But soon enough, the trail turned left and leveled out considerably. The most popular destination, and our target for today, was the El Cajon Mountain Summit to the left. There is technically a smaller peak by the summit called El Capitan, so the two peaks are not the same. 1,097 people follow this. I really want to hike El Cap, but that might have to wait until fall (or during our three-day cold snap next February). CAVE 1. This is not a 'fatass' run, but it is most definitely an 'old school' ultra. But it wasn’t much further until we came to the first of the really steep hills. Another long, steep climb greeted us. The hike gets so hot that the San Diego County Parks department closes it down completely in August. The grueling uphill crawl continued until almost the 3.5 mile marker. El Cajon (/ ɛ l. k ə. It is owned by the San Diego River Park Foundation, who acquired it as mitigation land, so it is set aside for wildlife conservation. Activities on this property focus on the preservation, restoration and enhancement of native species and habitats. Take a right onto Willow Road and follow it until you see Wildcat Canyon Road. I'm the kind of person that runs up and down Cowles Mt. Distance: 12-14 miles. Elkafajo . El Cajon Valley Gem and Mineral Society. Mission Trails . Nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains the city has acquired the nickname of The Big Box. It will challenge your body and mind with relentless elevation changes, then reward you with stunning views in all directions. Bucksnort Mountain . El Cajon Mountain, or “El Cap” as its often referred to, is a major landmark in Eastern San Diego. Most of the hike follows an old road cut long ago to explore minerals in the mountain. Los Peñasquitos Canyon and Waterfall. About See All. El Cajon Mountain has often been described as "Often seen, rarely climbed". where you may hear some peacocks crooning in the early morning. Closed Now. Just remember to stop every once in a while and enjoy the scenery. While this hill was still challenging, we steadily made our way to the top. Continuing on the wide road we found a sign marked “trail” directing us to turn left. 1185 E Main St (2,233.88 mi) El Cajon, CA, CA 92021. El Capitan Preserve encompasses El Cajon Mountain. 1 Review . County of San Diego Parks & Recreation – El Capitan Open Space Preserve, […] Mountain, Kanaka Loop Trail, and some new-to-me trails in Mission Gorge. Not Now. After 3.4 miles find the small parking area on the right. Lunar Eclipse, April 15th 2014 . Check Out The Goat Canyon Train Trestle Hike. We passed the 1 mile marker. We enjoyed a little bit of shade courtesy of the thick bushes standing between us and the sun. THE BEST DOG FRIENDLY HIKING TRAIL. See more of The Landing El Cajon on Facebook. From here the trail made a series of switchbacks up the hillside through thick chaparral, with periodic views of the Barona Valley and surrounding areas. To the northeast was the distinctive form of Cuyamaca Peak, with Middle Peak and North Peak on its left. Just shy of 1 mile we encountered an intersection with a wide dirt road. There are two main stoping areas in the mine that are both accessed from the same decline. El Monte is a high land value area.” El Monte Valley is near state Route 67, below El Cajon Mountain — also known as El Capitan — and adjacent to the San Diego River. But I'd seen Mt. Cuyamaca Rancho State Park . Undaunted, we continued up a yet even steeper section of trail. Now however, it serves as a popular photo prop, as well as an indication that one is finally nearing the top of the mountain. On some of these steep hills having a good pair of hiking boots was a god send, and even through I don’t own a pair of alpine poles I plan on picking up a good pair before I head up to Mt Whitney, and every time I saw someone on this trail using a pair I wish I had my own as well. Adjustment of fuel consumption and fuel price for El-Cajon,CA - Mountain-View,CA. 5. But after repeating the trek on multiple occasions I’m proud to say I can now do this hike and still walk normally the next day! You will continue to climb up steep hills and back down into valleys as you continue to steadily climb up to the top of the peak. We had to pause periodically as the trail crossed large granite slabs to determine where it picked up again on the opposite side. The Landing El Cajon . Tackle severe ups and downs on the old mining track through El Capitan Open Space Reserve near Lakeside. See more of The Landing El Cajon on Facebook. A narrower footpath leads the rest of the way, winding through complex boulder fields and thick chaparral vegetation. or Iron Mt. I limited my photos until I was on the summit. Shadow Mountain Community Church is an evangelical church pastored by Dr. David Jeremiah and is located in El Cajon, California, San Diego County. 5 out of 5 stars. At the end of the 5 mile stretch, you’ll find a four-way intersection and choice of two final destinations. If you head right you will go a shorter distance to the top of El Capitan Mountain. History The first technical rock climbs to appear at El Cajon Mountain occurred in the 1960’s and 70’s, courtesy of Eric Beck, Steve McKinney, the Hooper brothers, Milo Pradonovich and Doug White. This time around, however, we were in much better shape. Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves . Soon after the single track trail connects back into the main trail you will see your first mile marker. We are a … Check out some of our favorite hiking guides for San Diego County: County of San Diego Parks & Recreation – El Capitan Open Space Preserve, The Ponytail Diaries | San Diego 2015 Summer To-Do List, This Week in San Diego Hiking – February 11, 2019, This Week in San Diego Hiking – February 4, 2019, This Week in San Diego Hiking – January 28, 2019, This Week in San Diego Hiking – January 14, 2019, This Week in San Diego Hiking – January 7, 2019, Leashed dogs are allowed, but this is probably too long/strenuous for the average dog. Time to complete: 5-6 hours Difficulty: Hard. After a long rest and lunch break, we began the very long hike back. El Cajon . The project proposes to mine sand suitable for Portland cement concreteover an extended period of several designated phases. Rome2rio makes travelling from El Cajon to Mountain View easy. Woodson in two hours (roundtrip)...so, you can imagine that I wasn't expecting much! These Mile Markers are a great way for you to keep track of your pace, and to realize just how much further you have to go, they display the mileage for each sign plus the elevation at each point . Distance: 12-14 miles round trip. El Cajon Mountain is located in East San Diego County. The trail apparently follows an old fire road shown on the topographic map. … El Cajon Mountain was one of many that I have been targeting in San Diego County, and today was the lucky day to climb it. El Cajon Mountain is near Lakeside, and only about 30 minutes from downtown San Diego. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. I was just grateful that I wasn’t there on a hot day. ** I was recently contacted by the San Diego River Park Foundation to inform me that there has been a change to the status of the face ( cliff areas ) of El Cajon Mountain. The deep green of the chaparral and paler green of towering white sage bushes were interspersed the enormous white boulders. Vault toilets .45 mile from the parking lot. 17 reviews of McGinty Mountain "Okay, so I was reluctant to do this hike, since 2 of the 3 reviews weren't so hot. El Cajon; Lakeside; La Mesa; Rancho San Diego; Santee; North County. From parking area, the pain began almost immediately as we trudged uphill along the mix of paved and dirt road. Somewhere past mile marker 4 the trail leveled out for a stretch, then began to regain elevation with vengeance. ( depends on taking the trail to the cliff overlook or not) 12 miles to the peak, 14 miles if you include the side trip to the cliffs. Create New Account. This path leads .1 mile uphill to the entrance to three mine shafts. Garnet Peak . ( depends on taking the trail to the cliff overlook or not) 12 miles to the peak, 14 miles if you include the side trip to the cliffs. About halfway up, I noticed my phone was at only 10% charge. The trail bent eastward and we made our way over a few reasonable hills. All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. In fact, the Preserve is closed during the entire month of August due to the high temperatures. mvbarry1 - Feb 4, 2007 7:03 am - Hasn't voted Getting There Addendum. Go a little over 4 miles, as you get to the top of the hill turn right at the entrance to El Capitan Open Space Preserve and park in the large lot immediately to your left. The El Cajon Mountain Summit is the most popular choice (no doubt due to it being the highest point), and that is the route described in this write-up. (I’ll describe the other two possible routes at the end of this post). San Diego Zoo Safari Park . There are mile markers installed at mile 1, 2, 3, 3.5, 4, & 5 intervals. It is often frequented by individuals training for adventures such as hiking Mount Whitney or competing in Iron Man triathlons, as well as ambitious day hikers. When you see descriptions of this hike that say you have up and down elements to this hike on both the way up and the way down they are not kidding. Over Land Stage Way Julian, CA 92036. A small wooden footbridge spanned a very narrow creek bed, and the trail climbed upward once again. Periodically we’d pause for a moment to take in our surroundings. I’ve always read other peoples descriptions of hikes describing how hard the hike is and then found that the hike seems easier then described. 6 -7 hours round trip for the peak and the cliffs. We came to a wide viewpoint area with a trail map and metal bench where one could rest awhile and admire the view. Not so with this hike, I’ve read many descriptions of this hike and they always say how hard this hike is, how it’s a great hike for getting ready for other hikes like Half Dome or Mt Whitney, and they are not kidding, but then again maybe it was because my legs were cramping for the last 4 miles on the way down the hike. From the four-way intersection, turn right and proceed up the hill. The only mile marker I came across that didn’t have a graphic representation of this was the 4 mile marker. El Cajon (/ɛlkəˈhoʊn/; Spanish: [elkaˈxon]) is a city in San Diego County California. El Cajon Mountain Trail is located in the El Capitan Open Space Preserve in Lakeside, Ca. Sunset Cliffs . Trying to hike out of here on an injured limb did NOT sound appealing. El Cajon Mountain is also known as El Cap or ECM. Photo by Liz Thomas. Alpine Poles, these may help you on the steep areas of the hike. Hikers often describe this trail as “uphill both ways” due to the numerous steep ups and downs that make the return trip almost as hard as initial outing. Almost every year a buddy of mine or several and I team up and tackle a hard hike, usually somewhere up in the Sierras. 5. Explore the Warlock mine out i. If you continue to go straight you will go to the cliff views over El Capitan Reservior, this will add a couple more miles to your hike, but its well worth the little bit of extra work, just realize that the trail down to the cliff views is not very well maintained and has some very deep ruts but the view will pay off. Elevation Gain: 4100 feet Time to complete: 4-5 hours round trip for the peak. It has several peaks standing together, one of which is called El Capitan with the highest one called El Cajon. MEMBERS . It is also a mountain with a number of routes to the summit (including a technical route); and a mountain that until recently, required a number of challenging ways to ascend the peak due to land use restrictions. 968 likes. From this hike it’s hard to see why it’s called El Cap, but if you look at it from the south (I-8 has good views) , you can see the semblance to Yosemite’s El … El Cajon Mountain Trailhead Parking Lot. map, For more information, visit: Directions: Around 2.6 miles the trail descended steeply as we passed by some of the few oak trees on the trail. Before long, however, we began to lose some of the elevation gain we had worked so hard to achieve as the trail descended steeply. El Cajon Mountain Trail Guide HikingGuy.com 2021-03-18T12:44:31.705Z Halfway Bench Mine Shafts Spring Summit Junction Summit Jeep El Cajon Mtn Trail Magenta Mine Side Trip DarkYellow US-Mining provides information on mines, operators, and minerals mined in El Cajon, CA This hike is no joke as it takes twice as long in time and is easily triple the difficulty of Mount Woodson (aka Potato Chip Rock) for reference. The summit of El Cajon Mountain is at 3648 feet (1112 m). Pub in El Cajon, California . Good hiking shoes or boots, somthing with a lot of traction, you are going to want it on the long steep parts of this hike. The ventilation system consists of a series of vertical raises developed both conventionally and by a raise bore. And we […]. Most of the hike follows an old road cut long ago to explore minerals in the mountain. Getting … Kyra . Carmel Valley . 1,100 people follow this. Runners will go up and down both ways on an out-and-back from the summit of El Cajon Mountain at 3648 feet, passing the abandoned mine and beautiful scenery of East County San Diego. Hiking up to the top of El Cajon Mountain. This 3,648-foot beast of a mountain is also known as El Capitan and is located in El Capitan County Preserve. Stairway to the Sun. El Cajon . The loose, rocky soil required us to focus the majority of our attention on our footing, lest we misstep and fall or twist an ankle. delivers. There are bathrooms here, so if you need to go, do it now. We are specifically going up El Cap to track down a mine and will NOT be going up to the peak. © Copyright 2013-2019. The El Cajon mine decline development continues from the existing main decline to access the stoping areas defined by the Mineral Reserves. El Cajon Mountain : SummitPost.org : Climbing, hiking, mountaineering. (Note the hiker icon happily traipsing along at a 45 degree angle!). Elevation Gain: 4100 feet Time to complete: 6 -7 hours Difficulty: Severe Check Out El Cajon Mountain. If you’re fit and up to the challenge, don’t hesitate to take on El Cap. El Cajon, CA Gold mines, mine companies, mine owners and mine information. 33.081370, -116.597519. The White Lady Cave got its na. A small muddy patch and trickle of water running across the trail indicated the presence of a small spring buried somewhere in the dense vegetation. Lake Cuyamaca Lodge - Lake Cuyamaca Lodge features views of the mountain and is 6 miles from Julian Historical Society. El Cajon Mountain Hike. Dog-Friendly: Yes Kid-Friendly: Yes Hours: 10am-4pm daily Admission: $10 Website Elkafajo . 6 -7 hours round trip for the peak and the cliffs. To Get there: Take Highway 52 East or Interstate 8 East until you reach Highway 67. We continued on, finally stopping for a quick pause when we reached the 3 mile marker. LAKESIDE - This trip will serve as another good experience for aspiring mine hunters! 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