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 Reporter |
Summary: This excursion to the top of the Cuyamaca Peek has many trails from which to choose. Ours trail begins on the south Azalea Glen Loop. This 1.5 mile ascent is one of the most beautiful dense forest hikes in the park. We took the Loop Trail to the Azalea Glen Road to the Azalea Fire Road finally meeting up with the Conejos Trail. The Conejos, a lightly hiked 2.5 mile trail, follows the ridgeback of the Cuyamaca it is a bit of smorgasbord. It begins by meandering around fallen oak trees then quickly morphs to a granite rock trail. Finally it becomes a wall trail hugging a steep drop! The views this hike affords are fantastic, both to the East Mountains and west low lying valleys. Finally, the trail merges with the paved fire road 0.5 from the top of Cuyamaca Peak. Be sure to bring some binoculars, on a clear day the views from the second highest peak in San Diego County are spectacular! Trailhead: We chose to begin our hike on the south Azalea Glen loop Trail. This loop trail is one of the most beautiful dense forest hikes in the park. To find the trailhead from the day use parking lot, walk 100 yards southwest toward the camping grounds. Proceed due west approx .75 miles to join the Azalea Spring Fire Road. Follow to the gravel fire road north about 0.75 miles to the Conejos Trail junction. The Conejos ends with the mergence of the paved Lookout Fire Trail. For our return we followed the paved road back to the West Side trail, then went back north to the Azalea Springs Trail and finally down to the parking lot. There are a great many ways to return depending your time allotment and energy levels. (Lat:32.07 Lon:-116.35) Trail Guides for Cuyamaca PeakLoop: Afoot & Afield in San Diego County by Jerry Schad (Wilderness Press) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Ranger Contact: California State Park (760) 765 0755 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Kevin Vasquez, who has posted 7 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Submit your own review 
Reviewed by DB on 7/30/2011 Hiked today with my wife. The trail was in good condition, but the area had just had a controlled fire and the pines were burnt. We encountered two rattle snakes on the loop. 
Reviewed by Keith on 6/11/2011 I wanted to hike to Cuyamaca Peak but not directly up the fire road, so I tired to follow the path described here using the map from the Ranger station. There are a lot more trails than the maps shows, and I never found the Conejos trail. Also, some trails were closed for repair. I eventually did reach Lookout Road and made it to the summit. On the way down, I took Lookout all the way back to the parking lot. Total time was about 5 hours and I enjoyed the scenery and hike. Perfect weather helped.
Reviewed by TR on 3/1/2011 My wife and I hike this trail twice on two consecutive saturdays, but couldn't go recently because of the bad weather. I settled for an 8mile hike from lake poway to mt woodson, in the rain it was great. We hiked up the paved path from the paso pacacho campground after dropping our parking fee in the box at 6:30am. We saw a few deer multiple times, each time remaining cautious. The view from the top was so perfect we could see catalina island. Gps recorded the trail at 5.9 miles out and back. A perfect warmup 20+ mile hikes at 14k feet later this year.
Reviewed by AC on 9/7/2009 My wife and I hiked the Cuyamaca Peak Loop on September 6, 2009. We really enjoyed this hike and the view from the peak was amazing! We had trouble finding the Conejo Trail but other than that it was a perfect hike. The Azalea Glen Loop was easy and followed a stream. We connected to the Lookout Fire Trail which was steep but paved. Overall, great hike.
Reviewed by T on 4/28/2008 4-27-08 Beautiful weather. Hiked from Paso Picacho camp to Azalea Glen Trail, to Azalea Spring Rd, to Conejos Trail, to Lookout Fire Rd. Downed trees on Conejos trail to hop over. The trees are coming back from the Cedar Fire. Beautiful view from the top. We will definitely be back. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, San Diego County Hiking, San Diego County Trails, San Diego County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
