July 4th 2012 :- Volcan Mountains range between 5000 to 5709 feet and lie in the mountain range next to Julian, CA. This town in the mountains is about 50 miles from where I stay. I've wanted to head to the Volcan Mountain Summit in Volcan Mountain preserve for a while now.
Quite a few years ago an attempt was made to head along the trail, but it had to be abandoned since Nihar was not comfortable in the wooded area where the trail begins.
I headed there on Wednesday 4th July, 2012 having started at about 8:15 am. I covered the 40 mile distance to the parking lot on Farmers Road, off Wynola Road in little over an hour by car. The left on Wynola Road is to be taken a few miles prior to the approach road to Julian from the highway leading to Julian from Santa Ysabel. Wynola Road is curvaceous and has to approached with care.
There were only a few cars in the parking lot beside Farmers Road. Equipped with a 2 litre water pack and my hiking sticks I began the 2.8 mile hike to Volcan Summit. The summit is at about 5300 feet and can be directly approached by a fire road towards the top. The hike takes one along Five Oaks trail which is a enjoyable 1.2 mile trail created and maintained by San Diego Parks and Recreation. The Five Oaks trail begins about 0.4 miles from the roadside. The trail takes one along the mountain side along a few switchbacks and is moderately strenous. It passes through a wooded area with oak, pine, manzanita trees around. In areas devoid of trees one passes through grassy areas which were pretty dry given the time of the year. This area has not burnt completely in the fires of the last decade. Whatever damage was done to the forests was something mother nature quickly recoevered from.
After the 1.2 mile hike is done, one passes along the fire road and within 0.3 miles one comes to the mid-summit gate. The summit is 0.9 miles beyond the mid-summit gate. The final stretch is devoid of tree cover but one gets to see expansive meadows with views of Julian town to the south/south west and the Anza Borrego desert to the east in both the northerly and southerly direction.
The summit has a road around it that allows vehicles of the fire department to make a round trip. This mountain top was being considered for the installation of the telescope that was finally mounted on top of Palomar Mountain in the early part of the 20th century. In the other direction at an elevation of 5500 feet was some kind of tower with a trail to it but was marked out of bounds for hikers.
On the way down I came across a small rattlesnake that refused to take off from the Five Oaks trail. I jumped around it and continued. I passed across two groups of two on the way up, saw a group of 7-8 hikers come down in a different direction when I was heading to the summit. On the way down I crossed one group of three hikers who brought my attention to a lizard looking like a toad. Later at the entrance to the trail I came across another group of two hikers.
By 12 noon I was back to the car having started at about 9:30 am. I decided to have lunch in San Diego and made it a little after 1 pm.
This turned out the be an easy 5.6 mile hike with pretty but not spectacular scenery along a well maintained trail.
https://picasaweb.google.com/106422024187854976837/VolcanMountainSummitHike?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPiF8YPN_NWbtQE&feat=directlink
Quite a few years ago an attempt was made to head along the trail, but it had to be abandoned since Nihar was not comfortable in the wooded area where the trail begins.
I headed there on Wednesday 4th July, 2012 having started at about 8:15 am. I covered the 40 mile distance to the parking lot on Farmers Road, off Wynola Road in little over an hour by car. The left on Wynola Road is to be taken a few miles prior to the approach road to Julian from the highway leading to Julian from Santa Ysabel. Wynola Road is curvaceous and has to approached with care.
There were only a few cars in the parking lot beside Farmers Road. Equipped with a 2 litre water pack and my hiking sticks I began the 2.8 mile hike to Volcan Summit. The summit is at about 5300 feet and can be directly approached by a fire road towards the top. The hike takes one along Five Oaks trail which is a enjoyable 1.2 mile trail created and maintained by San Diego Parks and Recreation. The Five Oaks trail begins about 0.4 miles from the roadside. The trail takes one along the mountain side along a few switchbacks and is moderately strenous. It passes through a wooded area with oak, pine, manzanita trees around. In areas devoid of trees one passes through grassy areas which were pretty dry given the time of the year. This area has not burnt completely in the fires of the last decade. Whatever damage was done to the forests was something mother nature quickly recoevered from.
After the 1.2 mile hike is done, one passes along the fire road and within 0.3 miles one comes to the mid-summit gate. The summit is 0.9 miles beyond the mid-summit gate. The final stretch is devoid of tree cover but one gets to see expansive meadows with views of Julian town to the south/south west and the Anza Borrego desert to the east in both the northerly and southerly direction.
The summit has a road around it that allows vehicles of the fire department to make a round trip. This mountain top was being considered for the installation of the telescope that was finally mounted on top of Palomar Mountain in the early part of the 20th century. In the other direction at an elevation of 5500 feet was some kind of tower with a trail to it but was marked out of bounds for hikers.
On the way down I came across a small rattlesnake that refused to take off from the Five Oaks trail. I jumped around it and continued. I passed across two groups of two on the way up, saw a group of 7-8 hikers come down in a different direction when I was heading to the summit. On the way down I crossed one group of three hikers who brought my attention to a lizard looking like a toad. Later at the entrance to the trail I came across another group of two hikers.
By 12 noon I was back to the car having started at about 9:30 am. I decided to have lunch in San Diego and made it a little after 1 pm.
This turned out the be an easy 5.6 mile hike with pretty but not spectacular scenery along a well maintained trail.
https://picasaweb.google.com/106422024187854976837/VolcanMountainSummitHike?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPiF8YPN_NWbtQE&feat=directlink
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