This was my 4th attempt at making it to the top of Iron Mountain in Poway, California. The other attempts were cut short by having to rush back to pick up kids from school. I just didn’t budget enough time and was disappointed to have to turn back when I was so close to the top! So making it there this time, and having an amazing day to do so, really made this one special.
There’s so much advice out there on the ins and outs of this trail, so I won’t bore you with too many details here. This is more of a visual post giving you a chance to see how beautiful it is up there.
Iron Mountain is in San Diego’s top 5 most visited trails. It is PACKED on weekends, making parking a chore, and the trail itself too overcrowded for my taste. Just like when I tackle the other more popular trails around the county, I treated myself to a day off work to do this one. I was glad I did! It has probably been my second favorite of the year so far. Our day at the Anza Borrego slot canyon is going to be hard to beat!
Note: this is a 360 photo. Click on the picture options to move it around
Just a couple pieces of advice that I do want to offer, and this goes for pretty much any SD trails that are not coastal… this place gets hot AF during the warmer months! It’s quite miserable to be on trails like this in summer/fall. This one has very little shade for long spells and the sandy trail will be baking hot. Take the necessary precautions for your safety (lots of water, hat, sunscreen, etc), and definitely do not bring dogs if it’s hot.
Enjoy!
These photos were taken Feb 5 2025 with iPhone and GoPro. Video (GoPro Hero 13) and the 360 Sphere photo (DJI Mini 3 Pro)
This was number 7 in the 52in25 series. Check out the others here.