• COVID-19 Park and Trail Closures
  • Learn about the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge
  • Shop
  •  

SoCal Hiker

  • Find a Hiking Trail
    • All Areas
    • Arizona
    • Colorado
    • Los Angeles
    • Orange County
    • Oregon
    • San Francisco Bay
    • Washington
  • Trail Guides
  • Six-Pack of Peaks
    • Colorado Six-Pack of Peaks
      • Bergen Peak
      • Rocky Mountain
      • Birthday Peak
      • Horseshoe Mountain
      • Grays Peak
    • New England Six-Pack of Peaks
    • NorCal Six-Pack of Peaks
      • Mount Umunhum
      • Mount Saint Helena
      • Mount Tamalpais
      • Mount Diablo
      • Mount Sizer
      • Rose Peak
    • Oregon Six-Pack of Peaks
      • Tumalo Mountain
      • Black Butte
      • Black Crater
      • Maiden Peak
      • Mount Bachelor
      • South Sister
    • SoCal Six-Pack of Peaks
      • Mt. Wilson
      • Cucamonga Peak
      • Mt. San Antonio (Mt Baldy)
      • San Bernardino Peak
      • San Jacinto Peak
      • San Gorgonio
  • Backpacking
    • High Sierra Trail
    • John Muir Trail
      • Overview of the John Muir Trail
      • Training
      • Day-by-Day Itinerary
      • Resupply Addresses
      • JMT Discussion Forum
    • Lost Coast Trail
    • North/South Lake Loop
    • Rae Lakes Loop
    • Red Peak Pass Loop
    • Theodore Solomons Trail
    • Trans-Catalina Trail
    • Wonderland Trail
  • Gear
  • Forums
    • Latest Topics
    • Ask a Question
    • Campfire
    • Trails
    • Trail Reports
    • Gear Wisdom
    • Classifieds
  • Login

Hiking Hot Springs Mountain on the Los Coyotes Reservation

November 19, 2020 By Jeff H Leave a Comment

Panorama from Hot Springs Mountain

Hot Springs Mountain in the Los Coyotes Reservation is the highest peak in San Diego County, with chaparral, oak and pine forests. On a clear day, you can see the Pacific Ocean over 50 miles away. Near the summit are the crumbling remains of a lookout tower, and the true summit requires a short boulder scramble. It’s an area of impressive natural beauty and biodiversity.

img
Trail Details
Summit: 6,533′
Distance: 10.2 miles
Time: 4-6 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 2,118 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Year-round
The Los Coyotes Reservation lies east of San Diego, between the Cleveland National Forest and Anza-Borrego State Park. It is the home of the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians whose ancestry can be traced to the area over 2,000 years. Standing on the summit you can take in the same sweeping views enjoyed by its inhabitants for centuries.

Getting to the Hot Springs Mountain Trailhead

The nearest town is Warner Springs, and the drive to the trailhead takes about an hour from Temecula or an an hour and 20 minutes from Escondido. From Highway 79 in Warner Springs, you’ll turn onto Camino San Ignacio Road. This road travels 7.7 miles to the trailhead at the intersection with Sukat Road, but you’ll have to stop at the entrance to the Los Coyotes Reservation and pay a per-person day-use fee, which at the time of writing was $10 per person.

The trailhead is not clearly marked, other than a small sign identifying Sukat Road. The road can be found at the west edge of the campground (to your left as you enter the campground. The campground itself was still closed to camping due to the pandemic, but this made parking a breeze. Get turn-by-turn driving directions on Google Maps.

Leashing up the dogs for the hike
The trail begins up this dirt road
Sukat Road - Start of hike up Hot Springs Mountain

Hiking Hot Springs Mountain

The trail begins up Sukat Road, a jeep trail that was chained off at the time of our hike. Once you step over the chain, the climbing begins. Being a jeep trail, the trail never gets too steep, although having trekking poles would be helpful. Leaving behind the tall oaks in the valley, the are open patches interspersed with tall pines, cedars and chaparral.

Hiking up to Hot Springs Mountain

As you climb, the buckwheat and manzanita give way to forest.

Leaving chaparral and entering forest
Views above the canyon
TacoSlayer on Hot Springs Mountain
The TacoSlayer himself

At 2.8 miles, you reach a junction with Hot Springs Mountain Road. It’s another dirt road, and you might not even notice it, as Sukat Road bends to join it nearly seamlessly. There is a sign pointing you toward the Lookout Tower, and that’s the direction you want to continue.

Head Toward the Lookout Tower

From here, the trail is forested and climbs gently with a few dips to keep it interesting. Towering cedar trees line the trail on both sides.

Shady Stretch on Hot Springs Mountain

At five miles, the lookout tower comes into view, and the jeep trails opens to a large flat turnaround area. When we hiked this, there were colored flags tied to the branches to mark the trail.

Follow the Flags to the Summit

Continue across the flat open area to the trees on the north side of the clearing, and the trail to the true summit continues as a single track that snakes through manzanita and trees to a large boulder pile. There’s a marker at the top of the highest boulder, but climbing up them is entirely optional, depending on your comfort level.

The benchmark at the summit
The benchmark at the summit
Panorama from Hot Springs Mountain
The view from Hot Springs Mountain
Remains of the Lookout atop Hot Springs Mountain
Lookout Tower

The summit can only handle a few people at the top at any one time. If you want to stop for a break, a better location is at the concrete steps leading to the base of the closed (and decaying) lookout tower. Though this side of the summit mount is slightly lower, the views are the same.

There are plenty of places to spread out for a snack break before retracing your steps back to the trailhead.

On the way back, the junction with Sukat Road is more obvious. Take a left on Sukat Road, following the sign directing you to the campground.

Head to the Campground

Hot Springs Mountain Map & Elevation Profile

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download file: hot-springs-mountain-102420-91203am.gpx

Hot Springs Mountain Resources

  • At the time of writing, a $10 per person use fee is required to enter the reservation
  • Dogs are permitted, but must remain on leash at all times
  • There is a porta-potty at the trailhead, but bring your own water and pack out all your own trash and Leave No Trace
  • Be sure the carry the 10 Essentials
  • Know how to #RecreateResponsibly
  • Information on the Los Coyotes Reservation
  • Weather forecast for Hot Springs Mountain

San Diego Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge

2021 San Diego Six-Pack of Peaks ChallengeThis hike is part of the San Diego Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge. This self-paced hiking challenge includes six hikes in San Diego County. They are a great way to explore the area, train for bigger adventures, and you’ll be doing good, with a portion of the net proceeds going to support Big City Mountaineers.

The annual challenge runs between January 1st and December 31st.  Be sure to check out the SoCal challenge, too!

 

Hiking Hot Springs Mountain

Originally hiked on October 24, 2020 with Joan, Will, Shannon, Lucy and Farley. Special thanks to Will for serving tacos! 

Filed Under: Trail Guides Tagged With: 8-10 miles, dog-friendly, Hot Springs Mountain, Los Coyotes Reservation, peakbagging, San Diego County, Six-Pack of Peaks, strenuous

Like what you found here at SoCal Hiker? This site is a labor of love. Share your support for the site and help us development of new trail guides and expanded coverage -- make your next outdoor equipment purchase through our advertisers.

You can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Jeff H

About Jeff H

I'm an avid hiker and backpacker. My wife Joan and I are on the trails every weekend. I started SoCal Hiker to share my passion for outdoor adventure.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About SoCal Hiker

Jeff on Mount Rainier

I created SoCal Hiker while preparing to thru-hike the John Muir Trail. My goal? Create guides for the best hiking and backpacking trails with enough detail to make it an enjoyable experience for you. And while I started with trails in Southern California, I’ve expanded across the west. We hike each trail to create these guides, sharing practical advice on gear and outdoor skills. Read more…

Connect with SoCal Hiker

  • 22,757 Fans
  • 11,938 Followers
  • Followers
  • 1,719 Followers
  • 5,281 Subscribers
  • 341 Subscribers
SoCalHiker was selected one of USA TODAY's 10 Best Hiking and Outdoor Blogs
Get our day-by-day guide to thru-hiking the John Muir Trail
Get up-to-day wildfire status throughout California

Products

  • San Bernardino Peak Mug San Bernardino Peak Mug $15.95
  • Let your SoCalHiker flag fly! SoCalHiker Red, White & Blue Summit Flag
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $25.00
  • 2017 Six-Pack of Peaks mug 2017 Six-Pack of Peaks Mug $15.95
  • 2017 Six-Pack of Peaks Patch 2017 Six-Pack of Peaks Patch
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $6.00

Sponsors

Sponsor SoCalHiker and see your banner here

Featured Posts

Backpacking the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne Loop in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National P ark, and in particular Yosemite Valley, is home to some of the … [Read More...]

Hiking Belknap Crater in the Mountain Washington Wilderness

Hiking this out-and-back route up Belknap Crater you'll traverse an other-worldly … [Read More...]

Hiking to the Simpson Reef Overlook on the Oregon Coast Trail

The Oregon Coast is rugged, beautiful and often uncrowded. This bluff-top … [Read More...]

Lastest Comments

  • Amy Courtney on Ridgeline Trail
  • Jay Eleanor on Hiking to the Simpson Reef Overlook on the Oregon Coast Trail
  • Charles Krim on Hiking to the Simpson Reef Overlook on the Oregon Coast Trail
  • 11 Best California Bikepacking Routes | Wild Lumens on Inside Crystal Cove State Park
  • Ted Thed on Burbank Peak, Cahuenga Peak, Mt. Lee and the Hollywood Sign
Get your SoCalHiker stickers now

Get your SoCalHiker stickers!

Latest Posts

  • Backpacking the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne Loop in Yosemite National Park March 24, 2023
  • Hiking Belknap Crater in the Mountain Washington Wilderness October 20, 2022
  • Hiking to the Simpson Reef Overlook on the Oregon Coast Trail August 25, 2022
  • Join Team SoCalHiker at the Climb for Heroes August 23, 2022
  • Hiking the Welch-Dickey Loop in the White Mountain National Forest August 18, 2022

Recent Forum Topics

  • Lost Coast Trail
  • How to deal with accidents while hiking in the winter?
  • Warm Tips for your hiking in winter
  • Some tips for hiking.
  • Keep your body warm in the winter hiking

The Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge Series

Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge SeriesThe Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge Series gives you an opportunity to explore your world while supporting a great cause. There are eleven challenges around the country. Hike or run them at your own schedule.

Flex your adventure muscles!

Learn more here.

 

Search

Tags

3-6 miles 6-8 miles 8-10 miles 11+ miles Arizona Backpacking coastal dog-friendly easy family-friendly High Sierra Trail hiking Hiking The John Muir Trail hipster inspiration JMT John Muir John Muir Trail Kings Canyon National Park LA County moderate Mount Rainier National Park Muir Monday National Park Orange County Oregon out of bounds Pacific Crest Trail peak peakbagging quote scenic Sequoia National Park Sierra Nevada Six-Pack of Peaks State Park strenuous Thru-hiking Utah vista Washington waterfall wilderness Wonderland Trail Yosemite

Copyright © 2023 SoCalHiker.net · Metro Theme on Genesis Framework with WPEngine Hosting · Contact SoCal Hiker · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

 

Loading Comments...