Trip to the Top : Sweeping Vistas Await Hikers on New Iron Mountain Trail

Amid the boulder-studded mountains that divide Poway from Ramona, the city of Poway has been expanding a network of riding and hiking trails along its sparsely populated eastern margin. The latest addition, the Iron Mountain Trail, has finally opened after five years of piecemeal construction. California Conservation Corps crews put the final touches on the trail this summer, and hundreds of visitors have since stood atop the summit and admired the view. Now that the clear, cold, and crisp days of the approaching winter are almost here, you should consider taking advantage of what I regard as one of North County’s most beautiful hikes.

Although Iron Mountain’s conical summit rises to nearly 2,700 feet above sea level, you don’t really have to climb that far. You can choose between two routes, both starting from elevations only about 1,000 feet lower. I’ll start by describing the longer, tougher and more rewarding northern route from Ellie Lane. This is posted as a multiuse trail, suitable for hikers, horses and mountain bikes--but not motorized vehicles. Don’t consider it a bike route unless you’re a hard-core mountain biker; there are some short, steep stretches that even walkers may consider challenging.

You begin at Highway 67 and Ellie Lane (0.7 mile north of Poway Road), where the trail takes off from the edge of a fenced equestrian staging area just east of the highway. Over the next 1 1/2 miles, you’ll climb through tall growths of chaparral and practically rub shoulders with boulders the size of small trucks. The boulders are good representatives of the type geologists call “Woodson Mountain granodiorite,” which are named after the even more monstrous boulders atop nearby Woodson Mountain. The chaparral includes quite a bit of ceanothus, or “wild lilac,” which should burst into fragrant bloom sometime in February or March, rain and sun permitting. In the meantime, you can enjoy the ineffable sweetness of Cleveland sage, which permeates the air in many places along the trail.

A large live oak spreads a pool of shade across the trail at 0.9 mile. At 1.4 miles, you bend around another large oak and soon pass Table Rock, a curious mushroom-like balanced slab of rock. From there, you’ll get your first glimpse of Iron Mountain’s summit, poking up over lesser ridges in the south.

Ahead, the trail meanders down to cross a small ravine, and then zigzags sharply up along the side of a ridge. You’ll catch your breath just in time to start an equally steep switchback descent into another ravine. Like Sysyphus, you must tackle yet another set of uphill switchbacks, this time right up alongside the bottom of the ravine.

Salvation lies at the saddle ahead (2.4 miles), with a glorious view of mile upon mile of olive-green mountains, culminating at the dark-blue wall of the Cuyamacas. Watch for an easy-to-miss switchback turn ahead--a false trail goes straight and continues for some distance, while the real trail makes a 180-degree turn to the left and descends a dry, east-facing slope. At 2.8 miles, a side trail branches east and follows a ridgeline to a high spot offering a good view of the Ramona Valley.

Continue on the main trail, which descends

moderately south and swings west to reach a signed trail junction, 3.5 miles from Ellie Lane. Iron Mountain’s summit -- despite the posted 2 miles--is really only 1.7 miles away. The wide, well-graded trail zigzags up the mountain’s north flank, offering an ever-widening view of the coastal strip and the mountains to the east. When you reach the summit, you can sign your name into the visitor’s register and admire a true panorama of the Pacific Ocean, glistening beyond the sparkle of rooftops and cars in the suburbs below.

From the aforementioned trail junction, a trail going west leads expressly to a parking turnout along Highway 67, just south of Poway Road.

This trail, 1.5 miles long, can be used to climb Iron Mountain in less time and with less effort than the route outlined above. On this short route, though, you tend to miss much of the sublime beauty and isolation you experience on the northern route.