Hot Springs Mountain
Cappie’s Scoop: Did you know you can hike to San Diego’s highest peak! This is one of my favorite hikes. There are meadows, shady spots under black oak trees and sugar pines and even crunchy leaves in the fall. There is also a fire lookout tower but guess what, I can explore around it because it’s no longer in use. Be careful walking around because there are some rusty nails on the ground. Now here’s a secret tip, the actual summit is hidden. You have to take a small side trail (sometimes lined with orange markers in the ground) and that brings you to a big boulder with a concrete platform on top. I couldn’t climb it but mom did one time and she stood on the top reaching the peak at 6,533 ft (beating out Cuyamaca Peak). How cool is that! Don’t hesitate to add YOUR scoop in the comments below!
Tips: Hot Springs Mountain sits on the 25,000 acre Los Coyotes (a band of the Cahuilla Indians) Reservation Land. Park by the campground and take the trail up the fire lookout road. The first couple miles is the most challenging, gaining about 1,500 ft.
Directions: Can also use address Los Coyotes Reservation Campground, Warner Springs, CA 92086 which is the starting point for the hike.
| Mileage (round trip) | 9.9 |
| Difficulty | Moderately Strenuous |
| Gain (in feet) | 2500 |
| Trailhead | 33.273441, -116.544624 |
| Hike Time (in hours) | 5-6 |
| Exposure | Mostly Shady |
| Scenery | Mountain Views, Forest |
| Facilities | Port-a-potties at the campground at the trailhead. |
| Fees/Permits | $10.00 cash day use fee, per person (since last hiked). You can pay the fee directly to the tribal ranger at the entrance station, or if you arriving after hours, you can deposit your fee through a night-drop slot. |
| More Info | https://modernhiker.com/hike/hike-hot-springs-mountain |
| Last Hiked | 11/5/2018, 11/16/2019, 6/7/2020 |
