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Apr 11, 2023 — Mount Gower was a surprisingly gorgeous outing, the unassuming peak providing ridiculous views in all directions, a small spurt of cool rock formations, and a wonderful meadowy landscape. I was also spoiled by this year's wildflower show, which really made this hike feel like a dream. Still feeling good after already doing a bunch of miles today, I set out for Mount Gower in the unexpectedly rough afternoon heat. There may be some confusion as to which peak is the true Mount Gower since some resources incorrectly depict the high point being what I'll call "False Gower", located to the true summit's northwest. False Gower is visible for the majority of the hike, obscuring Mount Gower's true summit.
The entrance for the Mount Gower Open Space Preserve is at the end of a gravel road, and this hike begins by using a wide trail that ascends a short time to a major fork. I kept right, taking the Swartz Canyon Trail. This trail curves around and heads through the shrubby scenery along the north side of Swartz Canyon. Seen to the south, the canyon slowly dips away as the trail stays pretty high up. The Swartz Canyon Trail ultimately leads to a viewpoint, but I left it to take the Mount Gower Ridge Trail, which leaves the ridge and drops pretty steeply into Swartz Canyon. The trail crossed a flowing creek hugged by trees, then ascended back up the opposite side of Swartz Canyon on steep, tight switchbacks. It reemerged into typical SoCal chaparral and passed a water tower before continuing northeast along a ridge. The trail undulated along this toe/ridge for a while, choosing to go up and over each bump rather than wrap around. Swartz Canyon was actually quite pretty and the little ridge crest had some cool views, but the first few miles of trail system felt really inefficient, forming a big S-shape with lots of additional vertical gain and loss rather than just switchbacking more directly. Of course, this could just be a complaint stemming from my overheated body.
The Mount Gower Ridge Trail bent east and ascended toward False Gower, a granite-covered face just ahead. The trail enters a small meadow and continues up toward the face, then makes a gradual ascending traverse south along False Gower's slope. The gorgeous views and wildflowers started here, as did the eroded rock features the hike seems to be most known for. The notable boulders resembed large teeth and were definitely cool, but maybe I've just seen too much desert granite and have become jaded. Wildflowers, on the other hand, are a rare occurence for me, so I squealed with delight repeatedly as they improved the farther along the trail I went. This year's superbloom was spoiling me.
After a gradual ascent along the eastern slopes of False Gower, the trail crested its southwestern shoulder and I got a view of the true summit of Mount Gower to the east. According to the Preserve brochure map, the Mount Gower Ridge Trail technically ends at this viewpoint, but an obvious trail marked with a prominent sign pointed me onward. The trail dropped down into a meadowy landscape with wide slabs of rock dispersed throughout. The area felt like an alpine tundra in some regards, and I was a little blown away by how unique it felt. After taking about a million photos of the superbloom, I realized the trail had faded significantly and was now only a social trail. I consulted my map and I was definitely still on the route. For some reason I'd assumed this was a more well-traveled endeavor than it is. That said, cairns marked spots that were slightly unclear and I had little confusion when hiking through the meadows.
As I neared the base of Mount Gower, the trail seemed to disappear at a rock slab. Steep hiking brought me up this slab and the trail reappeared higher up, leading me to meadowy ground above with excellent views. After some more steep hiking, I was pushed into a flowing drainage with Class 2/2+ boulders that required some light scrambling. Past here the trail led through chaparral and to the summit block (Class 2). I could see many of the San Diego peaks from this perch, as well as the El Capitan Reservoir below.
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Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!