This is a must do for every San Diegan that likes the outdoors, in my opinion. The key is to time it so you go there, right after the rainy season (if there is such a thing around here, that is!).
Getting to the trailhead is relatively straight-forward, but, can be a bit of an "offroading adventure". You first need to head towards Julian (I prefer the Hwy 67 from Poway, but, Hwy 78 from the I-15 is another option). Right before you enter Julian, look out for "Pine Hills Road" and turn right on to it. About 1.5mi into it, look for "Eagle Peak Road" and bear right on it. 1.4 miles into Eagle Peak road, you come up to a fork, bear right here to continue staying on Eagle Peak Rd. The road from here on gets progressively poorer and poorer ( remember the adventurous part, I mentioned earlier?) and is mostly dirt trail. A 4X4 is preferred, but not necessary (I was driving a sports coupe!). About 8 miles at 20MPH later, you descend on to a particularly steep part of the trail, that ends in the trailhead. You have to turn around and park uphill on the side. The drive is about 60 miles from UTC, but takes 1.5 hrs due to the real slow pace on the last part.
The greenest I've seen the San Diego mountains....
15minutes with this fella could save us 15% or more...
Wildflowers on the trail...
And, of course, no trip to Julian can be complete without the customary Apple Pie :)
