52 Hike Challenge 2016 Adventure Series
1 mile | 400'
Late-spring afternoons and early evenings in San Diego are
often perfect for a bit of exercise after work or before an evening meal. Close
and convenient Mission Trails Regional Park offers a number of short hiking
trails that are good for mini-outings with a little exercise in mind.
The Climbers Loop Trail was built (and is steadily being
improved) by the rock climbers who practice their sport on the granitic crags
of Mission Gorge, about one-half mile north of the park's visitors' center. The
no-nonsense climb from the edge of Father JunÃpero Serra Trail (the paved
roadway/bike trail through the gorge) first takes you expeditiously to the base
of some crags known as Middle Earth. From that vantage, a downward gaze toward
"lower earth," the San Diego River floodplain, reveals how high you
have climbed. The next segment of the trail contours, roughly speaking (and
very rough in its sketchy condition), over to the main Climbing Wall, where at
least a few and sometimes many climbers cling to the rocks like human flies.
After a final descent on the Climber's Trail, you reach the pavement of Father
JunÃpero Serra Trail; follow it for 0.2 mile to get back to your starting
point. The distance for the whole loop is one mile, and the elevation gain is
about 400 feet.
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