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A solitary, well-maintained trail with stunning 360 views of San Diego.


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Map Key

1.5

Miles

2.4

KM

Point to Point

1,551' 473 m

High

1,132' 345 m

Low

348' 106 m

Up

528' 161 m

Down

11%

Avg Grade (6°)

34%

Max Grade (19°)

Dogs Leashed

Features Views

Description

From the top of Cowles Mountain, head down the service road towards the antennas. The trailhead should be marked to your left.

The trail is well maintained and marked. There is virtually no shade in this trail so bring plenty of water.

You begin by making your way down to the saddle and then gradually zig zag your way up to Pyles Peak. Along the way, you have the option to rest at 2 viewpoints. To reach the first one, stay to the right of the first fork you encounter. This viewpoint will face towards Cowels Mountain and gives you 360 views of San Diego. To reach the second viewpoint, stay to the left of the second fork in the trail.

Keep an eye out for the Pyles Peak Summit marker at the end of the trail.

Contacts

Shared By:

Alvaro Frausto

Trail Ratings

  4.4 from 5 votes

#8532

Overall
  4.4 from 5 votes
5 Star
40%
4 Star
60%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Trail Rankings

#753

in California

#8,532

Overall
5 Views Last Month
1,005 Since Jun 30, 2015
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult

0%
0%
25%
25%
38%
13%

Photos

Partial panorama at the top of Pyles Peak. You can see Cowles Mountain at the right side of the photo.
Jun 29, 2015 near La Mesa, CA
Looking North East from the top of Cowles Mountain. The trail that can be seen is the service road.
Jun 29, 2015 near La Mesa, CA
View of San Diego
Jul 1, 2015 near La Mesa, CA
View from Cowles Mountain
May 5, 2015 near La Mesa, CA

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Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Apr 14, 2021
Jeremy R
Jul 18, 2020
Chris P Shawarma
1.5mi
Nov 9, 2019
Justin Penn
3mi — 1h 20m
Mar 27, 2019
Ferdinand Santiago
Aug 25, 2018
Caitlyn Azama
May 26, 2018
wally Hesseltine
Apr 26, 2018
jojo hill
Once you get to Cowels —-just keep going. 5mi
Mar 18, 2018
S Wright
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