Hiking in the Snow in Southern California

It was a sunny day, not too cold, and friends wanted to go for a hike… We were heading east out of San Diego towards the mountains. Slowly slowly the landscape changed, slowly I had the impression that weather could be colder than in San Diego city. When we arrived I knew it was much much colder than at the coast.

Our hiking place was the Stonewall Peak trail near to Julian, a little place in the mountains and where I was once last September. The trail is situated in the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.

We were 6 enthusiastic adults and a bunch of teenage kids with much less energy for a nearly 4 mile hike.

We parked our cars nearby the trail in a parking area and walked up the hill. It looked high. Actually it’s only a 823 feet climb, and perfect also for people like me without any hiking skills. The trail has smooth switchbacks. Once – they told me – there was a forest but years ago there was a huge fire that destroyed most of it. I saw a lot of dead trees – maybe they seemed to me dead but they are only in winter sleep. A mystic place honestly.

We saw snow everywhere even though not much. But the wind was super chilly and for me it seemed less than 30°F/0°C.

The last part was a little tricky as the ground was icy and slippery. Some of us fall, sliding on the ice.

When we arrived on the top we had the best ever view! So beautiful, a real 360° panorama view as far as to Salton Sea. The view was limited only by higher mountains.

Some of us took another way back to the car, some the same as we came. I took the same as it was the sunny side and easy to go back. I was freezing cold and couldn’t wait to go back into the warm car.

I hope I can do the same trail again in spring as I think it will be wonderful when it’s a little warmer and all green and with flowers maybe, birds singing in the (dead) trees. The view can be great then as well.

I confess I was happy to get back to the much warmer San Diego in the late afternoon.


Trail Stonewall Peak, California/USA:

For further information:
Trail Stonewall Peak


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