It’s time for the 2nd edition of my Where I’ve Run Wednesday series and this month I’m going to continue on with some of our favorite spots here in San Diego. Today I’m talking about Mount Woodson Trail at Lake Poway.
On Christmas Eve, Sean & I were looking for some new trails to run and we decided to head over to Lake Poway and head up Mount Woodson Trail to Potato Chip Rock.
Be prepared to pay a $5 entry fee to get in. We got an early Christmas gift on Christmas Eve because there was no one at the gate, but the next time we went they did charge us $5. We asked and you can pay with credit card if you don’t have cash.
The trail starts out nice and relatively level with some small uphils and nice downhill before you make a turn to head up the Mount Woodson Trail. And here is where you start heading up, according to my Garmin there is about 1,300 ft of climbing in mile 2 – 3. While Sean can run up the whole thing, I typically hike up this area because I’m huffing & puffing a lot.
There are a lot of really cool huge boulders that you will pass and some of the areas are a bit narrow. Once you get to the top, you’ll see Potato Chip Rock. I have to say, I was expecting something a bit different the first time I went up. I really thought it was going to be a lot bigger.
On Christmas Eve, there were only a few people waiting to take photos so we didn’t have to wait long to get our photos taken. I started up and then got a bit nervous to jump over to the rock but I eventually made it and Sean got a few cool photos. The sky was kind of ominous but was pretty.
Side note: The second time we went up, it was a Saturday and we got up only to see a long line of people waiting for their photo op. I’d estimate it was at least an hour wait if not longer and it was already after 3:00pm and the park closed at 5pm so definitely allow enough time to get down if you are going for a photo.
The way down was amazing though, after running through the boulders and by a lone tree, there is an amazing view of Lake Poway as you fly down the trail. This is where Sean took one of my all time favorite photos.
About 45 minutes from downtown San Diego, Mount Woodson Trail is a must see. Just make sure to bring lots of water as it can get really hot and dry.
