Tag: El Cajon Mountain

I was dreading this hike of all the hikes on my list, the way people talk about it is daunting. The day was perfectly clear,…

I had hiked El Cajon Mountain before but I needed one more peak to complete my challenge.  I already knew what I was up against…

This was one of the toughest, hike that I have done,  but I loved, it.  The day I did it was nice weather not to…

Hike #10

Chilly early morning hike to El Cajon Mountain on the first day after rains. I really enjoyed the “you are here” elevation profile signs with…

11/7/2020. Cold, rainy, overcast all throughout the hike. Moderate to hard. Definitely a butt kicker. Lots of greeneries but mostly not tall enough for shades…

This was a solo hike up what is often described as “the hardest hike in San Diego.” I’m not sure if that’s a marketing ploy…

Should be called “la muralla del cajon”.  Aptly named, as you do need a sturdy pair of cajones to climb this. This was not a…

Started at 6:45 am. Only saw a few people the whole day. Had the peak to ourselves for a hour. Beautiful day, not too hot.

Hiking the El Cajon trail was a great challenge. I started my hike late, at eight o’clock in the morning and ended up hiking on…

Brutal hike!

This hike messed with our heads on the way down.  Lots of up and down.  The heat was a factor for .e near the end…

Hot AF once fog lifted.  Excellent conditioning hike!

Wow, definitely a knee jarring hike.  Elevation up, down, up, down, up, down etc…but a beautiful day. I had the summit all to myself-was so…

El Cajon Mountain is a notoriously solid workout of a hike (especially in the heat) and offers a little bit everything from steep inclines to…

Hot!!!!! Hot!!! Hot!!!! started at 3:30 which is late! it’s was warm and humid. This hike goes up up up and then it does down…

So the sun beat on me likedlike never before today🥵 made it to the peak but had to get picked up by the ranger in…

Huge regret bringing my pup. My Aussie. We started at 2am to beat the heat. I failed! We reached the peak before sunrise 🌅 by…

Hot.  Toooooo Hot. Hold off until the weather cools down.

An awesome hike with @azteca_hikers, @sdcrazyhikers, @RYP_hiking, @outdoor_athletic_enthusiasts, we start really early for two reasons: watch the sunrise and beat the heath (all hikers accomplished…

Peak 14 of 18 This was a hike I’m glad I started at 2:30am. At around 4ish am on some parts of the mountain I…

Tough!  Seriously no joke.  I thought I was better conditioned for this, nope!!  And pretty devoid of people, only saw about 9 others on the…

Great hike! Not as challenging as some say though. Really nice views

“IT JUST KEEPS GOING” ..is what I shouted repeatedly to my friend during our ascent to El Cajon Mountain Complete exposure, incredibly steep climbs, uphill…

This was my biggest yet. Started at 5:30am and in hind sight really would have loved to have traded an hour of sleep for an…

Started the trail at 5:30am and finished right at Noon, so right at 6.5 hours with a good little rest at the summit to take…

It was a nice weather when I hiked in El Cajon, Mountain

This is a great, but challenging hike.  I was fortunate enough to hit the trail on an overcast day with a high of 71.  Would…

As much as folks down here talk crap about this trail I actually love it. When the weather is nice of course. They actually close…

beautiful breezy weekend hike… started in the mist, enjoyed the scramble at the top and even ran into some hiking friends along the way.

This trail is steep to the point of silly in several places.  The last half mile would be well served by a few switch backs…

I got out there on the trail at 6:15 am to be the heat. Luckily there was a nice marine layer until I got about…

Like a roller coaster.

We stared early 5am weather was perfect, it was a challenging hike. From the parking lot are 12 miles. Nice view at the top. Take…

Last hike before Half Dome. Really hot day! One of the girls couldn’t make it all the way up and the other started overheating on…

Great weather! Overcast in the morning, sunny in the afternoon.

Definitely a hard hike.  We started at 8:30 a.m.  It was overcast until about 11 a.m. which was perfect for this hike.  Steep and slippery…

Peak #11 ✔ El Cajon Peak~ Hills on Hump Day & Completed all 6 San Diego Peaks!  Definitely not a hike to do in the…

Crazy how one of the shortest peaks of this challenge has the most strenuous trail in SD county. Steep inclines + some loose rocky terrain…

This was my 4th trip to El Cajon Mountain, and it just seems to keep getting harder!   This time I added the short side trip…

It was a good Hike, one of the more difficult hikes I have done to date. The view at top is absolutely amazing. Very few…

El Cajon! Beautiful views but reminded me of a roller coaster ride. Took me a really long time to accomplish this as it got hotter…

Tough hike for the size of the mountain but very enjoyable

Not only did I hike my 8th peak in 6PoPC, I also did it for DDay 76th Anniversary, June 6th 1944. The men that stormed…

Awesome hiking in the rain

Rainy day hike… Trail is pretty rocky, lots of ruts and pretty slippery at parts! All in all it was a great challenge and super…

Kicked my ass

We prepared for a hot sunny hike. However a few days before the hike it was projected that there was a chance it would rain…

May 31….my first time doing a peak I have only admired from Dictionary Hill summit, which is by my house. While I was prepared, I…

Long and worth it

Decided to knock out another of the Six-Pack of Peaks, this time El Cajon Mountain. Since it is starting to get hot and this is…

Uphill both ways. Downhill both ways. Steep. Lots of rocks. Some bouldering required.

My free solo hike to El Cajon Mountain last Memorial Day weekend. Started at 5:30 am and reached the summit by 10:30 am. It’s my…

The upside: The trail signs are clear all the way to the peak and back. The downside: The signs pretty much warn you of the…

It was cool in the morning almost 85 by the time I finished. Drank lots of water.

We started early in the morning our hike but the sun was grilling us! This trail is a butt kicker and 3 L of water…

The steep up and down will get to you eventually! Great workout

The hike started at sunrise and we were above the clouds. The sky opened up to clear skies. On the return it was very hot…

I started off my journey on my final 6th peak of my first year of the challenge with the beast of all hikes, the hardest…

Perfect weather for this hike today.  Rain yesterday kept the dust down and clouds kept the temperature nice. Trail lived up to its reputation for…

This hike has been on my bucket list for 2 years. A friend and I both decided to use one of our vacation days at…

Awesome, grueling workout!  Lots of steep ups and downs.  And yes, it somehow is uphill both ways!

This was the best feeling ever after 2 months of placing this challenge on pause and hiking in general. The trail is pretty exposed but…

I had been COVID-19 off the trail since late February, waiting for this National Emergency to play out some, I was ready to get back…

Gorgeous hike!  Felt like we walked along several mountain-tops and you don’t see the main peak until you’re actually on it, so we didn’t know…

Amazing hike, seemed to never end. Kinda kicked our butts but not. Was fun

Eleven-ish miles and roughly 3,300 feet of elevation gain.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ It was sunny and the skies were bright blue when we began our not-so-gradual ascent.…

It was very hot even though we started early. Bugs at the top. Needed to bring more water for next time.

El Cajon will be always be monumental hike for me because prior to this, I had safely been in quarantine for approx. 7 weeks. So…

it was a hot long wonderful climb

Temperature in high 70’s sunny with little breeze. We started at 6:25am and done by 2:30pm. I brought 4L of fluids and finished all of…

We had started this hike last week and realized we did not bring enough water. So we turned back. More determined then ever to conquer…

This hike is a relentless push to the summit;  although the peak is at 3,648 ft, you will have gained approx. 4,000 ft in elevation…

Felt like 2 hikes.  You definitely have to work going both ways.

El Cajon Mountain March 22nd, 2020 3 take aways from this hike; and then some: The all trails map says this trail is closed, it…

My buddy and I started hiking at 9:15am. His ex-wife said she did it in 6 hours and 22 minutes, I thought for sure we…

If you’ve done any research into El Cajon Mountain Summit, you may have heard that it’s “uphill both ways”. Well, that’s absolutely true, thanks to…

Climb, climb, climb – lots of hills and valleys. Elevation gain is worth the view!

Had a good time hiking this spot. Not crowded.. probably because the trail was closed due to recent erosion from the rain. It was doable…

Fun!

El Cajon – #8 / 18. Cool spooky fog most of hike.

Wet and muddy and tough!

What a hike. Uphill both ways. Started out kinda cool. Was anticipating rain. Stayed cloudy till I got to the summit. On the way down…

What a hike. Uphill both ways. Started out kinda cool. Was anticipating rain. Stayed cloudy till I got to the summit. On the way down…

This was the most difficult peak because of the rocky wash basin and scramble at the top. It’s steep and slippery. Glad I did it,…

Omg didn’t expect this one to be challenging but hiking back up on your way back to the car sucks. i hated hiking in going…

Trails is in good condition, with loose rock at certain sections.  Ups and downs for days, but doable.  Once you summit and head back down,…

Bun burner

Who doesn’t want to begin their birthday MONTH celebration at the summit of a peak? To be quite honest, no body that I would care…

Among my groups on Facebook is “SoCal Trailmixers (Singles Only)”, and a few weeks back, I posted that I was planning on hiking El Cajon…

Omg didn’t expect this one to be challenging but hiking back up on your way back to the car sucks. i hated hiking in going…

This was a wet and cold one. Cloud cover was down to 2000 at the start of the hike. The rope was cold and windy,…

Omg didn’t expect this one to be challenging but hiking back up on your way back to the car sucks. i hated hiking in going…

Challenging hike with relentless hills and amazing views. Make sure you bring plenty of water.

Wow!! This trail reminded me of life…up/down but only way is thru it!!  Also reminded me of child birth without pain meds….our bodies forget the…

I think we picked the perfect day to do this hike.  We started around 7:30am this morning and it was around 50 degrees. By the…

We had perfect weather. Low 70’s, sunny, very little wind. The trail was well marked except at mile 2.5 there was a fork in the…

This trail is a great challenge. Flowers were blooming and had a wonderful day.

Ok, I always wonder why I wanted to do this hike.  It is truly a butt kicker.  Most hikes are up and down one time,…

Cajon Mtn is challenging but a rewarding trail. Trail is steep and washed out in places, so have boots or good hiking shoes. A little…

Will just begin by stating I have Lupus and the number one rule for Lupus patients is to stay out of the bloody sun. Despite…

Tough but manageable hike. Warm but good time of year to tackle this trail. More foot traffic later in the morning- but not to the…

hot no shade. Tough hike. Lots of elevation gain and loss

Perfect weather for this beast! High of 78 degrees. I brought 2.5L of water and ran out at the last mile. I would recommend to…

This hike was brutal, but I got it done and will probably never do it again lol I started at 7, and hiked at steady…

Not sure why I picked this hike for my first for the challenge.  It’s been on my list for quite a while, but seemed too…

El Cajon Mountain is no joke! I went through 4.5 liters today. I strongly recommend that hikers pack in “too much” water and attempt this…

Pretty easy day.

My wife and I completed this hike yesterday. The uphills were not so bad, but the downhills killed my knees. I have had several knee…

So many false summits!

Trail was well maintained.

Definitely a hike that people may underestimate. It’s an amazing work out! Start early to avoid both, the foot traffic and especially the heat. Hike…

3rd time here…. love it everytime.

Another double peak weekend! Boy, what a treat to hike El Cajon on day one! (Insert sarcastic emoji here) Never under-estimate the San Diego peaks,…

Weather was great.  Hike was tough.  The way back was brutal.  Kept hydrated and snacked often.

Beautiful views from start to finish on this hike which made the constant steep up and down hills worth it. We had fantastic weather. Despite…

Beautiful winter day. Cool in the morning, but warmed up as the day progressed. Sunny skies. My first hike with the Hiking Challenges Meetup group.…

4th Peak. Coming back from a 3 week vacation with no physical activities and little bit of jet log, I wanted to challenge myself so…

We called this one the roller coaster hike. Lots of elevation gain and loss. Scramble to the top for beautiful views!

     Get comfortable with your uncomfortable! I decided for that weekend it was time to push myself a bit more than I have been.…

This was a beautiful day for a challenging hike! We started around 8am for an 11+ mile hike. Lots of gains in elevation along the…

Went on a warm day. Trail offers no shade at all. Fun hike, great leg workout. Lots of up and downs. Make sure to have…

It was my first time hiking 🥾 this mountain ⛰ it is a beast but love the view , it took me 7 hrs it…

The hike was hard going up and just as hard going down. No shade almost the whole way. Took about 7 hours to complete. Beautiful…

Very challenging hike with little shade.

1st peak of 2020 in the bag! This was my first time hiking El Cajon Mtn and really enjoyed the challenge!  Hiked on Saturday, 2/8,…

It truly was just as hard on the way down as it was on the way up.  The mile markers, which had maps on what…

Hot weather + no shade= sunburn. Not too hard for the toughest hike in San Diego. 😜🤪

This trail exceed all my expectations. It is a beautiful trail and I absolutely loved it. Views were great and I so appreciated how well…