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Hike in San Diego County, California |
Riparian Woodland in Blue Sky Ecological Reserve
We'll be hiking through a riparian woodland and then up a chaparral-covered hillside to Lake Ramona, where we will have lunch. The total distance is roughly six miles. Leashed dogs are permitted, but bicycles are not. Those who want an easier hike can turn around early. We've done this hike before, most recently in 2009.
This hike is one week later than usual to avoid a conflict with the annual meeting of the San Diego Libertarian Party.
We'll meet at the parking area on Espola Road in Poway about a half mile north of Lake Poway Road and just north of Green Valley Truck Trail (Thomas 1170 G3; N 33o 0.99' W 117o 1.42').
SUGGESTED ROUTE FROM SAN DIEGO: Take Interstate 15 north and exit at Rancho Bernardo Road. Follow Rancho Bernardo Road about four miles east until it becomes Espola Road and turns south. Turn left into the parking area for Blue Sky Ecological Reserve.
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 Street signs |
This hike has been (or will be) 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. We should return to the parking area between 12:30 PM and 2:00 PM.
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 suitable 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.
CONTACT:
Cell phone service is available in this area, but there may be a few dead spots.
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 jump into the lake!
SUGGESTION: Check this page a few days before the hike for any last-minute instructions.
Only two people showed up, so guiding the hike was very easy. The weather was excellent.
We covered the entire course in about three hours. Along the way, we encountered a few mountain bikers and other hikers.
A few signs along the route marked a "10K Loop". I think our hike was mostly along the loop. However, I don't know exactly where the loop goes.
Most of the trails are now signed. The one along the ridgeline is signed as the Ridgeline Trail, although it is labeled Cerro de las Posas Ridgeline Trail on some official maps.
The area near the Ridgeline Trail is still mostly undeveloped, thanks to the depression in the real estate market. There are a lot of graded but empty lots near the trails.
Double Peak Park now has a small telescope at the summit.
We returned to the starting point shortly after 1:00 PM.
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 Microsoft Research Maps (formerly 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.