Since my last backpacking adventure into Nobel Canyon, I have done nothing but dream about my next hike. The conditions here in San Diego have been nothing short of ridiculous. It's been hazy and "partly sunny" for over a month. I guess they call it "May Gray" and "June Gloom" for a reason. Fortunately, if I want a bit of sunshine, I only need drive an hour away to Cleveland National Forest.
I decided to do an overnight and try out El Prado/Laguna Campground located off Sunrise Highway (S1) about 50 miles East of San Diego via I-8. The campground is near the top of Mt. Laguna, a 6000' mountain within Cleveland Natioal Forest.
The recreation.gov website, being completely useless most of the time, wouldn't allow me to book a last minute trip so I elected to try out the first-come-fist-serve option. (For some reason most of the parks and forest services just can't seem to catch up with the 21st century.)
I arrived at about 8:30, picked a campsite, filled in the register and dropped my money/registration form into the drop box. Pretty simple. Luckily it was Thursday so I didn't have to fight for a spot. If this was a Friday adventure, I would have been BONED. I didn't bother setting up camp just yet. I grabbed my day pack and headed for the trail. At this point, I still hadn't made a plan. I knew I had enough food and water to hike all day if I wanted to. That's about it.
I hiked out of Laguna Campground down to an overlook and hit the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I hadn't taken a single step on this trail up to this point in my life; from the moment I did, I was hooked. It is a particularly easy section of the trail running about 2 miles to Garnet Peak Trail. The views alone are worth the walk. When I got to the crossroad, I decided to give Garnet Peak a try. I figured that the climb would be very rewarding and give me a better vantage point- I wasn't wrong.
Garnet Peak is accessible from S1 directly. It's a 4 mile round trip with a pretty decent bit of elevation gain. The route I took was slightly longer because I used the PCT to access it. Whichever way you decide to get there, it is worth the effort. You can actually make this hike as hard or easy as you like because there are several places on S1 that afford you the ability to stretch or shorten this relatively easy peak. The scramble to the top at the end can be a bit precarious but, as long as you are watching each step and being very careful, you shouldn't have a problem. At about 5900', it's one of the highest points of Cleveland National Forest and gives you spectacular views of Anza Borrego Desert to the East (maybe even the Arizona Mountains on a very clear day); San Jacinto and San Gorgonio Mountains to the Northwest; Cuyamaca Peak almost due West and even a glimpse of the Slaton Sea to the Southeast. It's an amazing little spot.
Once I was done taking pictures and eating a light lunch, I headed back down the trail. My site in Laguna was really nice. I found a pretty shady spot and settled in for a nice night. The squirrels and chipmunks in the area are fearless. One of the little beggars came about a foot from my feet looking for hand outs. :/ I have mixed feelings about that. While it's nice that wildlife is drawn to my magnetic personality, I think it's messed up that people feed them so they can have a cool Instagram picture.
Takeaways: 1) I really want to hike the entire PCT, even if I have to section hike it over the next few years. 2) I will do this hike, or a variation thereof, in the near future or possibly in the fall. 3) I think I can make my pack lighter if I force myself to leave some frivolous things behind and just concentrate on water and food. It's just too tempting to grab something extra that I will probably not need. 4) Laguna Campground is okay but at $22/night, I expected more. The sites are kind of small and uneven.
Enjoy the pictures!
I decided to do an overnight and try out El Prado/Laguna Campground located off Sunrise Highway (S1) about 50 miles East of San Diego via I-8. The campground is near the top of Mt. Laguna, a 6000' mountain within Cleveland Natioal Forest.
The recreation.gov website, being completely useless most of the time, wouldn't allow me to book a last minute trip so I elected to try out the first-come-fist-serve option. (For some reason most of the parks and forest services just can't seem to catch up with the 21st century.)
I arrived at about 8:30, picked a campsite, filled in the register and dropped my money/registration form into the drop box. Pretty simple. Luckily it was Thursday so I didn't have to fight for a spot. If this was a Friday adventure, I would have been BONED. I didn't bother setting up camp just yet. I grabbed my day pack and headed for the trail. At this point, I still hadn't made a plan. I knew I had enough food and water to hike all day if I wanted to. That's about it.
I hiked out of Laguna Campground down to an overlook and hit the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I hadn't taken a single step on this trail up to this point in my life; from the moment I did, I was hooked. It is a particularly easy section of the trail running about 2 miles to Garnet Peak Trail. The views alone are worth the walk. When I got to the crossroad, I decided to give Garnet Peak a try. I figured that the climb would be very rewarding and give me a better vantage point- I wasn't wrong.
Garnet Peak is accessible from S1 directly. It's a 4 mile round trip with a pretty decent bit of elevation gain. The route I took was slightly longer because I used the PCT to access it. Whichever way you decide to get there, it is worth the effort. You can actually make this hike as hard or easy as you like because there are several places on S1 that afford you the ability to stretch or shorten this relatively easy peak. The scramble to the top at the end can be a bit precarious but, as long as you are watching each step and being very careful, you shouldn't have a problem. At about 5900', it's one of the highest points of Cleveland National Forest and gives you spectacular views of Anza Borrego Desert to the East (maybe even the Arizona Mountains on a very clear day); San Jacinto and San Gorgonio Mountains to the Northwest; Cuyamaca Peak almost due West and even a glimpse of the Slaton Sea to the Southeast. It's an amazing little spot.
Once I was done taking pictures and eating a light lunch, I headed back down the trail. My site in Laguna was really nice. I found a pretty shady spot and settled in for a nice night. The squirrels and chipmunks in the area are fearless. One of the little beggars came about a foot from my feet looking for hand outs. :/ I have mixed feelings about that. While it's nice that wildlife is drawn to my magnetic personality, I think it's messed up that people feed them so they can have a cool Instagram picture.
Takeaways: 1) I really want to hike the entire PCT, even if I have to section hike it over the next few years. 2) I will do this hike, or a variation thereof, in the near future or possibly in the fall. 3) I think I can make my pack lighter if I force myself to leave some frivolous things behind and just concentrate on water and food. It's just too tempting to grab something extra that I will probably not need. 4) Laguna Campground is okay but at $22/night, I expected more. The sites are kind of small and uneven.
Enjoy the pictures!
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