Ever hiked this mountain? Well first you need to know that it is one of the highest peaks in San Diego at 1,592 ft. It is around 1.5 mile hike up and 1.5 mile hike back. Considering the peak it is a fairly uphill hike but it is kid friendly and pet friendly but the pets have to remain leashed. It’s one of the most popular trails in San Diego so it’s highly trafficked and I would recommend going early in the morning to avoid the high volume of people on the trail and bring water as well.
There is free parking in a lot but for only around 20-25 cars. There is a ton of street parking as well so you wouldn’t need much time to find a spot. It’s is on the corner of Golfcrest Dr and Navajo Rd.
I recently decided to take my daughter and puppy for this hike because I’ve heard it was not too hard but I have never had the chance to do it myself. It was supposed to be hot (even though it is in the middle of November here) so we planned to go pretty early. We arrived around 9am and it was already 75° degrees and sunny. We started the hike and it wasn’t bad at all. It was heart pumping and definitely got your blood flowing. We took a few breaks on the way up to give my daughter and puppy time to catch their breaths. There are cutouts in the way to the top to stop and sit. There are no benches though so be prepared to rest on rocks.
After about an hour we reached the top and the view of San Diego was incredible. There were quite a few people at the top as well and considering it was hot with no shade, we didn’t stay long.
The hike down the mountain was a lot less strenuous then the hike up.. obviously lol. But sense it was around 10:30am there were a lot of people coming up the mountain so the trail started to become crowded somewhat. It took about 45 minutes to return down the mountain to our vehicle and I must say that my girls were glad it was over.
I highly recommend this hike to anyone that loves the out doors or anyone who just wants to hike and take some photos. You will have a great time. Get out and enjoy!
Giovanni McGlothan 