El Capitan Open Space Preserve
Lakeside, CA
Free
By Simir Shah
★★★★★4.8(114 Google reviews)
What parents say
AI summary of 5 Google reviews — not a first-hand visit. How we write these
This is the trailhead for a hike reviewers call one of the hardest in the county: long, steep, rocky and almost shadeless. Not a family walk unless you turn back early, which reviewers say is still worth doing. Gravel lot, restrooms and a picnic table at the trailhead, no fee. Carry far more water than feels sensible.
A 2,619-acre preserve with about eleven miles of rugged ridgeline trail through oak woodland, with views to both mountains and ocean. The main routes are long and steep for young kids, and the whole preserve shuts for August — plan cool-season mornings.
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13775 Blue Sky Rnch Rd, Lakeside, CA 92040, USA
Map
What visitors say
- Zach Fry★★★★★
The trailhead for the Elcajon Mountain hike. No joke, when everyone says this is one of the most challenging hikes in San Diego, they are right. Super steep in many areas, ascending and descending in both directions, will threaten to zap all your energy on the way back. 11 miles round trip, 4000 feet of total elevation gain. Started hike at 9:30, returned around 2:30. Do not attempt in temps above 75 degrees F. Need 2 gallons of water for the hike, and you won't need to pee after drinking all that because you end up absorbing it all!
a year ago
- Craig Bellavance★★★★★
All the footprints in the dirt say the trail at El Capitan County Preserve is popular. Fortunately for me, a trip to the preserve on a weekday morning was the right time to hike without the crowd – I encountered only five other people during my 4-hour hike. I hiked the El Capitan Trail, the preserve’s 6-mile out and back trail to the halfway point before turning around. The trail starts one-half mile from the parking lot and is a dirt path that eventually turns into a wide dirt, gravel, and rock trail. The trail is up and down and up and down again – a change from climbing to the top and then back down after getting there. The hike was challenging and reaching the 3-mile mark was a good enough workout for me. (I was born when Ike was president). Trail signs are good, and a map is not necessary. There were very few areas where trees and shrubs blocked the sun and if you hike early in the day the hills and mountains will provide more shade. The trail is clean although I did find two unopened plastic water bottles behind a rock – someone’s emergency stash? The parking lot/staging area is a gravel lot with enough space for cars, SUVs, trucks with horse trailers, etc. The staging area is a half mile from the county preserve and trailhead. The trailhead area has a picnic table and restrooms. The preserve does not charge a fee.
a year ago
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