was racing against the heat of the day, this time I wanted some of the sun’s warmth to offset the winter chill. I cruised along Milk Ranch Road, falling into a nice groove. I wondered if I might see any wild turkeys, and a few minutes later, almost 20 stood in a field next to the road.

The day felt more like a fall day rather than a day in January. I turned on to the Conejos Trail and began the climb in earnest. The legs still felt good, even after the adventure in the desert the day before. I passed two hikers making their way back from the summit. They said it was quite breezy up there. I thanked for the information and continued on. Once at the service road I slipped rubber tips onto my trekking poles as there was no need to wear down the metal tips on the asphalt. As I approached the summit, I could hear the wind at times whistling through the communications tower. The summit itself was actually fairly well sheltered, so I snapped my photos and enjoyed my PB&J. I didn’t linger past that, set off back down the road, and passed a few other hikers making their way to the summit.

The legs continued to feel good as I turned on to the Azalea Glen Fire Road. Just after the spring, I saw the SD Sloth group. Some of them had been on yesterday’s hike, so I knew they had this on their calendar. I said a quick hello before continuing on. Before too long the end of the trail came into view. I had resisted really looking at my time/pace, but was very curious what my final time would be. I did the 8.6 miles in 3:17! That was a great pace for me on this climb. Since I was solo, I decided to grab some tri-tip from Grand Ole BBQ in Flinn Springs, which hit the spot.

Finding the Solstice Cave

When I saw the hike announcement from the Jacumba Hikers that they were leading a hike in Indian Gorge to a “hidden” cave, I knew that they were headed to the Solstice Cave near Sombrero Peak! I had known of this cave for some time, and had always wanted to see it in person. I drove out to the Imperial Valley Desert Museum to rally with our trip leaders. Since my Outback was still out of commision, I would need to carpool out to the actual trailhead. Several of the San Diego Sloth Hiking Group also arrived for the trek, and after signing our waivers, we piled into two capable vehicles and set off. The road to the trailhead took some care — not as bad as Carrizo Gorge, but certainly one that requires some off-road driving skills.

The familiar trailhead for the east approach of Sombrero Peak came into view. A small palm grove stood just to the west. We gathered our gear and set off. Mike took the lead, following the use trail that faded in and out as we made our way up the drainage. Instead of turning left to follow the route that I took on two of my summits of Sombrero Peak, we continued westward. We climbed up over the boulders and through the cat’s claw and cacti. From time to time we would stop and regroup, as the terrain would cause us to spread out a bit. While some were very comfortable hiking in this terrain, others were less so.

I soon found myself with Mike at the head of the group, and as we neared our destination, it became a game of double checking which rock cluster in which the cave was actually located. When we reached the first set of boulders where Mike thought it was, I offered to scramble around to see if the cave was there. After turning up empty, we set off higher on the slopes to another grouping of large boulders. I again scouted ahead and soon found the rear entrance to the cave! While I had it to myself, I took in the significance of this place for a moment, before stepping out to the front of the cave and signaling to the group its location. They soon filed in and began to marvel at the pictographs along the ceiling. We also had a stunning view back down the drainage. Sombrero Peak stood to our south.

Orange and red-hued suns are placed throughout the ceiling with other forms, some seemingly human, found in the back of the cave. A pointed rock also stands to the south of the cave entrance. Some think this might act as a sundial, giving this cave its name. After a snack and retrieving one of my water bottles that had fallen down some rocks, we bid the cave goodbye. Our trip leaders decided to try following a route more on the southside of the drainage, rather than fully retracing our route. I worked with Mike to pick our route across the hillside. After some “fun” side-hilling, we decided to drop down toward the base of the drainage. I took the lead, and soon found myself back along the route we used during our ascent. I continued on down the drainage, feeling right at home hiking solo through the desert. Soon I spied the palm grove at the trailhead, and then our cars. I sat in the shade from one of the cars as I waited for the rest of them to make their way down. Once we were all together, cold drinks and snacks were kindly provided. Then we loaded back up and began the drive out. Along the way, we passed two brothers who were out hiking the road. We certainly did not expect that. Once back at the museum’s parking lot, I thanked our trip leaders and set off home.

Due to the historic and sacred nature of this cave, I am not posting my actual GPS track for this hike.

Hiking Volcan Mountain

After hiking up Woodson Mountain earlier in the day, I drove out to Volcan Mountain to cross my second peak off the 2025 Six Pack of Peaks Challenge. As I turned on the Farmers Road, I could see this trail was going to be busy. However, just as I neared the actual trailhead, a car left, and I was able to grab a parking spot right at the start. The day had warmed some, but there was a slight breeze. I decided to leave the fleece behind, as I wasn’t planning on hanging out at the summit for any real length of time.

The legs still felt good after my 5 miles up Woodson, and I motored along the trail. I decided to skip taking the 5 Oaks Trail, just save a little distance this time. New Year’s greetings were exchanged as returning hikers passed me. Soon, the summit and its navigation tower came into view. Some hikers were enjoying their well-earned snack at the picnic bench, while I snapped another summit badge photo. I stopped by the benchmark and chatted with two other hikers before heading back down from the summit.

More and more folks, many with their dogs (did I miss the “bring your dog to Volcan Mountain” memo?) were working their way toward the top. I kept cruising down the trail, and as Farmers Road came back into view, there were a lot more cars parked along it. Back at the car, I changed into a dry shirt and headed home. I made a quick stop at Don’s Market for a cold soda before making the rest of the drive. As I passed the trailhead for Woodson Mountain, the side of the highway was now completely jam packed with cars. I could only imagine the line to climb onto the ‘Chip’. It was a great way to kick off 2025, with hopefully a lot more adventures to come.

New Year’s Day on Woodson Mountain

I decided to kick off 2025 by tackling Woodson Mountain. Driving to the Fry-Koegel trailhead, I was surprised at the lack of cars parked along Hwy. 67, especially as the Iron Mountain parking lot was packed when I drove past. It was a bit chilly, and much of the hike is on the northern side of the mountain (aka in the shade), so I slipped on a light fleece. I knew I would warm up as I began my climb, but I thought it was still just a tad too cold to not have on an extra layer. This route is now my preferred route to ascend Woodson Mountain. As I passed the houses at the beginning, the smell of a fire in a fireplace filled the air, along with the scent of bacon….

I did start to heat up, so I shed that fleece, and motored on up the trail. After joining the Poway Trail, I drew closer to the summit. I could see a modest crowd milling around the Potato Chip, snapping their photos. I stopped for a short break, snapped a photo with this year’s Six Pack of Peaks badge in front of the iconic landmark, then left the crowd behind. I made a quick stop at the true summit (I did not scale the boulder) before beginning the steep descent on the paved service road. I remembered to bring the rubber tips for my trekking poles, in order to protect their metal tips.

As I cruised down, scores of folks were huffing and puffing their way up. Several had the look of “how did I get talked into this?” on their faces. Once at the bottom, I returned to the car, tossed in my gear and headed off to Volcan Mountain for my second summit of the day!

Hiking the Glider Port Loop

I decided to wrap up 2024 with another hike around Black Mountain. There were a few cars in the parking lot for Miner’s Ridge when I pulled in. My general plan was to take the Miner’s Ridge trail, then connect over to the Glider Port Trail and loop back to the start. As I cruised along the trail, I spent some time reflecting on the year, but those are my thoughts… When I reached the junction with the trail that would take me to the summit, I decided to go ahead and take it. The legs still felt good as I climbed the rocky path upward. Once at the summit, I snapped a couple of photos and headed back down.

I made the quick side trip to summit Peak 1376, because why not? I then continued hiking down toward the Glider Port itself. Living nearby, we see parasailers soar around the skies. Leaving the launching area behind, I headed to the Lilac Canyon Trail and followed it back to the Miner’s Ridge Trailhead. A nice loop to cap off 2024! To kick off 2025, I am thinking of a two-fer; Woodson Mountain, followed by Volcan Mountain if my legs feel good.

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.

Hiking Ladder Canyon

Since we had camped at Cottonwood Campground in Joshua Tree National Park, it was a relatively short drive down to the trailhead to Ladder Canyon. I have wanted to do this trail for some time, but it is an almost three-hour drive from San Diego. We pulled into the parking lot for the hike and gathered our gear. It was warm, but not hot, as we set off up the canyon.

After about 0.4 miles the trail splits, and we decided to follow the standard route of doing the “lollipop” in a clockwise fashion. Ben squirmed through the small cave and up a small ladder, while I took the bypass. From there we ascend, and in one spot descend, a variety of metal ladders that have been placed. Our route took us through the canyon which at times was just a narrow slot.

After about 0.6 miles in this canyon, we climbed out of it and onto a ridge. Taking in the views of the Mecca Hills, we followed the ridge northward for a mile. We took a short break at the top of the hill before dropping down to the canyon we would follow to return to the trailhead.

This canyon was nice and wide with walls that were ever-changing in their geology. Some looked like a scene from Indiana Jones…

As we neared the junction, we had two more ladders to descend. These took a little care, as there was some downclimbing before you reached the ladders. In fact, one had a rope to assist (although it was actually placed there to help those hiking the loop in a clockwise direction). I simply slid down the smooth rock, while Ben opted to use the rope.

Soon we were back at the junction. While the day was warm, which we felt up on the exposed ridge, usually the high canyon walls gave us some nice shade. Both of our stomachs were starting to growl, so once back at the car we headed into Mecca for a well-earned lunch. A fun adventure that I was glad to have shared 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.