Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks, a scruffy, boulder-studded promontory rising amid Poway’s suburban streets, is less known for its own existence than for the major street named after it: Twin Peaks Road. After a short but vigorous climb, it’s fun to poke in and around the fractured outcrops of rock and stand on the breezy summit to admire the inclusive view of Poway and its environs. The two-mile round-trip to the top involves a short, very steep segment of hard-packed dirt road, plus another very steep section of narrow trail strewn with jagged rocks, so make sure your shoes have good ankle support and traction. This could be quite an adventure for little ones, as long as they are properly supervised and possibly given an assist at a couple of spots. For summertime comfort, you’d best make this climb in the cool morning or early evening hours. And don’t forget to take along drinking water.

To get to the starting point for the Twin Peaks hike, exit Interstate 15 at Ted Williams Parkway and drive east 2.5 miles to Twin Peaks Road. Turn right (east), proceed 0.4 mile, and turn left on Silverset Street. Drive north to the end of the street and arrive at Silverset Park, where you can leave your car either in a small lot or in the surrounding neighborhood.

From Silverset Park, you face a climb of 700 vertical feet. Start off by following a fire road going northeast to the brow of a south-trending ridge. Just as this road starts to flatten and descend, veer left on a narrow path going left (north) up along the ridge. After 0.2 mile the path bends left and makes a brief descent through thick chaparral into the bottom of a ravine. Once you’re in that ravine, turn sharply uphill and climb straight to the saddle between the two peaks. The peak to the left, about 60 feet higher than the one on the right, has the better view by far.

Sponsored
Sponsored

As seen from the summit, a carpet of tract-style homes recedes in the south, while mansions on generous lots fill the hills and valleys to the north and east. A small blue slice of Lake Poway lies some three miles to the northeast, while the more conspicuous rock-fill dam of Ramona Reservoir nuzzles into rocky hills beyond. Look for the distinctive “Tooth Rock” in the east, atop a ridge in the middle distance.

This article contains information about a publicly owned recreation or wilderness area. Trails and pathways are not necessarily marked. Conditions can change rapidly. Hikers should be properly equipped and have safety and navigational skills. The Reader and Jerry Schad assume no responsibility for any adverse experience.

TWIN PEAKS
Enjoy an all-around view from the top of Poway’s Twin Peaks summit.
Distance from downtown San Diego: 26 miles
Hiking length: 2 miles round-trip
Difficulty: Moderate

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Now what can they do with Encinitas unstable cliffs?

Make the cliffs fall, put up more warnings, fine beachgoers?

Twin Peaks, a scruffy, boulder-studded promontory rising amid Poway’s suburban streets, is less known for its own existence than for the major street named after it: Twin Peaks Road. After a short but vigorous climb, it’s fun to poke in and around the fractured outcrops of rock and stand on the breezy summit to admire the inclusive view of Poway and its environs. The two-mile round-trip to the top involves a short, very steep segment of hard-packed dirt road, plus another very steep section of narrow trail strewn with jagged rocks, so make sure your shoes have good ankle support and traction. This could be quite an adventure for little ones, as long as they are properly supervised and possibly given an assist at a couple of spots. For summertime comfort, you’d best make this climb in the cool morning or early evening hours. And don’t forget to take along drinking water.

To get to the starting point for the Twin Peaks hike, exit Interstate 15 at Ted Williams Parkway and drive east 2.5 miles to Twin Peaks Road. Turn right (east), proceed 0.4 mile, and turn left on Silverset Street. Drive north to the end of the street and arrive at Silverset Park, where you can leave your car either in a small lot or in the surrounding neighborhood.

From Silverset Park, you face a climb of 700 vertical feet. Start off by following a fire road going northeast to the brow of a south-trending ridge. Just as this road starts to flatten and descend, veer left on a narrow path going left (north) up along the ridge. After 0.2 mile the path bends left and makes a brief descent through thick chaparral into the bottom of a ravine. Once you’re in that ravine, turn sharply uphill and climb straight to the saddle between the two peaks. The peak to the left, about 60 feet higher than the one on the right, has the better view by far.

Sponsored
Sponsored

As seen from the summit, a carpet of tract-style homes recedes in the south, while mansions on generous lots fill the hills and valleys to the north and east. A small blue slice of Lake Poway lies some three miles to the northeast, while the more conspicuous rock-fill dam of Ramona Reservoir nuzzles into rocky hills beyond. Look for the distinctive “Tooth Rock” in the east, atop a ridge in the middle distance.

This article contains information about a publicly owned recreation or wilderness area. Trails and pathways are not necessarily marked. Conditions can change rapidly. Hikers should be properly equipped and have safety and navigational skills. The Reader and Jerry Schad assume no responsibility for any adverse experience.

TWIN PEAKS
Enjoy an all-around view from the top of Poway’s Twin Peaks summit.
Distance from downtown San Diego: 26 miles
Hiking length: 2 miles round-trip
Difficulty: Moderate

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Thanksgiving Lunch Cruise, The Avengers and Zeros ‘77, Small Business Saturday In Escondido

Events November 28-November 30, 2024
Next Article

Second largest yellowfin tuna caught by rod and reel

Excel does it again
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader