Mount Woodson — A Hike Among the Giants

Mt. Woodson is a landmark in nearby town Ramona that can be seen from many spots in North County. It's a granite pluton that forms part of the grand entrance to our Valley of the Sun at 6 miles west of downtown Ramona.

There are two trails. The most popular is the east or main access road up to the towers from state Route 67. The other is the Fry-Koegel trail.

To access the east trail, park your vehicle in a safe place along the west side of the highway, near the Forest Service entrance. Then work your way through a break in the fence. The trail climbs up a bit through the Forest Service area to the public access point on the service road.

The slope increases very quickly to a moderately difficult level, but it's paved and so it offers decent footing. There are huge boulder fields that you hike through and switchbacks to get you to the top. There are many climbing boulders, with climbers seen regularly on the way up. The hike around the boulders is a surreal experience and the views are great. You can see the coast from Oceanside to Mexico.

Mt. Woodson's summit also offers wonderful views of Ramona and the mountains in the east and coastal areas. Communication towers obstruct part of the view. The towers are private and secured.

The east trail can access either the Lake Poway Trail in east Poway or the Fry-Koegel Trail which swings from the peak around the north side back to the north of the Forest Service Station at state Route 67. It has an access trail between the Forest Service Station and Mt. Woodson housing development. This is a bit longer loop of 8 miles starting north of the Forest Service Station and heading along the Mt. Woodson development along the base of the north face of Mt. Woodson for about 4 miles. As you get to the northwest face, the trail rises to the far east side where it joins the trail from the Blue Sky Ecological Preserve in Poway. Turning left to head up the mountain, it’s a robust climb about 2 miles back up to the peak. From here it’s another 1.8 miles down the mountain to the highway exit.

Mt. Woodson is a particular granite called Mt. Woodson Granodorite. It is the main granite of the plutonic formations around the area. The boulders we see crowding the mountain top are an artifact of erosion. They weather rounded. Other factors eroding the rocks are wildfire and lightning, which can also cause of some the large fractures. This granite literally explodes in the very hot wildfires.

According to hiking author Jerry Schad, this mountain was known among early settlers as Cobblestone Peak. The local Indians knew it as “The Mountain of Moonlight Rocks.” It was mapped and named in 1885 after Confederate Dentist Dr. Marshall Clay Woodson. The glow-in-the-dark nature of the boulders is due to the light color from the feldspar and quartz components of the granite. This feldspar mineral is white. The other significant component of the granite is quartz, which is clear and crystalline and reflects some of the light from a bright moon. In addition, Mt. Woodson granite is low in hematite. It is a light gray color. Hematite is the black component of some granite.

Watching this mountain over time, one sees many aspects of Mt. Woodson, the gap and Rock Haven peak across state Route 67. The mountain pass has a “river” of fog that pushes up from the valleys in Poway to come into the Ramona Valley. It is eerie early in the morning driving through this fog. The storms tend to swirl around these peaks and it does interesting things to cloud formations and storm fronts, thus breaking the severe weather coming into Ramona. The name Valley of the Sun could well derive from this cloud breaking of the mountain ridge.

Mt. Woodson with snow is also an interesting sight, with the boulders having an extra glisten to them day or night. The drive down the hill through the Mt. Woodson pass is a wonderful view of the valleys and the ocean all the way to Coronado Bay.

It’s a wonderful place to visit, hike and experience. I hope you get to enjoy it.

If you go:
Directions: 6 miles west from downtown Ramona on state Route 67 south.

Elevation increase: 1,200 feet and 3.6 mile east trail: 1,700 feet and 8 mile west trail with steep climbs. Mt. Woodson peak is at 2,894 feet.

Difficulty level:  moderate. The trail can be hot in summer, so plan morning hikes then. Rattlesnakes sighted here.

Parking: There is public parking at the park entrance along the highway. Park at your own risk. Be sure to hide anything of value and lock up tight. There have been many vehicle thefts there. If you park on the east side of the highway, be very cautious crossing the highway. It's not recommended.

Restrooms: No facilities at the site.

GPS: Latitude 33.00871  Longitude: 116.97108