Saturday: get ready to ramble! Experience San Diego’s most beautiful and remote forests as we fiercely meander up to the highest point in San Diego County, Hot Springs Mountain, elevation 6,535’. This carcamp is on the Los Coyotes Reservation. Pre-dayhike, we'll review basic navigation features on our map, and then practice "staying found" as we hike up 2,500’, following a densely forested fire road, starting in oak woodlands, climbing up into pine forest and remarkable boulder formations. The mountain top has an old fire tower. Scramble up a ladder and large boulders to arrive at our final high point and take in spectacular views. Saturday evening, we'll enjoy a potluck happy hour, a campfire, and spend the night in a beautiful campground. The dayhike is strenuous, about 10.5 miles, with several steep sections.
Sunday morning after breakfast we’ll do a tent tour, and check out everyone's cool gear. Then, we'll pack up and drive to our Cahuilla Mountain trailhead where we’ll hike about 6.5 miles round trip to an incredible forest with awesome views of Anza Valley and a mountain spring near the summit, where we will eat lunch This is a moderate hike with about 1500 feet of elevation gain and loss.
Special Outing Requirements: Bring your car camp gear, 10 essentials. Trekking poles recommended. Bring 2 lunches, 1 dinner, 1 breakfast, & a snack to share. Bring good hiking /trail shoes, base layers for hiking, trekking poles recommended, warm jackets, windbreakers, gloves, hats, 20 degree F rated sleeping bag. It will be cold since we’ll be sleeping at about 4,000’ in a shady spot. One or two more high clearance vehicles needed for the road to Cahuilla Mountain on Sunday (not a required hike). $15 each for entry to Los Coyotes Reservation and to camp there.
Water Requirements: Bring water for the weekend:-at least 2 gallons for drinking & cooking for Saturday & Sunday. |