Distance: 5.7 miles round trip on trail and use trail
Summit Elevation: 2684' (Iron), 2425' (Little Iron)
Elevation Gain: 1117'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.9
Round trip time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at trailhead on Highway 67
Difficulty: Easy
A week out from shoulder surgery, I considered attempting something difficult, but could't go into the OR with open scrapes and bruises. Instead, I settled on Iron Mountain and Little Iron Mountain in San Diego County. I climbed Iron in 2013, but the smaller, provisional Little Iron Mountain was new to me. I parked in the large lot with toilets on Highway 67. It's a wide trail and very popular, though the lot was only 1/3 full on a Tuesday.
There was an ornate metal sign to the trail. I started about 5 minutes behind another hiker and caught up to him half way up. His name was Allen, a fellow retiree, who led docent hikes at Mission Trails Regional Park. Since we were hiking about the same pace, we continued together up to the turn off for Little Iron Mountain. He proceeded up and I headed toward the minor bump. A trail got me within 100', then I pushed through light brush with low class 2 to reach the highest boulder. Views were quite nice. No register, no marks. I sat on a wide rock and ate an apple, watching a few hikers finishing the switchbacks above.
Back on the main trail, it took me 15 minutes to reach the summit. The free telescope mount was still there, but the telescope was gone. Two picnic tables were still there. No register, no marks. Allen was still hanging around and a few others enjoying the panorama. We talked about our favorite San Diego peaks for a while, then started down. He adopted a leisurely pace on the way down, so we said adieu and I continued an uneventful descent. As I was writing this report, I got a call from the Ortho and they pushed my surgery back another two weeks due to short staff. This hike was intended to be a wrap for 2026, but I guess I'll get one more chance.
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