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

Dos Picos Regional Park, Ernie Pantoja Memorial Trail

Beware of poison oak; it grows vigorously and can be beautiful when the leaves are mixed red and green.
Beware of poison oak; it grows vigorously and can be beautiful when the leaves are mixed red and green.
Place

Dos Picos County Park

17953 Dos Picos Park Road, Ramona

The Dos Picos Regional Park is a bit of a hidden treasure tucked in the heart of Ramona. The 78-acre park features a large, well-maintained picnic area and campgrounds with good facilities nestled within shady oak woodlands and boulders. The nature trail is a special treat with beautiful views of the park and surrounding hills and an abundance of unusually large and healthy native plant species.

There are two ways to enter the Ernie Pantoja Memorial Trail. The official trailhead is located between camping spots 48 and 49 and is marked with a sign, a memorial plaque, and a low brick wall backed by large, dramatic boulders. However, the other end of the trail is easier to access from the picnic area parking lot.

Starting from the map kiosk in the parking lot, walk to your left until you see a charming wooden bridge leading you into a shady area with oak trees and rocks. The bridge spans a seasonal stream that is dry part of the year. This leads past many picnic tables and a pond with ducks, grackles, and other birds. Walk to your right, almost to the southeast corner of the pond, and you will reach the back of the Ernie Pantoja Memorial Trail. This part of the path leads up the hill and is less shady, but the path is wide, terraced, and very well maintained, so it is not a difficult climb.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Dos Picos along the Ernie Trail

This path packs a large number of native plants into a short, 1-mile trail. There are several varieties of oak trees, providing periodic shade. Usually one finds small plants of yellow monkey flower or red-flowered, heart-leaf penstemons, and only one or a few plants at a time in the East County. Here, large stands of these plants make a surprising and beautiful display in the late spring. Many plants found along this trail show unusually large leaves and tall growth, suggesting a good amount of precipitation. The ceanothus may be hard to recognize in an almost tree-like form. You will see a lot of scrub oak, yerba santa, sugar bush, and laurel sumac. Beware of poison oak; it grows vigorously and can be beautiful when the leaves are mixed red and green. Other native plants to look for include black mustard (yellow flowers), elderberry, bush penstemon, chamise (yellow flowers), black sage, giant bedstraw, mountain mahogany (feathery seeds), currant, purple aster, sawtooth golden bush, Indian pinks (red flowers), deer weed, wild cucumber, pearly everlasting, purple phacelia, bee plant, and honeysuckle. If you are lucky enough to see the red berry bush in fruit, the bright, translucent berries seem to glow in the sunlight. A surprising find is the zylococcus bicolor (mission manzanita) or two-toned manzanita. This variety of manzanita has curled leaves, dark green on top and light green on bottom. It has a limited range and is usually found closer to the coast.

There is a good view of Mount Woodson about halfway through the trail and the intermittent shade makes the hike suitable for any time of year. If you are interested in the campsites, which include a few small cabins as well as RV and tent slots, or reserving portions of the large picnic areas, contact the park directly for reservations and fee information. Park website: sdcounty.ca.gov/parks/Camping/dos_picos.html

Distance from downtown San Diego: About 35 miles. Allow 45 minutes. Take Hwy 163 N to I-15 N. Exit on Scripps Poway Parkway and continue driving 8.6 miles to Hwy 67. Turn left (north) on Hwy 67 and after 7.4 miles, turn right onto Mussey Grade Road. After 1.1 miles, turn right on Dos Picos Park Road. The first entrance is the picnic entrance. There is a $3 entry fee. Park hours are 9:30 am to sunset, seven days a week.

Hiking length: About one mile in length.

Difficulty: Easy. Facilities in the campground area.

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

When Rafael Payare met with Irwin Jacobs

The new Music Center is a heavenly hall
Beware of poison oak; it grows vigorously and can be beautiful when the leaves are mixed red and green.
Beware of poison oak; it grows vigorously and can be beautiful when the leaves are mixed red and green.
Place

Dos Picos County Park

17953 Dos Picos Park Road, Ramona

The Dos Picos Regional Park is a bit of a hidden treasure tucked in the heart of Ramona. The 78-acre park features a large, well-maintained picnic area and campgrounds with good facilities nestled within shady oak woodlands and boulders. The nature trail is a special treat with beautiful views of the park and surrounding hills and an abundance of unusually large and healthy native plant species.

There are two ways to enter the Ernie Pantoja Memorial Trail. The official trailhead is located between camping spots 48 and 49 and is marked with a sign, a memorial plaque, and a low brick wall backed by large, dramatic boulders. However, the other end of the trail is easier to access from the picnic area parking lot.

Starting from the map kiosk in the parking lot, walk to your left until you see a charming wooden bridge leading you into a shady area with oak trees and rocks. The bridge spans a seasonal stream that is dry part of the year. This leads past many picnic tables and a pond with ducks, grackles, and other birds. Walk to your right, almost to the southeast corner of the pond, and you will reach the back of the Ernie Pantoja Memorial Trail. This part of the path leads up the hill and is less shady, but the path is wide, terraced, and very well maintained, so it is not a difficult climb.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Dos Picos along the Ernie Trail

This path packs a large number of native plants into a short, 1-mile trail. There are several varieties of oak trees, providing periodic shade. Usually one finds small plants of yellow monkey flower or red-flowered, heart-leaf penstemons, and only one or a few plants at a time in the East County. Here, large stands of these plants make a surprising and beautiful display in the late spring. Many plants found along this trail show unusually large leaves and tall growth, suggesting a good amount of precipitation. The ceanothus may be hard to recognize in an almost tree-like form. You will see a lot of scrub oak, yerba santa, sugar bush, and laurel sumac. Beware of poison oak; it grows vigorously and can be beautiful when the leaves are mixed red and green. Other native plants to look for include black mustard (yellow flowers), elderberry, bush penstemon, chamise (yellow flowers), black sage, giant bedstraw, mountain mahogany (feathery seeds), currant, purple aster, sawtooth golden bush, Indian pinks (red flowers), deer weed, wild cucumber, pearly everlasting, purple phacelia, bee plant, and honeysuckle. If you are lucky enough to see the red berry bush in fruit, the bright, translucent berries seem to glow in the sunlight. A surprising find is the zylococcus bicolor (mission manzanita) or two-toned manzanita. This variety of manzanita has curled leaves, dark green on top and light green on bottom. It has a limited range and is usually found closer to the coast.

There is a good view of Mount Woodson about halfway through the trail and the intermittent shade makes the hike suitable for any time of year. If you are interested in the campsites, which include a few small cabins as well as RV and tent slots, or reserving portions of the large picnic areas, contact the park directly for reservations and fee information. Park website: sdcounty.ca.gov/parks/Camping/dos_picos.html

Distance from downtown San Diego: About 35 miles. Allow 45 minutes. Take Hwy 163 N to I-15 N. Exit on Scripps Poway Parkway and continue driving 8.6 miles to Hwy 67. Turn left (north) on Hwy 67 and after 7.4 miles, turn right onto Mussey Grade Road. After 1.1 miles, turn right on Dos Picos Park Road. The first entrance is the picnic entrance. There is a $3 entry fee. Park hours are 9:30 am to sunset, seven days a week.

Hiking length: About one mile in length.

Difficulty: Easy. Facilities in the campground area.

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

Quill & Arrow Law is Saving Drivers Around California with Lemon Law

Next Article

A rope course designed to resemble the Giant Dipper at Belmont Part

Maruta Gardner Playground - a parent's playground
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