11 Lake Morena Trail

OVERVIEW

LENGTH: 4.8 miles

CONFIGURATION: Out-and-back

SCENERY: View of lake, pine and oak forest

EXPOSURE: Partially shaded

TRAFFIC: Light

TRAIL SURFACE: Packed soil

HIKING TIME: 3.5 hours

ACCESS: $2 per car parking fee

MAPS: Distributed with parking fee at ranger booth, or available online at www.co.san-diego.ca.us/parks/Camping/lake_morena_map.html

FACILITIES: Restrooms in campground area

SPECIAL COMMENTS: Watch for snakes, including rattlesnakes; the wide-open space of the trail makes for good observation. If you have small children, stay safe and skip the high, narrow Hauser Overlook Trail section; remain on the wide main trail, where even pushing a stroller is possible. For information, call (858) 565-3600.

SNAPSHOT

This pleasant hike through varying landscapes offers view after view of postcard-perfect scenery that makes the 60-mile drive from San Diego worth the time.

CLOSE-UP

From the small dirt lot, walk back around to the gate you passed to park. Access a southwest-bound dirt road, Ward’s Flat Trail, partially shaded by cottonwood trees on the right. The route curves, traveling around a finger of Lake Morena, and begins to head northwest. Outcroppings of lichen-encrusted granite rise on the left, some like sheer walls with oak trees seemingly growing right from their craggy faces. Birdsong fills the air.

At 0.7 miles, a granite step stretches out on the right, creating a natural balcony overlooking Lake Morena that is framed by the gnarled branches of an old knotty oak. The trail climbs very gradually past Indian paintbrush growing in fiery, coral-red clumps; boulder walls soon give way to flat meadows. In spring, yellow daisylike flowers no bigger than your fingertip carpet the ground and emit a nearly suffocating tangy-sweet scent.

At about 1 mile you’ll notice the connecting trail on the right. Pass it for now; also pass the short, dead-end road on the left that leads to a dilapidated metal storage barn. The trail curves south, heading away from the lake, and moves slightly downhill onto the Morena Butte section of the hike. As you continue, look for a dilapidated concrete chimney and a few steps—all that’s left of a recreation building built some 80 years ago. In the distance to the right, a red-brown rock butte, reminiscent of those in New Mexico, reaches toward the sky. Atop it, freestanding boulders perch precariously along the ridge.

Continue hiking through an area of mature pine and oak that opens into wide, grassy prairies. Although the landscape is varied, the towering pines lend an alpine feel to this segment of the hike.

Half a mile past the chimney, you’ll come to side trails heading southeast and west. Ignore these and, instead, turn the corner to reach the northwest section of the Morena Butte Trail, making your way back toward the lake. You’ll pass through more towering pines and spot a connecting trail on your right that leads back to Ward’s Flat Trail. Stay to the left here, heading northwest onto Hidden Cove Trail.

Continue down through a shady oak-dominated forest. After 0.2 miles from the end of Morena Butte Trail, the lake comes into view again and another 0.4 miles takes you to the gated end of the trail, where you can enjoy views of Lake Morena.

Heading back up Hidden Cove Trail, watch for a single-track path on your right. You might not have noticed it as you passed by the first time. But after backtracking about 0.4 miles, you’ll discover the path in a washed-out area in a narrow meadow break in the trees.

This narrow path, the Hauser Overlook Trail, heads uphill but is not strenuous. Giving you a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding area, the trail invites you to pause and look out over the lake, which reflects the sky—changing from blue to gray according to the weather. Watch, and listen, for rattlesnakes, especially in spring.

The trail continues up, bending to the west, where it ends on a rock cliff looking out to the west and down over the dam. Standing on the edge of the cliff, ponder the history of Lake Morena, which includes a 1916 contract between a drought-riddled city of San Diego and Charles Hatfield, a man known as “the rainmaker.” Shortly after Hatfield set up his towers near the dam and concocted his secret rain recipe that caused smoke to billow into the air … the rain began. It poured for days, deluging San Diego with so much rain that bridges washed away and homes slid off their foundations. Citizens then sued the city for damage to their property! The city never paid Hatfield, reasoning that the rain was an act of God rather than a result of Hatfield’s magic.

Retrace your steps downhill to the main trail. When you reach the connecting section, turn right and follow it back to Ward’s Flat Trail, which will deliver you to your car.

MORE FUN

The Campo Stone Store and Museum at 31130 CA 94 is an interesting historical diversion about 20 minutes from Lake Morena; call (619) 478-5707 for more information.

TO THE TRAILHEAD

From I-8 East, exit and turn right onto Buckman Springs Road, continuing west for about 6 miles. Turn right on Oak Drive and travel for another 1.5 miles to Lake Morena Drive. Turn right and drive straight into Lake Morena Regional Park. Pay for parking at the ranger booth, then continue just past a gate on the left (the trailhead), where you’ll turn into a small dirt parking area.