I don't like hiking on roads and I like crowds even less. So I decided to take the “scenic” route to Cuyamaca Peak. I started out on Paso Picacho Loop and then hopped onto Azalea Glen loop. While the weather was warm this part of the trail had a decent amount of shade. And the oak trees were vibrant green with new growth. When I got to Azalea Spring Fire Road I turned left instead of heading to the right to Lookout Fire Road. The low grade portion of this hike was a nice break after coming up the hill. But then I took Conejos Trail which is quite steep for a mile or so. Unfortunately, I didn't see any conejos (Spanish for rabbits). It may have been too hot for them at this point. After a fairly warm and laborious stretch I joined up with Lookout Fire Road for the last half mile. At this point I was glad I had brought the rubber ends for my hiking poles and stopped to put them on. The paved road took me to the top. The sky was hazy so the view was not as good as it could have been. After a few minutes I returned down Lookout Fire Road. Part way down a crew was busy clearing out dead brush off the sides of the road. Since I don't enjoy paved roads as much I turned off on Azalea Spring Fire Road. I then took Azalea Glen Road back to the campground. This meandering round about route came in at about 8.7 miles on my Garmin.