With COVID-19 ramping up this spring, we followed California’s stay at home orders and didn’t leave our house or neighborhood much at all. However, there were two days where we were all feeling a little too cooped up, so we ventured East into the desert to stretch our legs away from people.
Domelands Trail
The Domelands Trail is a 7 mile trail in the Coyote Mountain Wilderness. It was a 1.5 hour drive East of San Diego, which was a little longer than we typically go for a hike. The trail is in the desert and can be difficult to find at times, but it offers some amazing landscapes. There are wind caves and slot canyons throughout the area and it is a perfect spot for exploring. Be aware that there is no shade and it can get very hot very quickly. The day we went was in the mid-70s, but the sun made it way too hot for the dog. Without her, we would’ve made the entire loop, but, even with plenty of water, pets can overheat very quickly in the desert. We wandered around for 3.5 miles before calling it a day. This was a very neat hike with very few people (the day we went) but not worth the 3 hours in the car if that’s your only destination.
Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail runs 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada. We’ve hiked portions of this trail in California, Oregon, and Washington, but this time we started at the southern terminus (well, technically 2 miles from Mexico). The day we went, we didn’t pass a single person on the trail and ended up hiking 7 miles. It was an overcast and cool day, which made it perfectly enjoyable as there is minimal shade. We did an out and back, and would call this section on the moderate end of easy. There was <900 ft. of elevation gain and the trail was very even; it would be a great trail to run. There was one stream crossing along the way and a couple of vantage points looking out over the valley to Mexico. This was a great day hike not too far from the city.
mattandbethtravels 