The hook
An hour east of San Diego the land climbs into a pine-and-oak mountain range, and a chain-assisted scramble tops out on a granite dome over the whole park.
01Why it's worth it
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is the surprise most San Diegans mean when they say they're going to the mountains: real pine and oak forest at five and six thousand feet, cool and green, an hour from the coast. The signature hike goes up Stonewall Peak, a few miles of switchbacks ending in a short scramble with a chain to hold as you climb the last granite to a summit with a full circle of view. The name comes from the old Stonewall gold mine, whose ruins you can still find; gold was discovered near here in 1869 by a formerly enslaved man named Fred Coleman, which set off the rush that built the town of Julian up the road. The 2003 Cedar Fire burned through hard, and you walk past both the scars and the forest coming back.
02How to experience it
It's in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park off Highway 79, about eight hours from the Bay. The Stonewall Peak trail is a few hours round trip; there's a day-use fee. Spring and fall are best; it can snow in winter and bake in late summer. It pairs with the pie and the gold-town streets of Julian nearby.