Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

The flies ... Good Lord, the flies ... Paso Pichaco is a beautiful campground, with well maintained restrooms and showers. Our sites were nowhere near flat though, which made it difficult to set up camp. Did I mention the flies?

We were so disappointed that the road to Cuyamaca Peak is closed. Gave up on hiking up Stonewall Peak since the parking lot and trail were awfully busy. Then we headed to the Visitor Center which was closed on Sunday altogether. The Green Valley Fire Rd is not drivable which was another bummer. You really can't drive almost anywhere here. I mean it looks like a really beautiful park but we just weren't in the mood for multiple hours of hiking.

Excellent hiking but bring your own maps as there are no staff or information facilities in the southern half. Trails are well marked but near the information building there is development not shown on the map

This is one of our favorite places to ride a mountain bike in San Diego County. We actually used to be members of their Mountain Bike Assistance Unit for many years in the 1990s. At the time, we hoped that our avid volunteerism would help promote the building and opening of more singletrack trails for mountain bikers. Then, they opened up the Cold Stream Trail, which is one of my all-time favorite trails to ride on. The beauty and potential to see all kinds of wildlife is outstanding. The rocks and trees seem to have their own personalities. People you encounter on the trail are friendly. We all love to be in the arms of Nature.

What a beautiful state park this is. Every vista, Mesa, panorama purely epic and breathtaking. While not the most beautiful trek I've taken, the eirieness of the fog and the wind set my mind at ease. If you're going during the winter months, definitely bring the proper outerwear as you will find the winds and aggressive drop in temperatures to be difficult to navigate through at times.