Overview
Paso Picacho Fire Road
Length: 2.72 miles one way, 5.44 miles round trip, there are trail markers along the way, but they are off by over half a mile
Elevation gain: 1,641 feet
Difficulty: easy, but may require strenuous trudging under snowy conditions, rated class 1 on the Yosemite Decimal System
Time Required (One way): 45 minutes to 1.5 hours under clear road conditions, more than 1.5 hours if there is a foot or more of snow on the ground and you are hiking without snowshoes
Location: Drive to Paso Picacho campground (Coordinates: 32.9590 / -116.5800, Address: 13652 Highway 79, Julian, CA 92036. On some GPS systems this address will bring them to a random street bend. If that happens, drive about half a mile south staying on the same road and the campground will be on your right.) There will be a $8 parking fee.Once in the parking lot, walk up the fire road that winds between the campsites. Once you have reached the end of the campsites, you will see a few small wood cabins to your left and bathrooms to your right. In front of you there will be another fire road that slopes much steeper than the one you just came up. This is the beginning of the road up the mountain.
Route Description: The first mile and a half of the route will consist of nothing but dead and burnt trees from wildfires in 2007. After the first mile and a half a variety of pine trees will come into view, then near two miles you will find yourself in pine tree forest.This place is labeled "North Cuyamaca Grove" in the photos section below. About 2.5 miles into the hike, you will reach an area known as "Windy Point." This is the first view you will have to the west. On a clear day you can see the beach and possibly Downtown San Diego about 60 miles away. From Windy point, continue through North Cuyamaca Grove to the summit.
Best Time of Year
In winter there are usually more things to photograph. Ice and coats of snow cover the trees giving the place an Alaska-like look. At lucky times you may even get pictures of ice coated trees while standing above the clouds! Even the burnt trees will have a coating of rime ice that is worth taking pictures of. You will have to be quick in order to catch those days. Snow on Mt. Cuyamaca melts fast. Even when it snows over 2 feet it is usually gone within 10 days. The best time to photograph winter scenes on the mountain is to go right on the day it stops snowing. If you wait any longer, the ice will fall off the trees, leaving you with layers of slush to trudge through and dull lighting. At times in the summer when the air is colder, coastal clouds that stop at the foot of the mountain move in, allowing for some great above the clouds shots. The best time of day to get those shots is from an hour before sunset to sunset. On some summer days there may be afternoon thunderstorms. If it is an ordinary day with no clouds or snow, be on the summit 15-20 minutes before sunset. Go to the most northern side of the summit and face north. For about 10 minutes every day at sunset the sunlight illuminates a lower half of the mountain just perfect. Summer temperatures usually range from 70 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter temperatures usually range from 25 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Camping
Camping is allowed in designated areas. Visit http://cuyamaca.us/ for more information.
Photos
Mt. Cuyamaca Photos
Mt. Cuyamaca Snow Scene photos
More Information
Weather forecast
LIVE webcam of Mt. Cuyamaca from Descanso
