Our Hikes: The Big Laguna Loop - Mount Laguna, California

on
I love living in San Diego. It is one of the most biologically and ecologically diverse places in the nation. The landscapes within an hour drive of our home include mountains, deserts, and coastline. It is filled with extraordinary hiking opportunities. One of our favorite places to hike is in the Mount Laguna area.

Many people who move to San Diego from the East Coast or the Midwest lament the loss of the changing seasons. San Diego is beautiful all year long. It is temperate, it does not get too cold in winter, it rarely gets too hot or too humid in summer.  For all of the beauty and the gorgeous weather in San Diego, we do not have the amazing fall colors or the snow or many of the other fascinating natural wonders associated with changing seasons…unless we are willing drive for a bit.

About an hour outside the city of San Diego, the Mount Laguna area offers an opportunity to experience the changing seasons. Mount Laguna’s forests display the beautiful golds, yellows, and reds of the changing season in fall. In the winter, the area is blanketed with gorgeous snow. In the Spring, wild flowers and new growth paint the landscape.

Not only does Mount Laguna offer an opportunity to experience the changing seasons in all of their glory, it offers spectacular views that highlight the diverse landscape of the San Diego area. Our favorite hike in Mount Laguna, the Big Laguna Loop, takes you through a forest of pine trees, past a small lake, then climbs to a ridge. Views of a gorgeous coniferous forest greet you on one side of the ridge, and views of the breathtaking vast expanse of the Anza-Borrego desert on the other. It is a wonderful hike. You will walk through some areas that have been burned, which is becoming an unfortunate reality in too much of California’s wilderness, but the hike is amazing and well worth it.

Note that this is a challenging hike. When we are short on time, we hike smaller sections as out and back hikes. Those are easier and if you are not up for a 10 mile challenging hike, try a smaller segment as an out and back. As always, be well prepared with plenty of water, snacks, a good map, sunscreen, and the proper clothing.

I have not included a detailed description of this hike, because that has been done well by so many other talented bloggers. You can find great detailed descriptions and maps of this hike at these sites:

https://modernhiker.com/hike/hike-the-big-laguna-trail/

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2008/sep/17/big-laguna-trail/

Comments

Post a Comment