El Cajon Mountain Trail Guide

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The route is an out-and-back that winds over the slopes approaching El Cajon Mountain.

You can roughly break the hike down into three segments: the easier, rolling first three miles, the climb to Silverdome II, and then the climb to El Cajon Summit. Note that this is a one-way (to the summit) profile.

You’ll see these trail markers along the way that show a little elevation plot. This hike gets a lot of casual hikers who might be in over their heads, so the park tries to do whatever it can to make it clear that this hike is serious.

When you start from the parking lot, you’re presented with a sign warning you about proper hydration, the distance, the climbing, and all the fun stuff you’ll encounter on the hike. The park does a good job of making hikers aware of the rigors of this hike

If you start the hike before the parking lot opens, there are spots on the street in front of the park entrance.

There’s a large parking lot at the start of the hike, but the opening hours are limited. Check the park website link at the top of the article for current hours.

You can roughly break the hike down into three segments: the easier, rolling first three miles, the climb to Silverdome II, and then the climb to El Cajon Summit. Note that this is a one-way (to the summit) profile.

You’ll see these trail markers along the way that show a little elevation plot. This hike gets a lot of casual hikers who might be in over their heads, so the park tries to do whatever it can to make it clear that this hike is serious.

When you start from the parking lot, you’re presented with a sign warning you about proper hydration, the distance, the climbing, and all the fun stuff you’ll encounter on the hike. The park does a good job of making hikers aware of the rigors of this hike

If you start the hike before the parking lot opens, there are spots on the street in front of the park entrance.

There’s a large parking lot at the start of the hike, but the opening hours are limited. Check the park website link at the top of the article for current hours.

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No caption provided.

No caption provided.