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Hike in San Diego County, California |
This is a moderate three-mile loop in Palomar Mountain State Park with about 800 feet of elevation change. We'll pass by the site of Scott's Cabin, but it has been squashed almost beyond recognition by a falling tree. The photograph above was taken before this unfortunate accident.
Dogs are not allowed on the trails in Palomar Mountain State Park.
Meet at the Silvercrest Picnic area in Palomar Mountain State Park (Thomas 1052 A1).
SUGGESTED ROUTE FROM SAN DIEGO: Take
north and
east. Go about 20 miles, and turn north onto South Grade Road, also known as
.
At the top of the mountain, turn left and then left again onto
,
which leads directly to Palomar Mountain State Park. At the
entrance to the park, pay a $6 fee for parking ($5 for seniors). Just past the
entrance, turn left into the Silvercrest Picnic Area, where we will meet. The
distance from San Diego is 85 miles and the estimated driving time is two
hours.
This hike has been cross-posted to the Outdoors Club Web site.
The nominal starting time is 10:00 AM. I will be at the parking area by 9:30, and at 10:15 we will hit the trail.
After the hike, there will be an optional gathering at the tiny business
district at the junction of
and
for ice cream or other cold
refreshments.
Call 858-675-8706 for the latest weather information or check your favorite weather page on the Internet. (I like www.accuweather.com.) Wear good hiking shoes and layered clothing and take lunch, water and sun protection. Take a camera if you wish. Call or send E-mail if you have questions.
RAIN? Heavy rain will cancel the hike. If there is only a little rain, we may still hike. In doubtful cases, I will wait at the trailhead. You must decide whether the weather is tolerable and take appropriate protective clothing. If anyone else shows up, we will hike.
CONTACT:
A park brochure is available at www.parks.ca.gov/pages/637/files/palomarmountain.pdf.
Note: We haven't had serious injuries on our hikes, but the insanity of current liability decisions prompts the following: These hikes are not officially sponsored by any group or individual. No one assumes liability for anyone else. So don't tease the rattlesnakes and don't roll in the poison oak!
SUGGESTION: Check this page a few days before the hike for any last-minute instructions.
Nine people showed up. After we had made the loop around the preserve, two hikers elected to return immediately. The other seven of us hiked the deadend part of the Trans County Trail down toward San Vicente Reservoir. We returned to the parking area about 1:00 PM.
The weather was quite good -- warm and sunny, but not as hot as the previous weekend.
We saw one small snake -- possibly a rattler, although it didn't rattle.
Photographs from previous hikes.
Topographic maps from previous hikes, when available, will be archived on the Maps page.
Scanned topographic maps for San Diego, Orange, Imperial and Riverside Counties are available on CD-ROM by request, or by visiting www.efghmaps.com. These are public domain images in GIF format with no restrictions on use. E-mail the Webmaster for details.
Aerial photographs, which are sometimes helpful to hikers, can be downloaded from TerraServer 6.0.
A great deal of information about the Fallbrook area, including a list of hikes in the area, is available on Tom Chester's Web site at www.tchester.org.