El Cajon Mountain, commonly known as El Capitan or El cap, is a mountain in the
Cuyamaca Mountains
The Cuyamaca Mountains ( Kumeyaay: ''‘Ekwiiyemak''), locally the Cuyamacas, are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges System, in San Diego County, southern California. The mountain range runs roughly northwest to southeast. The Laguna Mount ...
, and prominent natural landmark in the
East County
East County is a region of San Diego County, California, east of San Diego.
Geography
East County does not have an official geographic definition, although East County boundaries are unofficially drawn by the County of San Diego for its second ...
of
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
.
Geography
The summit of El Cajon Mountain is at .
The mountain is almost completely surrounded by private property and an
Indian reservation
An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...
,
but the mountain itself is mostly within the
Cleveland National Forest
Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres (), mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the forest. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. It is administered by th ...
or the County of San Diego's El Capitan Open Space Preserve.
Recreation
There are two main routes to climb El Cajon Mountain, the main
class 1 trail hike from
Lakeside, California
Lakeside is a census designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 20,648 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, up from 19,560 as of the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census.
History
Lakeside was home ...
, and several class 3 climbs up the south face,
which is now private property and closed to public access. The main trail hike is considered one of the hardest hikes in San Diego County because of its steep climbs and rolling terrain.
Gallery
El Cajon Mountain Wall.jpg, El Cajon Mountain Wall
El Cajon Mnt, Lunch Rock.jpg, ''Lunch Rock'' on the middle of the south arete
Sign_At_Closed_Area_of_El_Cajon_Mountain_Summit_Junction.jpg, Sign at beginning of the class 3 trail
See also
*
Cleveland National Forest
Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres (), mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the forest. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. It is administered by th ...
References
Mountains of San Diego County, California
Cuyamaca Mountains
Cleveland National Forest
Mountains of Southern California
{{SanDiegoCountyCA-geo-stub