The popular Daley Ranch Park preserves one of the last major parcels of open space in the Escondido. Featuring a great variety of ecosystems, the park showcases a number of different hiking options, such as a loop through Engelmann oak woodland, a loop around a large meadow, ponds, chaparral, sage-scrub community, and, as on this …
The Sunset Trail
Perched atop a rolling plateau in the Peninsular Ranges in eastern San Diego County lies a vast, sumptuous meadow, rimmed with pine trees and studded with small, ephemeral lakes. This landscape, which may be one of the most beautiful in all of San Diego, offers contrast, solitude, silence, endless vistas, and cool, shady forests to …
Mt. San Jacinto State Park via the Tramway
Distance: 4.8 MilesElevation Gained: 700'Difficulty: ModerateCritters: NoneGet there like this.When I was a kid, my parents took me up to Mt. San Jacinto via the tram. My cousin from Illinois was in town, and I think they were trying to prove to him that California gets cold too sometimes. This seemed to me a very …
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Joshua Tree, Day 2: Willow Hole and the Wonderland of Rocks
Distance: 7.2 MilesElevation Gained: Eh.Difficulty: ModerateCritters: RavenGet there like this. Details:Willow Hole and the Wonderland of Rocks. That sounds like either a fantasy movie or an album by an obscure prog band. Turns out that this is an actual place - and a beautiful one, at that.This was the signature hike for this camping trip. I …
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Joshua Tree, Day 2: Ryan Mountain
Distance: 2.9 MilesElevation Gained: 1,070'Difficulty: ModerateCritters: NoneGet here like this.Details:While I was sitting atop Ryan Mountain and enjoying a panoramic view of two deserts, a man came huffing and puffing up to the summit. He looked left. He looked right. He then stood there for a couple of minutes, turned around, and left.I struggled to …
Joshua Tree: Keys View, Hemingway, Cholla Garden, Hidden Valley Campground
Before I post the next write-up on the Ryan Mountain hike, I want to briefly discuss four places where I spent a bit of time screwing around in Joshua Tree. None of these places really counted as hikes. If I were to write them up, the posts would be pretty short. However, since I thoroughly …
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Joshua Tree, Day 1: Barker Dam
Rocks showing the waterline within Barker ResevoirDistance: 4.5 milesElevation Gained: Not certain there is anyDifficulty: EasyCritters: A roadrunner, a hawkGet there like this.Details:Everything in the desert is centered around water. Plants evolve elaborate responses to the climate such as small, waxy leaves that balance the need to conserve water with the need to photosynthesize abundant …
San Gabriel Peak
Panorama of the San Gabriel Range looking east to Mt. BaldyDistance: 4.2 MilesElevation Gained: 1,600'Difficulty: Moderately StrenuousTime: 2:30Directions to the trailheadNote: Don't forget your National Forest Adventure PassDetails:Red Box Canyon from the TrailheadThe Front Range of the San Gabriel Mountains looms like a massive, green wall over the cities of the San Gabriel Valley. This …
Palomar State Park, Autumn Edition
Panorama looking south from the crest of Palomar MountainDistance: 2-3 MilesElevation Gained: Minimal - there are only a few brief moments of climbingDifficulty: EasyCritters: 1 DeerDirections to the Doane Pond Parking LotDetailsCedar and White Fir forest along the Doane Valley Nature TrailI came to Palomar Mountain for the first time with Kelly on January 1st …
Observatory Trail, Palomar Mountain
Distance: 4.5 Miles (There-and-Back)Elevation Gained: 750'Difficulty: ModerateCritters: A deer; a flock of quailDirections: Drive to this spotNote: You may need to pay a fee or have an adventure pass to hike here. Furthermore, this campground shuts down in the winter, so you may be forced to start the hike at the Observatory instead of the …
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