Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Waterfalls grace the upper reaches of the San Diego River, where only the most competent hikers tread.

A trip down the San Diego River canyon during the rainy season is a true adventure. (Mind you, we are not referring to the river at its lower Mission Valley segment, or even at Mission Gorge; rather, this section is way up in the mountains toward Julian.) Runoff from winter storms fills the rocky riverbed with a silvery band of water. Green grass, new leaves, and wildflowers (appearing by February or March) brighten the banks as well as the slopes. In several places along the way the stream cascades over rock precipices, including one with a drop of 100 hundred feet.

Bedrock morteros (grinding holes) along the river, especially near groves of oaks, attest to frequent use of the canyon by Native Americans for hundreds of years or more. Contemporary human usage pales by comparison; only an occasional hiker, backpacker, or hunter penetrates these canyon depths today.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Sturdy boots and a patient, cautious attitude are essential for exploring the canyon. This is a trek suitable only for those adept at moving through steep, rough terrain, and comfortable with occasional scrambling bordering on technical rock climbing. Get an early start if you are planning anything other than a brief, cursory look at the canyon. Keep in mind, too, that any substantially wet, winter-season storm could temporarily swell the usually indolent river flow to a dangerous level.

You may park at Inaja Picnic Area in the Cleveland National Forest, where you must post a National Forest Adventure Pass on your car for the privilege of parking. Start off by descending a precipitous slope south of the restrooms into the canyon's oak-shaded floor, a short distance below. Turn down-canyon, and at 0.5 mile arrive at the first falls, a set of two, each about 50 feet high. To get by, you'll probably need to traverse through brush and over tilted rock slabs on the right (west) side. If you don't like this dicey maneuver, go no further and turn back. You will encounter nothing but long stretches of boulder hopping, and occasional rock climbing ahead. The 2003 Cedar Fire incinerated the thick brush that was starting to make passages down the river canyon almost impossible. Now, however, that same vegetation is growing back.

After a total of 3.2 miles and perhaps 4 or more arduous hours, you'll come upon the lip of a 100-foot waterfall (elevation 1950 feet) -- the highest falls on the San Diego River. The water tumbles over a rock face and collects in a shallow pool perhaps 60 feet across. This destination is about as far as it is prudent to go in a full day. Remember that the hike back is all uphill and will almost certainly take a lot longer than did the hike down.

This article contains information about a publicly owned recreation or wilderness area. Trails and pathways are not necessarily marked. Conditions can change rapidly. Hikers should be properly equipped and have safety and navigational skills. The Reader and Jerry Schad assume no responsibility for any adverse experience.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Fiesta de Reyes Dia de los Muertos, Summer Salt and The Symposium, Scream Diego

Events October 10-October 12, 2024

A trip down the San Diego River canyon during the rainy season is a true adventure. (Mind you, we are not referring to the river at its lower Mission Valley segment, or even at Mission Gorge; rather, this section is way up in the mountains toward Julian.) Runoff from winter storms fills the rocky riverbed with a silvery band of water. Green grass, new leaves, and wildflowers (appearing by February or March) brighten the banks as well as the slopes. In several places along the way the stream cascades over rock precipices, including one with a drop of 100 hundred feet.

Bedrock morteros (grinding holes) along the river, especially near groves of oaks, attest to frequent use of the canyon by Native Americans for hundreds of years or more. Contemporary human usage pales by comparison; only an occasional hiker, backpacker, or hunter penetrates these canyon depths today.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Sturdy boots and a patient, cautious attitude are essential for exploring the canyon. This is a trek suitable only for those adept at moving through steep, rough terrain, and comfortable with occasional scrambling bordering on technical rock climbing. Get an early start if you are planning anything other than a brief, cursory look at the canyon. Keep in mind, too, that any substantially wet, winter-season storm could temporarily swell the usually indolent river flow to a dangerous level.

You may park at Inaja Picnic Area in the Cleveland National Forest, where you must post a National Forest Adventure Pass on your car for the privilege of parking. Start off by descending a precipitous slope south of the restrooms into the canyon's oak-shaded floor, a short distance below. Turn down-canyon, and at 0.5 mile arrive at the first falls, a set of two, each about 50 feet high. To get by, you'll probably need to traverse through brush and over tilted rock slabs on the right (west) side. If you don't like this dicey maneuver, go no further and turn back. You will encounter nothing but long stretches of boulder hopping, and occasional rock climbing ahead. The 2003 Cedar Fire incinerated the thick brush that was starting to make passages down the river canyon almost impossible. Now, however, that same vegetation is growing back.

After a total of 3.2 miles and perhaps 4 or more arduous hours, you'll come upon the lip of a 100-foot waterfall (elevation 1950 feet) -- the highest falls on the San Diego River. The water tumbles over a rock face and collects in a shallow pool perhaps 60 feet across. This destination is about as far as it is prudent to go in a full day. Remember that the hike back is all uphill and will almost certainly take a lot longer than did the hike down.

This article contains information about a publicly owned recreation or wilderness area. Trails and pathways are not necessarily marked. Conditions can change rapidly. Hikers should be properly equipped and have safety and navigational skills. The Reader and Jerry Schad assume no responsibility for any adverse experience.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Experience Hendrix, Falling Doves, Peter Sprague, Sandi King, Clikatat Ikatowi

Tributes, listening parties, and screenings in Kensington, Carlsbad, La Mesa, Little Italy, and downtown
Next Article

When Rafael Payare met with Irwin Jacobs

The new Music Center is a heavenly hall
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader