El Cajon Mountain in San Diego peaks at 3,675′ while the trail itself, a nearly continual cycle of ups and downs, puts you through about 4,000′ in elevation gain over its almost twelve mile length. The trail winds through the El Capitan Open Space Preserve, located just west of the Kumeyaay Indian land of the Capitan Grande Reservation. Doing this one on a weekday, I avoided the crowds that can flood San Diego’s trails on the weekend. Throughout my roughly five hour hike, I passed only seven other people and was able to have a nice, uninterrupted lunch at the peak.
You won’t find much shade along this trail, which comes as no surprise to anyone who’s spent time hiking around San Diego. Thankfully however, each peak along the way offers a number of large boulders to take a rest under, or on, if sun worship is your thing. The earlier you start, the better, since before too long into the day, much of the available shade won’t be.
[singlepic id=166 w= h= float=none]About halfway through, when I reached the second sub-peak in, I took a little time to watch the San Diego Fire Department’s Air Operations team practicing their mountain rescue skills; helicopter repels specifically.
I recall one stretch of about a hundred feet or so, that I passed through after a particularly steep descent and ascent following the second sub-peak. A subterranean spring surfaced in this section, allowing flora like ferns to grow. Though no water flowed along the surface, the air was cooled so nicely, that it felt like walking into an air conditioned room. By the time I passed through this section on the way back down, it was less than half as cool due to further rise of the sun.
All along this trail you’ll be able to enjoy wide open views. About halfway through, there is a bench to break at, and just beyond this is a sign warning hikers to pay attention to the time of day. Since the parking lot closes its gates at 5:00 pm, the sign makes a point to let all know how long it will take from this point to reach the peak.
[singlepic id=171 w= h= float=none]The final stretch of trail leading to the peak rises steeply through a field of boulders, both small and large. It switchbacks all the way up, and is definitely the most technically challenging part of the trail. I was glad to have the aid of trekking poles. An alleyway formed of large rocks takes hikers to the U.S. Geological Survey marker at the peak. This marker holds fast to the top of a large boulder that makes an excellent platform to take in a 360-degree view.
Though following the same trail as on the way up, going back down through the peak’s technical stretch was harder, making me even happier to have the aid of trekking poles.
It was a nice day out, and a recommended trail.
http://alltrails.com/trail/us/california/el-cajon-mountain-trail