A Year of Palomar Mountain

A Hawk’s Eye View of San Diego County from the Boucher Hill Lookout

This is a brief photo essay documenting the four seasons that I have witnessed this year at Palomar Mountain. The locales include High Point, the State Park, and the Observatory Trail. This is easily one of my favorite hiking destinations in all of Southern California, with its mix of meadows, views, forests, wildlife, and an adherence to the traditional seasons that everybody claims are lacking from SoCal. This place is always worth a day trip, or even a weekend camping trip, no matter the time of year.

Winter

Palomar Mountain’s rolling flanks and valleys from the summit at High Point

Young buck on the Scott’s Cabin Trail

Douglas Firs on the way up

High Point lookout tower

Snow-swept cedars at the summit

Spring

Doane Valley in Spring
Bracken Fern

Lower French Valley

Corn Lillies
Upper Doane Valley

Summer

Doane Valley in Summer
Lower French Valley

Ponderosa Pine Shadow

Boucher Hill 

Catalina in the distance

Autumn  

Fall Color on the Observatory Trail
Black Oaks at Observatory Campground

Doane Valley Nature Trail

Black Oak Leaves Turning

Black Oak

Winter Again

Doane Nature Trail following a snowstorm

A Shortcut to Mushrooms on the Baptist Trail
Doane Pond
Cloudline on the Silvercrest Trail
Morning Fog at the Silvercrest Parking Lot

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