Hey guys,
I have a friend living in San Diego. What's out there? I was thinking of flying out there, driving up to 6 hours or so and spending a few days/week hiking around. Backpacking would be the main point. Some flyfishing/shooting/rock climbing too for good measure if location permits. Any desert-meets-mountains type areas? Let's see some pics if you have 'em!
Mike
you want to go to the Laguna Mountains Recreation Area.
check out Cibbets Flat in the south, it is a stone's throw of the Pacific Trail. - one hour directly east of San Diego out the I-8, north of La Posta on Kitchen Creek Road, by the Cameron Fire Station.
to the east is the Anza Borrego Desert.
to the north is wooded area and apple-pie and winery country - Julian, Santa Ysabel, etc., plus more wooded camp sites. - i like Cibbets because it is on the border of
remote/still accessible to other things. there's a small stream there that sometimes has fish, but there's little reason to freshwater fish in San Diego when you can go have an epic day saltwater fishing on a charter, probably for a lot less money and effort involved. several ecosystems meet at Cibbets, and ther eare two private valleys to walk up, some pools to take a dip in, etc.
thanks to A-holes that didn't clean up their brass and liked to leave blown-up propane bottles, most public ranges are closed in San Diego County, one of the most gun-friendly counties in California. There are private ranges, and a public one still exists in North County near Palomar, i believe, which is an hour north, but also nice - more wooded.
if you have a six hour drive envelope, there are about a million places to go - Joshua Tree is about 3 hours from downtown San Diego - i prefer San Gorgonio Wilderness, which is near Big Bear.
shooting out east by the Colorado River is still open, i think. Black Meadows is on the California side of the Colorado River and one of my favorite places to hide from the world, and it is just south of a desert wilderness filled with every creature imaginable - summer camping is pleasantly hot, but don't go too far from the water unless you are prepared.
Black Meadows can be seen online - it's built up with all the amenities, boat ramps, a beach, etc. and it costs a little extra, but well worth the views and opportunities IMHO. - real nice folks there consistently - i usually get invited to waterski and drink some stranger's beer every time i go.... i stop there when i take road trips east to Texas, etc.
HTH.
vec
