Peak 44B - Paradise Mountain - Wonderful views from the heart of Valley Center

Paradise Mountain
Elevation: 3,180’
Mileage: 7.8
Trailhead: Hellhole Canyon County Preserve Trailhead
Agency: Hellhole Canyon County Preserve
Date Hiked: 10/30/2020
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Update 2020: Paradise Mountain replaces Arrowmakers Ridge, which is off-limits to hikers.

10/21/2020
The PD and I headed to Valley Center to hike to the top of Paradise Mountain, but when we got there, we learned from a closed gate and a sign that the Hellhole Canyon Preserve is closed every Tuesday through Thursday. We had never heard of that, so we were not anticipating it.

I thought for a second and we ended up hiking in Palomar Mountain State Park, enjoying the French Valley Trail.

The PD, enjoying the French Valley Trail in Palomar Mountain State Park

10/30/2020
Nine days later, we returned on a warm sunny October morning. We got our things ready at the trailhead, which has a large parking lot, restrooms, and interpretive signs.

We got started and enjoyed the gently rolling trail. We were presented with a view of the climb ahead.

It’s a pretty simple trail to the top, although one has several options. There are trails connecting across the face of Paradise Mountain, so it’s a “choose your adventure” type of hike.

Dropping down to the creek with Paradise Mountain before us

We dropped down into the Hell Creek drainage, where there was a trickle of water, which was surprising in autumn after a dry winter and a very hot summer. Although the morning was a little cool, we probably would be enjoying the limited shade on the way back.

On the other side, the trail ascended nicely and we turned back to see where we had descended, knowing we’d be climbing back up in a few hours.

Easy ascent on the other side of Hell Creek

A look back to where we came from: The Paradise Mountain trailhead

We continued rising above the creek as the trail became steeper and rockier. We turned right at all junctions, swinging wide to the east. The views of the valley around us opened up as the day got warmer, but the breeze kept us happy.

We skirted an obvious border of an adjacent private property as the trail started switching back, ever steeper and rockier. The trail turned red with the change in soil, switching back to the west, avoiding an old unused track to the east.

The trail swings east with Rodriguez Mountain looming above

We followed the trail at the top of the ridge until we were at the high point. This was Paradise Mountain. We sat down on some rocks and enjoyed the sweeping views around us.

To the south, we could see Valley Center and the trailhead across Hellhole Canyon. To the north, we could see the Palomar Massif, with the Boucher Hill lookout tower standing proudly in the distance. To our east, the ridgeline continued to the granitic flanks of Rodriguez Mountain, looking very hard to get to in a sea of chaparral.

Panoramic View from the top of Paradise Mountain (Click to Enlarge)

We had some lunch, contemplating the idea of making a lollipop route by continuing along the ridge, to Ditch Benchmark and the viewpoint beyond, but we had commitments later in the day, so we decided to descend back the way we came.

The way down was quick and uneventful. We stopped briefly in the shade in the riparian zone near Hell Creek to drink some water and get ready for the steep climb back to the trailhead.