Cuyamaca Peak via West Mesa Fire road

The Paso Picacho parking was closed due to a water leak so we drove back south and found the West Mesa parking area. Across the street the West Mesa Fire road, which  took us up to Look out fire road and the peak. Round trip 9.1 Miles. Saw no other hikers on this road, which is not paved. Great view from the top, cold and windy. On the way back, about 1 mile from the car, we heard a mountain lion growl, sounded very close to our trail. Made it back to the car without any further encounters.