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Hike in San Diego County, California |
We'll climb North Fortuna Mountain, the second-highest point in the city of San Diego, starting from the Old Mission Dam and Flume and passing through the grasslands area. The total distance is about five miles, mostly on old fire roads, but with some very steep places. If conditions are good, we can return on a narrow trail along Oak Canyon. That will be a shorter, but rougher route.
The last time we climbed this mountain, we started from a different place.
Leashed dogs are permitted.
A trail map has been posted on the maps page.
We'll meet in the parking lot for the Old Mission Dam and Flume on the north side of Father Junipero Serra Trail about a half mile from the east end of that road (Thomas 1230 F6, N 32o 50.38' W 117o 2.51').
SUGGESTED ROUTE FROM SAN DIEGO:
Take 
east to La Mesa
and then 
north to
its end on Mission Gorge Road in Santee. Go west roughly two
miles and turn right into Father Junipero Serra Trail.
Continue about a half mile to the Old Mission Dam and Flume.
Park in the small parking lot on the right, or on the road if the
lot is full.
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. 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 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:
Cell phone service is available in this area, but there may be some 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 get too close to the edge!
SUGGESTION: Check this page a few days before the hike for any last-minute instructions.
It was a bright, sunny day, and fairly cool. Hikers were out in droves. Fortunately, there's ample overflow parking near the trailhead on Highway 67. We had 21 hikers, and we weren't the only group hiking up Mount Woodson that day. The Sierra Club had something going on.
We met other hikers on the Frye-Koegel Trail, including Mr. Frye, although we didn't recognize him. A trail maintainer that we met at the junction of the Old Frye-Koegel Trail and the Mount Woodson Trail told us that he was there.
A few hikers stopped a the Potato Chip Rock, but most of us went on the to the summit for lunch.
Returning by the access road, we reached the trailhead on Highway 67 about 1:20 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 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.