Clevenger Canyon South

Peak Name: Clevenger Canyon South
Distance: 5.0 miles
Date: March 31, 2019 (August 6, 2017)
Summit: 1,670 feet

Just past the San Diego Safari Park, are the trailheads to San Pasqual North and South. These trails are also referred to as Clevenger Canyon North and South. The south trail is the more visited trail of the two, in part for its views of the San Pasqual Valley and the famous chairs near the summit.

The south trail is well trafficked. Unlike the north trail, it does offer a bit more shade in a few spots. The parking for the trailhead is right after a bend in the road, to be prepared. If you miss it, continue on to the parking for the north trailhead and turn around there.

The actual summit that is listed on the 100 Peak Challenge is Peak 1755, which is not the peak at the end of the trail, but rather a bit before the famous chairs. Since I had other commitments this weekend, none of my remaining peaks were doable, so, I finally decided to formally summit Peak 1755, aka Clevenger Canyon South. I had read that portions of the trail had a nice display of wildflowers, and I was curious to see how it was recovering from the fire last summer.

Ted Markus and I headed up the trail. The fire scars were there. The burnt bushes dotted the hillside. The fire break could also be seen. However, we were surrounded by flowers as we worked our way up.

The stream was still trickling as we enjoyed the small section of shade. After a while, the flowers lessened as we kept climbing.

At the junction, we followed the use trail for a short jaunt to the summit of peak 1755. There is no benchmark nor register.

After rejoining the main trail we continued on to the chairs. The fire has destroyed the stairs to them, so a little scramble is now required to reach them. The views did not disappoint.

We pushed on to the end of the trail before turning back. Coming back down we meet quite a few folks making their way up. Nice to have this peak formally done.

San Pasqual North Viewpoint

Peak Name: San Pasqual North Viewpoint
Distance: 4.1 miles
Date: July 22, 2017
Summit: 1,740 feet

Just past the San Diego Safari Park, are the trailheads to San Pasqual North and South. These trails are also referred to as Clevenger Canyon North and South. This trail descends down from the road past some granite boulders to Santa Ysabel Creek, which can either be a dry, sandy creek bed, a series of puddles, or a raging torrent depending on recent precipitation or lack thereof.

From the trailhead to the creek, you will see a fair amount of trash and graffiti. But once you begin the actual climb to the summit, these will fade away. The trail is not heavily trafficked so it can be slightly overgrown as you make your way up the switchbacks to the summit. Once there, you are rewarded with a nice view of the valley.

UPDATE – MAY 4, 2019

As part of my 100PeakChallenge Reboot, I hiked this peak again. I decided to hike Clevenger Canyon North today as I wanted to see San Pasqual Creek actually flowing, as well as get it summited again before the heat of summer hit. So down the trail, I went.

The graffiti on the rocks near the trailhead has been cleaned up, but I quickly got a taste of how overgrown the trail has become. The wild mustard has exploded all over hillside making the trail hard to see at times.

The creek was still flowing nicely and was able to cross it with a small hop. The rocks here are unfortunately covered in graffiti 😞. Now the climb up began. The trail is in need of some serious attention. The overgrowth slowed me down as I would push past it. About halfway up I did spot a small rattlesnake along the trail. I encouraged him to move along, once it was far enough away, I continued on.

The breeze kept the temperatures nice, along with the May Grey. I reached the viewpoint and snapped a few photos. I then decided to continue northward on the trail to investigate if there was a route to Peak 1820.

This trail wasn’t too bad compared to the mess on the way up. I eventually reached an unreadable sign and turn back. Along the way, I saw enough of a route to weave my way to the actual top of 1820. The views were nice, and since it was Star Wars Day, I needed to check on the availability of the special Lego set. I worked my back down the trail without incident. Although another car had parked at the trailhead, I never saw them.

Bernardo Mountain

Peak Name: Bernardo Mountain
Distance: 6.63 miles
Date: April 30, 2017 (April 23, 2019)
Summit: 1,150 feet

Standing over Lake Hodges is Bernardo Mountain. This became another of my new trails once I moved to Penasquitos. This is a great hike without the crowds that swarm to Iron Mountain or Mt. Woodson. Starting from the parking lot on West Bernardo drive, you soon cross the beautiful bridge over the lake.

With any luck, there will be water at this end of the lake. Many years ago, I was kayaking on Mother’s Day (with the wife’s OK) and stopped under the I-15 to call my mother, just because.

The trail wraps around toward the west, crossing a small stream along the way.

On this portion of the trail, you will encounter mountain bikers and other folks using the trail. But once the trail to summit breaks off from the main path and turns north again and away from the lake, the number of folks you will encounter will drop off.