Pond at the trailhead to Sunshine Mountain

Sunshine Mountain
Elevation: 3,154′
Total Mileage: 2

Trailhead Map (32.99130, -116.68375)

I had been wanting to get back to this part of San Diego since my hike to Eagle Peak. I also was eyeing this area when I was driving through on the way to Cedar Creek Falls. It looked great on the map and I had a feeling that it didn’t get much traffic. I also thought that the views would be outstanding. I was right.

I got a late start, but that didn’t keep me from making my way through Ramona, Santa Ysabel and Wynola. After seeing families of turkey and quail along the road, I got to the “turntable,” which is a hairpin turn in Boulder Creek Road, and also the trailhead for Eagle Peak and Three Sisters Falls, and the way onto the rustic Cedar Creek Road. There were cars parked at the trailhead there, undoubtedly going to Eagle Peak or Three Sisters Falls, but my sights were set on a different trailhead. I turned right through the gate and headed west on Cedar Creek Road.

When planning this hike, I wasn’t sure how close to the trailhead I was going to be able to get. The condition of Cedar Creek Road can be unpredictable and I didn’t know how passable the side road to the pond would be. It turns out I was able to drive right over the earthen dam of the pond and park in a wide area adjacent to a stream and a grove of oak trees.

East Mesa Fire Road

East Mesa High Point
Elevation: 5,178′
Mileage: 8.8
Trailhead Map

Once again, I was going to be racing weather. The report said that high winds, coupled with heavy rains and snow at Mount Laguna and Cuyamaca Peak would be unleashed at exactly 5PM. I’d say that would be a motivating factor in getting off the trail, wouldn’t you?

The plan was that Level3 and New Jersey George would be running Noble Canyon to Penny Pines and back, a total of 20 miles with plenty of gain. Since there were no peaks on that route and I wasn’t going to be doing 20 miles, I recommended that the She-wolf and I head over to East Mesa in Rancho Cuyamaca State Park and hike to the high point. I had seen the high point from my trip to Sugg Peak and it looked like an easy enough hike up a not-too-densely covered mountain in the middle of the grassy East Mesa.

After waving goodbye to the two ultra-runners, we drove through Guatay and headed over to the East Mesa Fire Road trailhead. It’s easy to miss, apparently, since we had to turn around and drive back to it after passing it. We got out of the car and were instantly reminded that it was going to be a chilly day. We added a layer or two and headed up the trail. I’ve been in this area twice already, once for my aforementioned Sugg Peak trip, and once for my snowy trip to Oakzanita Peak. I liked it a lot and so did many others, since the East Mesa Fire Road is a pretty popular hiking area.

As we started the incline, we took note of the many tracks in the dirt, mostly human, horse and some dog. We could hear Descanso Creek rushing below us, swollen from the recent rains. We then saw two healthy-looking coyotes with large, bushy tails, standing in the trail in front of us. They would trot ahead a little bit and then turn and look back at us. After a couple of bends in the road, they disappeared and we never saw them again. Truly a wild experience in San Diego County.

View from The Trail to Sugg Peak

Elevation Gain: 1,205′
Miles: 8.5
Trailhead

I was excited to get back to Cuyamaca and excited to be going after a peak that I could see from my hike up to the top of Oakzanita Peak.

I am glad that I didn’t attempt this the same day as Oakzanita hike, since the bushwhacking involved would have been compounded by the snow all over East Mesa.

Brady (@HikingSanDiego) and I got to the trailhead just after 6AM and were the only people there. The sun wasn’t fully up yet, but it wasn’t cold at all, so I was worried that it might get pretty hot as the day progressed. We headed out on the East Mesa Fire road and were almost immediately presented with a nice view of Oakzanita Peak, which would dominate the landscape for most of the day.

We saw plenty of tracks in the road; deer, turkey and even some large mountain lion, but saw nothing other than lizards, squirrels, quail, and some rabbits.

While hiking up the road, we shared our varied hiking experiences and approached the area where we would start bushwhacking. I had scoped out the region from Google Earth, but I couldn’t tell which way was the best way.

Cuyamaca Peak from Japacha Peak

Cuyamaca Peak
Elevation: 6,512′

Japacha Peak
Elevation: 5,825′

Airplane Ridge
Elevation: 5,000′

Arrowmakers Ridge
Elevation: 4,740′

Total Mileage: 14.22 miles

Getting to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park always takes longer than I think it does. I left the house at 6AM and didn’t get on the trail until 8AM, as I have to take into consideration picking up the PD, getting breakfast to go, and driving out to the park.

Regardless, we arrived at Paso Picacho and were instantly chilled by the wind blasting through the valley. I was glad that I had brought extra layers, even though the weather report indicated that the high would be hovering near 70 degrees.

Green Valley in Cuyamaca

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
13652 Highway 79
Julian, CA 92036
760-765-3020
cuyamaca@parks.ca.gov
Agency: California State Parks

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is located about 40 minutes from downtown San Diego, yet feels worlds away. I’ve been there several times, and each time I have had the pleasure of seeing wildlife, including mule deer, turkeys, woodpeckers, squirrels and a variety of other birds and reptiles. There have also been sightings of mountain lions and coyotes.

The park, which is over 26,000 acres, includes meadows, Lake Cuyamaca, and many peaks, including Cuyamaca Peak, the second highest peak in San Diego County (Hot Springs Mountain is the highest). I highly recommend it to any visitor to San Diego who is looking for a trip away from the city.

At 854′ in .75 miles from trailhead to summit, this hike was straight up the whole way. It wasn’t until I got almost the whole way up that I saw a sign reading that the trail was closed. So basically I followed game trails until I hit a highly used ridge that met up with the main trail. It was then I looked back and saw the sign telling me that I would have to use a closed trail back to the car.

On my way up, I saw a red-tailed hawk feather on the trail. Some Native American tribes consider the feathers sacred and use them relgious ceremonies. I considered it as an auspicious sign, snapped a picture, and left it where it lay. Conisdering that I was on a game trail and the trail was closed, it is possible that this feather may be there for years to come.

Red-tailed Hawk feather on the trail

I continued scrambling up the ridge until I turned a corner and noticed that the clouds had gathered over Cuyamaca Peak and were in the process of emptying their precious water cargo all over the range. The temperature was definitely hotter than yesterday. I am sure the firefighters in the county definitely welcomed any precipitation during this endless heat wave.

Rain falling over Cuyamaca peak

I scrambled up to the peak and was greeted with a view of Cowles Mountain Summit, as well as Fortuna Mountain. Some clouds drifted over the sun and a nice breeze cooled me off while I looked around and caught my breath. I saw yet another red-tailed hawk gliding below me. Around me, I could still see brush that was damaged in the Cedar Fire of 2003, but were well on their way to recovery. I drank some water and headed back down a trail that I knew to be closed. I will summit this peak from a different approach on a later date.

Fortuna Mountain with burnt sage brush in the foreground