Having been twice to Iron Mountain and Mt Woodson, I was looking at other hiking options in and around San Diego city limits. I then read about Cowles Mountain (pronounced as "Cow-ellz"), the highest point within San Diego city limits standing 1591 feet above sea level.
I began the trail at the visitor center located beside Golfcrest Drive at 4:21 pm on July 20th, 2008. The elevation change to get to the top is 950 feet and it is a distance of 1.5 miles to get to the top. This is a rather easy hike suitable for all ages (small kids to grand parents) and is well populated. In exactly 37 minutes, I made it to the top along a wide and dirt filled trail. Views in all directions were hazy in the distance but as expected they were unobstructed. Lake Murray reservoir appears close from the top and one can also recognize Mt Soledad, Black Mountain and other landmarks along the coast.
After a 15 minute break looking at the views and hydrating myself, it was time to get down. Getting down was not as fast as expected. It took 27 minutes of brisk walking to get to the parking lot. There were quite a few people jogging up and down. Infact a group of three, beat me on the way to the top by about 5 minutes.
The hike from Lake Poway to the top of Mt Woodson is tougher than this one, although there are other approaches to the top of Cowles Mountain in this area. A 360 degree panoramic view, proximity to the city and the fact its the tallest one around are three things I liked about this short easy hike.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
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