OverviewIron Mountain is the second highest mountain in the Poway area at 2,696 ft (822 m). It is the most popular hike in the Poway area and can be slightly crowded at times. It is the second best place in San Diego to photograph above the clouds scenes. There is one trail up the mountain.
Iron Mountain Trail
Length: 2.76 miles one way, 5.52 miles round trip
Elevation gain: 1,082 feet
Difficulty: very easy, rated class 1 on the Yosemite Decimal System
Time Required (One Way): Walking will take between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours. This is a great running trail and will take between 15 minutes and 25 minutes to run up.
Location: Address of the trailhead: 14909 California 67, Poway, CA 92064. Parking is free.
Route description: The trail is really straight forward. Just follow it about a mile to a trail junction and turn right where a sign says "Iron Mountain 1.45 mi." Turn right and head for the summit.
Best Time to Photograph In the summer months, a layer of coastal clouds called a marine layer makes its way up to the base of the mountain almost every day in the morning. In order to photograph above the clouds scenes in perfect lighting, you will have to arrive at the trail head before the sun comes up. Climb up and enjoy watching the sun rise over a sea of clouds. If you arrive above the clouds so much as 30 minutes after the sun has risen, the clouds will be all flattened out and dulled by the sun.
20 minutes before sunset on a typical day, the mountains to the northwest of Iron mountain will be illuminated perfectly for some photos. Be sure to be on or near the summit at this time. In spring wildflower blooms in this area are very common.
Winter temperatures range from 45 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Summer temperatures range between 60 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Photos
Iron Mountain photos
More Information
Weather forecast
LIVE webcams from the summit of Mt. Woodson (3 miles away from Iron Mountain)
