Granite Springs Backcountry Camp is a backpacker's campground accessible via East Mesa in Cuyamaca State Park. This park is one of two dedicated to backpacker campgrounds - the other being Arroyo Seco. It features a water pump (needs filtering), dedicated campsites, and vault toilets. Distance: 8.8 Elevation Gained: 1200' Difficulty: Moderate Time: Overnight Critters: Hawks, …
The Sweetwater river drains the Cuyamaca rivershed before dumping its contents in the Sweetwater Resevoir. At its headwaters in Green Valley, the Sweetwater is an unspoilt watercourse along which one can spend a cool, sunny day. Distance: 7.5 Miles Elevation Gained: 850' Difficulty: Moderate Time: 2:45 Critters: Wild turkeys Get there like this. Note: There …
Chiquito Basin is a lovely stretch of meadows and woodlands in the Ortega Corridor of the Santa Ana Mountains. The San Juan Trail is a rugged single-track trail that runs from Blue Jay Campground to Highway 74 just east of Caspers Wilderness Park. The trail is quite popular with mountain bikers, but it can still …
The view from Soapstone Grade Green Valley This long, elliptical loop travels through some of the less-traveled portions of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. The first half, Soapstone Grade, grants wide-open views of meadows and far-off mountains, while the second half, Green Valley, travels along the headwaters (dry) of the Sweetwater River through gradually-recovering riparian …
Hellhole Canyon Open Space Preserve is a 1,700 acre county park that is a lot nicer than the name suggests. There's nothing particularly hellish about a stream that still trickles even in the midst of a severe drought. In addition to the lovely riparian strip along Hellhole Creek, there are mountains to climb and vistas …
Continue reading "Rodriguez Mountain/Hellhole Canyon Open Space Preserve"
Not too long ago, I was having a conversation with a friend about what we respectively did during long periods of unemployment. We both realized that neither of us had really done much because there were no real goals (aside perhaps from getting a job), and therefore there was no impetus to push hard to …
In 2013, I hiked 945.3 miles while gaining 149,365' of elevation. I spent 432 hours and 33 minutes on the trails, which amounts to 18 days hiking. My average hike was about about 6.3 miles with 1,010 feet of elevation gain. I didn't ultimately keep track of how many calories I burned, but I know …
Sunset from Haleakala Part of hiking for me includes photography, which has always been a minor hobby for me. Throughout the year, I've taken what I think are some decent photographs. This is my opportunity to share those that I felt were the best. New Year's Day sunset over Oceanside Beach Batiquitos Lagoon, January …
It’s about that time of year where everybody with any kind of opinion is throwing together a completely arbitrary and subjective list that reflects what they think is good and in what order. There is, of course, no science to this, because everything you’ll ever see on a “Best of” list is nothing more than …
Santa Rosa Mountain is a sky island amidst a sea a scorched rocks and barren valley. This offshoot of the peninsular ranges demonstrates the spectacular biodiversity of Southern California while affording some of the best views in all of Southern California.Distance: 7.2 MilesElevation Gained: 1260'Difficulty: ModerateCritters: Squirrels, ravens, hawksTime: 3:15Get there like this.Note: You will …
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Hiking and photography in the Southwestern U.S.
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