Exploring the Jacumba Mountains

Jacumba Mountains Run (Elliot Mine/Smuggler's Cave/Mountain Springs Stagecoach Trail)
Jan. 2010

I set out for a run with a few guys over at oausa.net. With two FJ's and two Jeeps (YJ & JK) we moved along pretty good. After meeting up at the gas stations in Jacumba we cruised along Hwy 80 and then south down a dirt road towards the border fence. Once we had aired down, it was on up the narrow, rocky shelf road to several peaks that gave outstandings views of the surrounding areas. We had clear views out to Superstition Mountain, Salton Sea, Imperial Sand Dunes and Chocolate mountains.

Soon we had made it up Elliot Mine to take in the views of Valley Of The Moon and explore a few of the mines. Afterwards, we parked down the trail a ways and made the short walk to the Smuggler's Cave. There a quite a few interesting rock formations there that make for fun exploring. It was getting later in the afternoon so we wanted to get down the trail and across the freeway so we could run the Mountain Springs Stagecoach Trail. We made it past the Border Patrol who eyed us suspiciously, under the freeway, past Table Mountain to the trailhead.

This trail has some very tight, rocky, and off-camber sections that must be carefully negotiated. Once you make your way to the bottom of the grade you'll see some stone riuns.

Here's a few links describing the area. And a few pics I found. The last two pictures show a trail in the area way back when and then with my Jeep much more recently.



http://www.desertusa.com/mag00/nov/stories/mtnspring.html

"It was long a haven to Indians, pioneers, muleteers and stage coach passengers. Colonel Kearney bivouacked here during the Mexican American War. There are still ruins at Mountain Spring. Not the ruins of the original stage coach station, but a later lay-over station for freight wagons. When they cut Interstate 8 through this area in the early 1960’s, Mountain Spring actually got more isolated, even as it became an easy sight from west-bound traffic from the four thousand feet from the desert floor."

SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY

https://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/55july/mountain.htm

http://www.gbcnet.com/ushighways/US80/80pics_d.html