Stelzer Summit

Stelzer County Park within the County of San Diego is a delightful park with several nice features and view points. It is easy distance from San Diego and is a great place to bring kids or to go for a short power hike.

To get to Stelzer County Park take 8 freeway east to 67 north to Winter Gardens Blvd. Turn right and keep right at the fork in the road to Winter Gardens, then turn left onto Woodside Avenue. Turn left on Maine Avenue, then right onto Mapleview St., and left onto Ashwood St. Ashwood becomes Wildcat Canyon Road, and the park is at 11470 Wildcat Canyon Road. For more information about this park see: http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/parks/picnic/stelzer.html

Stelzer Summit is 1,372 foot elevation and is about 1.3 miles to the top. There are several trails to choose from to get there and several knobs that offer nice views. The trail is well maintained. However, it is fairly steep as one approaches the summit the last 100 yards. Once on the ridge the hiking gets easier with some rock scrambling near the top.

Once on top be sure to explore the cave formation which rests within the large boulders. From the peak, one can see 360 degrees around with nice views all around. Because the Wildcat Canyon Road is close by, the traffic noise is heard from many places on the trail.

The park offers several restrooms and two nice playground for kids. There are plenty of shade trees near the picnic area.