Morena Butte Loop

Cappie’s Scoop: It’s pronounced bhewwwt and there are three of them. Now these are the type of rocks I like! We hike for about 3 miles on the PCT and then we turn off to the right to start climbing up to the summit. Mom says the big areas of rock on the ground are granite and it’s a lot of fun to run across. We even could see a view of Lake Morena (the highest and most remote reservoir in SD County) along the way. There is a tin can with a notebook inside to sign at the highest point (southern peak) hidden in some rocks on the first bhewwwt. From here, you can also see a view of Barrett Lake in the distance. I wonder if mom and I can figure out how to get to that lake one day. On the way down we follow the trail the same way back but take a left turn towards the reservoir to make a big loop. Sometimes this part of the trail is clear and sometimes I’m jumping over sticks and brush. It’s an adventure! Don’t hesitate to add YOUR scoop in the comments below!

Tips: Keep your eyes open for horses on the trail as well as PCTers if you’re hiking in April/May. Bring a picnic lunch to have at the buttes because they are nice flat granite slabs of rock with great views. There are three different peaks, the southern peak is the highest (3,919 ft), the northern peak has a great view of Hauser Canyon below it (3,837 ft) and the western peak has a view of Lake Morena and is around 3,918 ft.

Directions: Take I-8 E to the Buckman Springs Road exit. Turn right onto Buckman Springs Road and continue for approximately 5.3 miles. Turn right onto Oak Drive. After approximately 1.6 miles make a slight right onto Lake Morena Drive. Follow Lake Morena Drive for .4 miles to the intersection of Lake Morena Drive and Lake Shore Drive, just before the entrance to Lake Morena County Park. You’ll find a large dirt lot on the left side of this intersection, park there.