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Apr 20, 2024 — Corte Madera Mountain is a fantastic granitic peak, a popular destination for hikers and climbers, but enough away from San Diego to feel relatively isolated. Years ago I hiked Corte Madera, but it was long before I had any idea that it was among the best hikes in the San Diego region. I was looking forward to a repeat with a fresh perspective, and since Tyler hadn't been here before, we linked up to enjoy some good miles of trail hiking together.
We were surprised at how tiny the small parking lot was, really just a pull-put off from Corral Canyon Road. The start of the hike is located across the street, which begins along Kernan Road. We followed the road for the first leg of the hike until a prominent sign pointed left at a junction, prompting us to leave the road and start along the Espinosa Trail. The trail started off gently, meandering through a picturesque chaparral valley dotted with trees. It grew steeper as it ascended to Los Pinos Road above, the saddle separating Corte Madera Mountain from Los Pinos Mountain.
Corte Madera was positioned perfectly ahead of us once we reached the saddle, its gorgeous southern cliff a unqiue sight. We followed Los Pinos Road to the right, leaving it when we reached a junction with the Corte Madera Mountain Trail. There was a swarm of ATVers here, but fortunately the trail from here is for foot traffic only. We ascended on the lovely trail that etched through the chaparral, loosely following the ridgeline. There were a few minor undulations, but it's mostly just a steady ascent to the summit. Along the way we passed through various pine groves and around large boulder formations.
The final quarter mile or so to the summit was mostly flat with stretches of slickrock and expansive views. The high point requires some light scrambling onto a pile of large boulders. This isn't technically the high point, though the slightly taller rock pillar back along the trail requires a stiff climb and doesn't seem to actually get climbed often. It seems stadard to claim end of the trail as the summit. Tyler and I poked around on the rock pillar and decided it would be too hard to down-climb without a rope. We took in the views toward Cuyamaca Peak, the various summits to the south, and Los Pinos Mountain, our next peak.
Back at the saddle before taking the Espinosa Trail back to the trailhead, we started ascending again using the fire road to the summit of Los Pinos Mountain, a bit of a boring endeavor. The summit hosts a lookout tower from 1925 and expansive views. Corte Madera's face is an impressive sight from here.
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