Distance: 4.3 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 1527' (Mother Miguel), 1520'
Elevation Gain: 970'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.7
Round trip time: 2 hours
Recommended water: 24 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Paseo Veracruz
Difficulty: Easy
Based on the weather and my schedule this week, I needed to get a hike in on Tuesday. I decided to stick to easy fare in San Diego County. First up was Mother Miguel in Chula Vista. The trail started behind a suburban development on Paseo Veracruz. There was ample parking on the curb and it was popular based on the number of vehicles parked there. There were no facilities, but just before you reach the trailhead on the left, was Mount San Miguel community park. It had shiny facilities and no crowds in the morning.
The dirt path began next to a house on the corner. It dropped to a T intersection near a creek. The official trail began just on the other side. The trail had a series of tight switchbacks, but they have been cut and eroded so much by foot and bike traffic that I had a hard time staying on the trail. The sat view showed a direct use trail up the mountain cutting every switchback. All over the mountain were signs that read "This is not a trail" and posts with ropes in between. All of it ignored by everyone but one party on the mountain and me. It seemed a lost cause for this trail to be restored. It's too trampled and eroded. At the top, there was a large rock cairn with a new register in a plastic box. I signed in knowing it would probably not last long with so much traffic. There was also a flag pole with three flags waving: the US flag, Marine Corps flag, and a POW-MIA flag in that order. There was a nice view over the Sweetwater Reservoir to downtown San Diego. Lyons Peak was also nearby. After a brief stop, I continued less than a quarter mile to Peak 1520, only 7' lower. The summit consisted of small boulders and brush. I stopped there for water, then turned around. There was steady stream of hikers, but it wasn't overly crowded. The ankle felt alright as I drove to SDSU to pick Parker up for lunch. We destroyed some Old Timers at Chili's and talked about circuit design before I returned him to campus to continue his studies.
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