Hike Iron Mountain Loop Iron Mountain Preserve, CA

Apr 14, 2023 — Iron Mountain is one of those wildly popular hikes with a dizzying number of switchbacks that gain such minimal elevation it feels no progress is being made. Doing this crowded peak on its own would have felt like an incomplete outing, especially since there's an excellent trail system through the hills of the area. I looped in Ramona Overlook Peak and North Iron Mountain to form a more fulfilling hike, though more about those later.

I parked at the big Iron Mountain Trailhead parking lot and set out east along the dirt road now just used as a trail for reaching Iron Mountain. About a mile in, the roadnarrows a bit and feel more like a true trail as it ascends to the saddle separating Iron Mountain from Ramona Overlook Peak. Here I reached a trail junction, turning right (south) to head to Iron Mountain first. I won't say much more about Iron Mountain than it's a popular switchbacking trail through the chaparral to a decent viewpoint at the top.

Once back to the junction, I set off north along the Ellie Lane Trail. I immediately noticed the difference from Iron Mountain: far fewer people and a much narrower singletrack. The Ellie Lane Trail descended a short time before ascending more steeply to the south side of Ramona Overlook Peak. Here, a sign reads that the summit area is off limits to prevent disrupting raptor nesting. I'd hiked to this summit on a previous occasion, and I wasn't willing to break such clear and reasonable rules, so I don't have photos of this ascent. From memory, I followed a social trail that led nearly to the summit boulders, but the last bit requires light bushwhacking and a Class 2 scramble to reach the high point.

I dropped west along the Ellie Lane Trail, North Iron Mountain my third peak for the loop. The Ellie Lane Trail continues west on the slope of a steep drainage, but does not lead where I wanted to go. Instead, a not totally obvious trail pops in on the right, crosses the drainage, and parallels the Ellie Lane Trail on the opposite side of the drainage. This trail bends north and there are two options you can take. For some reason I took the one that adds about a hundred vertical feet. The views in this area are really open and nice, especially when nearing the south side of North Iron Mountain where the trail passes through a small clearing.

North Iron Mountain is a slightly steeper undertaking than the rest of this loop since the trail to its summit is an unofficial social trail that weaves through the numerous granitic boulders as efficiently as it can. The trail can be located at the top of a wide granite slab, but it took me a minute to find it. I thought this part of the hike was the most fun, mostly because it introduced some Class 2 and was less tamed than the well-groomed official trail system. The summit area of North Iron Mountain has some nice views, but is mostly obscured by trees. A major cluster of boulders marks the true high point, though it seems very few hikers actually make it to this high point. I'm usually a purist when reaching summits, but this boulder obstacle is daunting and only has Class 5 options on all sides. I circled the whole thing a couple of times and determined I wasn't interested. Bob Burd was able to find a route by using a large oak tree, followed by a sketchy slab. Maybe one day I'll be back, but for now I'll call it good like the majority seem to also have done.

I backtracked to the Ellie Lane Trail and took it west and away from North Iron Mountain. I then followed the Iron Horse Trail south for a bit until a series of well-used social trails led me back to the trailhead.