2009-12-31: San Diego Backcountry (Cedar Creek Road)
Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:40 pm
I figured I'd kill a few hours with the Jeep today exploring a few forest routes up in the mountains. I wanted to find a route that would be fun to take if we got a good snow storm up in the hills. Can't wait to try it out again with all the white stuff around!
So I headed out Interstate 8 to Descanso and found my way along Boulder Creek Road, which is just a graded dirt road. There were a few side trails I wanted to check out. The first was Dubois Truck Trail (Forest Route 14S09). I had drove a little ways on it a few months ago and found a couple open gates. No signage at all. This time I found the first gate chained and locked. Still no signs. I'm gonna call the Descanso Ranger District about it. Next it was on to Cedar Creek Road, which is right by the trailhead for Eagle Peak hiking trail. However this gate was locked at well. The old faded sign on it said, unsafe road conditions. The newer signs there said it was open to atv's and vehicles.
So I continued on to Eagle Peak Road which takes you down to the trailhead for Cedar Creek Falls hiking trail. Once you reach the end, look behind you to see Mildred Falls. This waterfall only appears for a short time after rain storms or when the mountain snows are melting. Its the highest in San Diego County. You can also take an hour to hike down to Cedar Creek Falls, which soon joins up with the San Diego River and into El Capitan Reservoir. When I reached this area, I was surprised to find the gate for this end of Cedar Creek Road to be open. Much of this trail is a narrow shelf road which hasn't been looked after for some time. I came to the end and actually stumbled upon a route around the gate. That meant I didn't have to backtrack much and took Boulder Creek Road back down to the freeway and home. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.
So I headed out Interstate 8 to Descanso and found my way along Boulder Creek Road, which is just a graded dirt road. There were a few side trails I wanted to check out. The first was Dubois Truck Trail (Forest Route 14S09). I had drove a little ways on it a few months ago and found a couple open gates. No signage at all. This time I found the first gate chained and locked. Still no signs. I'm gonna call the Descanso Ranger District about it. Next it was on to Cedar Creek Road, which is right by the trailhead for Eagle Peak hiking trail. However this gate was locked at well. The old faded sign on it said, unsafe road conditions. The newer signs there said it was open to atv's and vehicles.
So I continued on to Eagle Peak Road which takes you down to the trailhead for Cedar Creek Falls hiking trail. Once you reach the end, look behind you to see Mildred Falls. This waterfall only appears for a short time after rain storms or when the mountain snows are melting. Its the highest in San Diego County. You can also take an hour to hike down to Cedar Creek Falls, which soon joins up with the San Diego River and into El Capitan Reservoir. When I reached this area, I was surprised to find the gate for this end of Cedar Creek Road to be open. Much of this trail is a narrow shelf road which hasn't been looked after for some time. I came to the end and actually stumbled upon a route around the gate. That meant I didn't have to backtrack much and took Boulder Creek Road back down to the freeway and home. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.