Hike #8 Stonewall Peak

52 Hike Challenge 2016 Adventure Series

4 miles | +800'

This hike is one of my favorites in San Diego County. Nice easy trek up on a well maintained trail in Rancho Cuyamaca State Park. The summit rewards you with a stunning 360 degree view of the surrounding park and landscape. To the east is Granite Mountain, Anza-Borrego and the Salton Sea, to the North is Palomar Mountain and the observatory, on a clear day you can see the ocean and to the South Mexico. The park isn't the same as it once was due to fires but it's still a great way to get away from the city to breathe some fresh air and stretch your legs.

Hike #7 Carrizo Gorge

52 Hike Challenge 2016 Adventure Series

13 miles | +800'/-2500'

"You need special shoes for hiking- and a bit of a special soul as well."

A north-south trending fault zone is responsible for the series of ridges and canyons at Anza-Borrgo's southern end. Carrizo Gorge, the most dramatic of these, divides the Jacumba Mountains to the east from the In-Ko-Pah Mountains to the west. These mini-mountain ranges are links in the Peninsular Ranges from the Laguna Mountains in the northwest to the Sierra Juarez of Baja California. Carrizo Gorge is best known for the railroad that threads along its eastern wall: the San Diego & Arizona Eastern. Built in 1907-1919, the railroad carried freight, and for a time passengers, between San Diego and Imperial Valley. At its heart it is a remote and rugged wilderness area.

A trek down the length of Carrizo Gorge is long, rugged, and memorable. It is one to be taken cautiously, with the right equipment and clothing. Essential are long pants to protect you from the sharp thorns of mesquite, catclaw, and the needle-like tips of a particularly wicked type of bunch grass. Thick growths of tamarisk, cactus gardens, and slippery rocks will all conspire to hinder your progress. Feral cattle used to keep paths through the vegetation clear, but they were airlifted out of the canyon in the late 1980's.

Fortunately, the California Conservation Corps has been involved in a project to eradicate the invasive tamarisk from the Carrizo Creek watershed. Past forays into the gorge from the north end have been relativity easy due to the removal efforts. However, I was curious to see how passable the southern section was. So after dropping off a vehicle at the north end of the gorge, we made our way into Carrizo Gorge from the southern end, near the small high desert community of Jacumba. We only made it in about 2 miles before all forward progress was halted due to the tamarisk. A detour along the railroad tracks was necessary if we were to make camp before nightfall. The next day we made the descent back down into the gorge and eventually to where we had parked the other vehicle. There is still much more to be explored in this area. I'll be back for sure.

Hike #6 San Diego River Trail (Walker Preserve & Lakeside River Park)

52 Hike Challenge 2016 Adventure Series

6.5 miles | +90'

Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy was formed in 2001 to acquire lands along the San Diego River through purchases or donations and to restore the habitat and develop trails for the benefit of Lakeside residents. This section of the San Diego River Trail is a huge step forward towards the overall goal of a 52-mile trail ranging from Julian down to Ocean Beach.

Hike #5 Goat Canyon Trestle & Indian Hill

52 Hike Challenge 2016 Adventure Series

14.75 miles | +1700'

Carrizo Gorge at the southern edge of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a spectacular chasm and home to the Goat Canyon railroad trestle. Two hundred feet tall and 750 feet long, it's the tallest curved wooden trestle ever built.

The construction of the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railroad began during World War I in the steep-walled Carrizo Gorge near the town of Jacumba. Many people were convinced at the time that it couldn't be done, but John D. Spreckels didn't rest until the "impossible track" was completed in November, 1919, at a cost of $18 million. The Goat Canyon trestle was built in 1932 after an earthquake collapsed one of the tunnels.

Despite damage to the lines from heavy rainstorms, landslides, fires, and vandalism the line stayed in operation for over 50 years. In 1976 hurricane Kathleen caused widespread flooding and damage in this area. Three trestles belonging to the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway were destroyed, and five others were damaged. At more than 50 other locations, tracks were buried by mudslides or had the ground under them washed away. After assessing the damage from Kathleen, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company decided in 1977 to abandon most of the SD&AE railway, but in 1978 the Interstate Commerce Commission disallowed this plan and the railway was restored.

Hike #4 Kitchen Creek Falls

52 Hike Challenge 2016 Adventure Series

6.25 miles | +985'

At Kitchen Creek Falls, water from about 20 square miles of drainage upstream tumbles a total of 150 vertical feet over several cascades of various heights. Found in a remote canyon off the south flank of the Laguna Mountains, this waterfall is easily accessed by the well-trodden Pacific Crest Trail. A short stretch of scrambling over jagged boulders is required to reach the cascades. This is a fun place to walk along and across the stream, as well as clamber over water-polished boulders. A short but steep, loose decent is required to reach the base of the falls. After you've had your fill of all the natural beauty of the area, return the way you came along the PCT.

Hike #3 Oak Canyon Falls

52 Hike Challenge 2016 Adventure Series

4 miles | +300'

Oak Canyon, a sycamore and oak-lined ravine tucked into a scenic corner of Mission Trails Regional Park just west of Santee, hides a small but beautiful seasonal waterfall. In fact, the whole canyon comes alive with a thin stream of babbling water after some decent rains. After making your way along the banks of the trickling creek, passing small cascades and rock-bound pools, you'll eventually see State Route 52 passing high above the canyon. Here water flows along a rocky creek into a mini-chasm of water-polished rock, with a deep, narrow pool.

Hike #2 Cowles Mountain via Barker Way

52 Hike Challenge 2016 Adventure Series

3.75 miles | +950'

The highest point in the City of San Diego, and by far the most popular trail in the entire County. I took the alternate route to avoid the hordes of people along the main trail. Cowles Mountain is also the highest summit within Mission Trails Regional Park, which features four other peaks- Pyles Peak, Kwaay Paay Peak, South Fortuna Mountain, and North Fortuna Mountain.