El Cajon Mountain (El Capitan)
Lakeside — El Capitan Preserve · near Lakeside · San Diego
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- expert
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 11.1 miles
- Elevation gain
- 3,500 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- November–March only · Dangerous heat spring–fall
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- Free County of San Diego preserve; the parking gate is open ~8am–5pm (get back before it locks) or park on the street.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Notorious 'rollercoaster' profile · Granite big-wall views (climber destination) · Summit 3,675 ft · Protected eagle-nesting cliffs
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- This is not a first 'San Diego hike.' Carry 3–4 liters, start at gate-open, and turn around on a time budget so you're back before the parking gate locks at 5pm.
The guide
Widely called the toughest day hike in San Diego County — 11 miles of relentless up-and-down over rocky mining roads, with seve…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to El Cajon Mountain (El Capitan) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 32.8969, -116.8168