Typical sunny day in Poway/Ramona area. Started close to 8am and as expected, busy with a wide variety of people, new to hiking, families, people with dogs and minimal signs of hydration for the hiker let alone the dog.

Reached Potato Chip with a small amount of people waiting to take their photo; within 15 min the line grew double in size. I've found that if you arrive close to sunset (no matter what time of year), there's hardly anyone there – no lines 🙂

I like the fire road option, because it's a quick cardio workout and I'm usually up and back down in 90 minutes. That's even with stopping to take photos. Ventured with a new group who liked to climb the huge boulders and explore; we spent about 3 hours up there before making it back to the trailhead. Loved it!!