Corte Madera Mountain and Los Pinos Mountain in Cleveland National Forest, CA

Hike Corte Madera Mountain and Los Pinos Mountain Cleveland National Forest, CA

Class 1 11.4 miles 2500 gain 4-6 hrs Out + Back Apr 20, 2024
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Corte Madera Mountain and Los Pinos Mountain GPX Track

I need to offset my substantial website costs somehow! You can download a hike/drive GPX to assist you here. Before sharing my GPX tracks with others, please remember my site is otherwise a free resource.

Corte Madera Mountain is a fantastic granitic peak, a popular destination for hikers and climbers, but enough away from San Diego to feel relatively isolated. Years ago I hiked Corte Madera, but it was long before I had any idea that it was among the best hikes in the San Diego region. I was looking forward to a repeat with a fresh perspective, and since Tyler hadn't been here before, we linked up to enjoy some good miles of trail hiking together.

We were surprised at how tiny the small parking lot was, really just a pull-put off from Corral Canyon Road. The start of the hike is located across the street, which begins along Kernan Road. We followed the road for the first leg of the hike until a prominent sign pointed left at a junction, prompting us to leave the road and start along the Espinosa Trail. The trail started off gently, meandering through a picturesque chaparral valley dotted with trees. It grew steeper as it ascended to Los Pinos Road above, the saddle separating Corte Madera Mountain from Los Pinos Mountain.

Corte Madera was positioned perfectly ahead of us once we reached the saddle, its gorgeous southern cliff a unqiue sight. We followed Los Pinos Road to the right, leaving it when we reached a junction with the Corte Madera Mountain Trail. There was a swarm of ATVers here, but fortunately the trail from here is for foot traffic only. We ascended on the lovely trail that etched through the chaparral, loosely following the ridgeline. There were a few minor undulations, but it's mostly just a steady ascent to the summit. Along the way we passed through various pine groves and around large boulder formations.

The final quarter mile or so to the summit was mostly flat with stretches of slickrock and expansive views. The high point requires some light scrambling onto a pile of large boulders. This isn't technically the high point, though the slightly taller rock pillar back along the trail requires a stiff climb and doesn't seem to actually get climbed often. It seems stadard to claim end of the trail as the summit. Tyler and I poked around on the rock pillar and decided it would be too hard to down-climb without a rope. We took in the views toward Cuyamaca Peak, the various summits to the south, and Los Pinos Mountain, our next peak.

Back at the saddle before taking the Espinosa Trail back to the trailhead, we started ascending again using the fire road to the summit of Los Pinos Mountain, a bit of a boring endeavor. The summit hosts a lookout tower from 1925 and expansive views. Corte Madera's face is an impressive sight from here.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Corte Madera Mountain
4657 ft
657 rise
2
Los Pinos Mountain
4805 ft
845 rise

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!

The trail starts across Corral Canyon Road.
The trail starts across Corral Canyon Road.
Hiking along the closed Kernan Road.
Hiking along the closed Kernan Road.
A trail sign pointing away from the road and onto the singletrack Espinosa Trail.
A trail sign pointing away from the road and onto the singletrack Espinosa Trail.
Hiking along the Espinosa Trail.
Hiking along the Espinosa Trail.
The Espinosa Trail ascends to the saddle seen left of center.
The Espinosa Trail ascends to the saddle seen left of center.
The trail clearly receives regular maintenance, otherwise the brush would get bad.
The trail clearly receives regular maintenance, otherwise the brush would get bad.
View back as we near the saddle.
View back as we near the saddle.
Approaching the saddle, Los Pinos Road.
Approaching the saddle, Los Pinos Road.
Corte Madera Mountain seen left.
Corte Madera Mountain seen left.
We started away from Los Pinos Road on the Corte Madera Mountain Trail.
We started away from Los Pinos Road on the Corte Madera Mountain Trail.
A pleasant trail through chaparral.
A pleasant trail through chaparral.
View back at our progress, Los Pinos Mountain seen top right.
View back at our progress, Los Pinos Mountain seen top right.
The trail leads through some boulders as it skirts the ridgeline.
The trail leads through some boulders as it skirts the ridgeline.
Nice views into the valley below.
Nice views into the valley below.
View back the way we came.
View back the way we came.
The "kissing boulders". (2015 photo)
The "kissing boulders". (2015 photo)
A short dip in the trail.
A short dip in the trail.
Corte Madera poking out over there.
Corte Madera poking out over there.
Tyler is keeping his arms up to avoid brush, sort of a funny pose in photos.
Tyler is keeping his arms up to avoid brush, sort of a funny pose in photos.
The final ridgeline stretch to the summit is mostly flat with wide views.
The final ridgeline stretch to the summit is mostly flat with wide views.
Corte Madera close-up. (2015 photo)
Corte Madera close-up. (2015 photo)
Wonderful scenery up here.
Wonderful scenery up here.
View back as we progress along the ridgeline.
View back as we progress along the ridgeline.
A slickrock section a bit before the summit.
A slickrock section a bit before the summit.
Corte Madera Mountain summit ahead.
Corte Madera Mountain summit ahead.
Okay technically the boulders seen ahead are the high point, but they're a tough climb and it seems standard to claim the summit without climbing those boulders.
Okay technically the boulders seen ahead are the high point, but they're a tough climb and it seems standard to claim the summit without climbing those boulders.
Corte Madera Mountain summit ahead.
Corte Madera Mountain summit ahead.
Corte Madera Mountain summit, view west toward Lawson and Gaskill.
Corte Madera Mountain summit, view west toward Lawson and Gaskill.
Corte Madera Mountain summit, view south toward Los Pinos Mountain.
Corte Madera Mountain summit, view south toward Los Pinos Mountain.
A view north toward Cuyamaca Peak.
A view north toward Cuyamaca Peak.
Back at the saddle, we headed up toward Los Pinos Mountain.
Back at the saddle, we headed up toward Los Pinos Mountain.
View back toward the ridgeline we took up to Corte Madera Mountain.
View back toward the ridgeline we took up to Corte Madera Mountain.
Progress up the road, Los Pinos Mountain ahead.
Progress up the road, Los Pinos Mountain ahead.
A hairpin turn in the road.
A hairpin turn in the road.
Fire lookout tower seen ahead.
Fire lookout tower seen ahead.
Los Pinos Mountain summit.
Los Pinos Mountain summit.
Los Pinos Mountain summit,  view toward Corte Madera Mountain.
Los Pinos Mountain summit, view toward Corte Madera Mountain.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!