william heise desert view trail

After an afternoon of apple picking in Julian, Calif. yesterday, we decided to check out a hike in the Cuyamaca mountains which promised a great walk in the pine woods and spectacular views of the Cuyamaca and Lunguna mountains, Anza-Borrego Desert & Salton Sea.

• Trail: Desert View Trail (map)
• Location: Julian, Calif. - just over an hour northeast of San Diego
• Length: 2.25 miles
• Hike time: 45 minutes up, 40 minutes down
  
• Terrain: steep incline. Seriously - how was it that it felt like 85% of the entire hike was going straight uphill?
• Path visibility: Mostly clearly marked - but we took a wrong turn on what we thought was part of the trail on the way down but that didn't delay us much.
• Difficulty: moderately difficult - probably not for kids (but other trails in the park would probably be fine)
• Cost: $3 to park
• Highlight destination: Glen's View in the northeast corner of the trail
• Beware: poison oak overgrown into path & sometimes hard to pass ... and SNAKES!

This was a great hike that I'm glad we did. It was a gorgeous warm autumn day (around 70 degrees) & even a little chilly in the shade. Heh. That didn't last long once we made our way from the car to the trail.

We went up the trail taking the eastern approach. Let me tell you, that was smart because it meant we went up the short route & down the long. Trust me, this is not cheating. Five minutes into the hike we were taking on some of the steepest inclines I've ever done.

There is no way to escape the sun, so bring water & any cover you might need (sunscreen, hat).

It took us about 45 minutes to get to the promised vista at the top of the mountain - Glen's View. It was gorgeous. In one direction you could see mountains & enjoy what you had just climbed then to the other you could make out the desert in the distance. It wasn't clear enough to see the Coronado Bridge, but they had a neat contraption up there pointing out what was where. It was a much different experience than the San Diego urban hikes because much of the surrounding areas have been left alone & are undeveloped.

The hike was a good mix of walking through the shaded woods & exploring an exposed mountainside. It is hard to believe that 70% of the park was destroyed by the big Cedar Fire in 2003. That was more than 700 acres of the park. Even now, 4 years later, there is evidence all around of the fire. It didn't get everything though, we actually saw a tree still growing leaves that was charred on the outside but was still healthy once you scraped into the bark.

There is a lot of regrowth all around - sage, oak, pine trees, poison oak, lizards jumping ... and yes, snakes!

Even though some people think I am over-reacting .... well, YOU try being the one that a snake lunges and hisses at. This is what happened: I was following my sandal-wearing hiking partner and looked down at the path. A little baby snake! So I yelled ahead, "snake! Watch out!" Then I realized the only way to safety was to PASS the snake. At that moment, the little harasser lunged at me (just like on the Discovery Channel) and hissed. I swear I saw little fangs. My fearless parter plots a way to get me out of this position as the snake slithered sideways back into the brush, letting me safely pass to freedom. We looked him up online later & think it might have been a western yellow-bellied racer. Only mine had fangs. I know, that doesn't sound dangerous but you try being the one under attack then get back to me.

Tipped off: We first saw this hike online & then bought the new edition (May 2007) of Jerry Schad's Afoot & Afield in San Diego County at a local bookstore which got us motivated to actually do the hike after a day of eating apple pie & caramel apples.

torrey pines beach trail

The Torrey Pines beach trail was my first hike (ever!) & it remains one of my favorites to date. We first went to Torrey Pines together on June 30, 2007. We haven't been back on the trail itself, but started going to Torrey Pines for a morning run on the beach then enjoy the waves in the afternoon nearly every weekend during the summer since that hike.

• Trail: Started on Razor Point Trail then picked up Beach Trail (map)
• Location: Torrey Pines
  
• Length: Razor Point is .7 miles, Beach is 3/4 miles
  
• Hike time: not recorded
  
• Terrain: steep incline at times but not winding
  
• Path visibility: paths marked but a little confusing as to which one we were on
• Difficulty: easy
• Cost: $8 to park
• Highlight destination: the Pacific Ocean is the show-stealer here: there are too many highlights to name but overlooking the ocean below & arriving down at the beach are at the top
  
• Beware: lots of runners whizzing by on path
  

We arrived at Torrey Pines in the late morning & had planned to make a day of it. We drove all the way up to the top to park. I don't think we would do that again because after a long day of hiking & beaching, you still have to go all the way back up to get the car. So take our advice & park in the normal lots when you first pull in - then walk up the mountain road (consider it a warm-up hike) to get to the trail start.

We stopped in the information house to get maps & see what trails were available. They told us that they had just opened the beach trail, so we wanted to try that. Later we saw a park ranger who said the steps down to the beach were new & wanted to know what we thought of them. For steps they were good, I guess. I don't think much of steps unless I fall through them, personally.

The trails are a little confusing to me. You start on one trail & then can connect to others so you're mixing & matching your hike. That is great because it adds diversity to a place I could honestly hike every week, but a little confusing the first time you do it.

What isn't to love about this hike? Mountain views, beach views, cliffs, little caves, it has everything. There are plenty of lookout points to stop at and enjoy the scenery. And, in the summer, it seems there are plenty of other hikers to take your picture if you want!

That brings us to the traffic issue: there were a lot of people on the path in the summer, which can be annoying when you're trying to "get away" & enjoy nature. I'm not even going to address the idiots who talk on their cell phones while hiking (seriously) - but what is up with that? We also saw rangers walking along the trails too during our hike. One park ranger actually (rather audibly) said "trail eroder!" to runners on the path as they ran down the trail to the beach. Of all the people we encountered on the hike, the runners & loud talkers were the most annoying. But there were plenty of times when we had a stretch of the trail to ourselves so it didn't overshadow the experience.

Now back to the good aspects of the hike, which totally outnumber any complaints.

From above, the water looks amazing & serene. Once you actually get down to the beach, it becomes wonderfully wild with the waves crashing against the rocks. And, yes, it can be a little dangerous if you want to walk down the shore past the big flat rock toward Point Loma. My advice: take your shoes off & wait for the tide pools to lower then jet across as quickly & safely as you can. That rock acts as a barrier between the tourists & a more secluded beach. Just don't walk too far or you'll get an eyeful at Black's Beach.

We wore our swimming suits under our hiking gear so we would be ready for a refreshing swim after the hike. So after we walked around on the beach, we made our way back toward the more populated area. We came across cabanas & chairs set up with waiter service! The cabanas cost about $100 a day and offer waiter service (including lunch, if desired) but the chairs set up next to them are free.

We had lunch at the beach, read, swam, boogie boarded then went home about 5 hours after we got there. Like I said earlier, we had left the car all the way at the top near the trail entrance so it was quite an exhausting trek up that hilly road after a long day in the sun.

The bottom line is that Torrey Pines is a San Diego favorite for a reason. The location and cost put it far enough away from tourists & it is a great family-orientated fun beach.

Tipped off: My experienced hiking partner told me how great it was ... no secret in SD!

hello world. now go take a hike.

Welcome to our hiking blog. We'll hike anywhere, but mostly spend the days exploring sunny San Diego. There are too many hikes, too many vistas, too many awesome pictures already snapped to not start cataloging it all here.

Happy hiking.