Cuyamaca Peak
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park · near Julian · San Diego
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 5.2 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,600 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- October–May · Avoid summit ice/snow; spring is greenest
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- California State Park day-use fee ~$10/vehicle, self-pay at the Paso Picacho lot. The paved Lookout Fire Road is the only trail in the park where dogs are allowed.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- County's 2nd-highest peak (6,512 ft) · Paved Lookout Fire Road · Ocean-to-desert summit panorama · Cedar Fire regrowth
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- The whole route is paved asphalt, so trail-running shoes are fine — but there's almost no shade and no water on-trail; carry 2+ liters and start early.
The guide
The roof of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, this is a steady lung-buster up the paved Lookout Fire Road to a 6,512-foot summit wher…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Cuyamaca Peak — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 32.9727, -116.5847