Hike Cowles Mountain Mission Trails Regional Park, CA

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Route Map

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Cowles Mountain GPX Track

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Great for what it was intended for, the steep (relative to city parks) Cowles Mountain Trail leads to a little summit overlooking the city just 20 minutes from downtown San Diego. Definitely not the trail you're looking for if you want wilderness or anyone to respect general courtesy. I saw plenty of people going off trail, one person not pick up dog poop (of course I commented because I'm kind of a tool like that), and a guy in a gas mask training for some sort of physical event.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)

Peaks on hike

Elevation

Prominence

Cowles Mountain

1591 ft

991 rise

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Start of Cowles Mountain trail. The summit is that tiny hill to the left.

Some nice city views along the way.

Really wide, super-eroded trails.

Switchbacks full of people.

A nice view of San Diego (hard to see from the fog).

A nice little setup showing visitors the distant mountains. Of note are El Cajon Mountain and Cuyamaca Peak, amongst others.

Cowles Mountain summit.

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!