Climb to the boulder-studded summit of Twin Peaks in Poway.

Twin Peaks, a scruffy, boulder-studded promontory rising amid Poway's suburban streets, is less known for its own existence than for the street named after it: Twin Peaks Road. At the close of a warm summer day it's worth taking a couple of hours to climb to the summit, poke in and around the fractured outcrops of rock, and stand on the breezy summit to admire the inclusive view of Poway and its environs. The two-mile round trip to the top involves a short, very steep segment of hard-packed dirt road, plus a path strewn with jagged rocks, so make sure your shoes have good ankle support and traction.

Start at the brand-spanking-new Silverset Park, just north of Twin Peaks Road and about one-half mile east of the east end of Ted Williams Parkway. On foot start following a fire road going northeast to the brow of a south-trending ridge. Just as this road starts to flatten and descend, veer left on a narrow path going left (north) up along the ridge. After 0.2 mile the path bends left and makes a brief descent through thick chaparral into the bottom of a ravine. Once you're in the ravine, turn sharply uphill and climb straightway to the saddle between the two peaks. The peak to the left, about 60 feet higher than the one on the right, has the better view by far.

As seen from the summit a carpet of tract-style homes recedes in the south, while giant mansions on generous lots fill the hills and valleys to the north and east. A small blue slice of Lake Poway lies some three miles to the northeast, while the more conspicuous rock-filled dam of Ramona Reservoir nuzzles into rocky hills beyond. Look for the distinctive "Tooth Rock" in the east atop a ridge in the middle distance.