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

Sunset trail

Big Sky Country in San Diego County

Lower Sunset Trail on Mount Laguna passes through vast meadows and deep pine forests and skirts a pond and a couple of lakes.
Lower Sunset Trail on Mount Laguna passes through vast meadows and deep pine forests and skirts a pond and a couple of lakes.

Montana is not the only state that can boast being “Big Sky Country.” We have the same bragging rights in our own backyard: the Laguna Mountains (locals call it “the Lagunas”). Tucked in the Cleveland National Forest, the Lagunas is an impressive mountain range with the highest point at 6300 feet, high enough for snowfall during the winter. One of the best hikes in the Lagunas is lower Sunset Trail section, a 3.25-mile loop filled with vast meadows, dense pine forests, a pond, and a couple lakes. It offers fantastic views of the mountains and, on a clear day, the Pacific Ocean and downtown San Diego.

The trailhead is off Sunrise Highway (SR-1), where you can park along the highway at the Meadows Information Station at mile-marker 19.1. The trailhead is located off the highway shoulder on the north side of the highway. There are several trails connecting to Sunset Trail, but the route is easy to follow with trail markers at each intersection. Sunset Trail connects with the Big Laguna Trail to make for an enjoyable and easy 2–4-hour loop with about 500 feet of elevation gain/loss. Sunset Trail is a hikers-only trail and one of the few in the mountains that allow dogs on leash.

Sponsored
Sponsored

After 1.5 miles into the hike, the trail takes you into the Laguna Meadows, covered with native black oaks, Engelmann oaks, and giant Jeffrey pines. Make sure you stop and plant your nose very close to the bark of a Jeffrey pine tree. You’ll look silly, but the reward is worth it — the bark emits a delicious vanilla scent. The scent is addictive and you will be sniffing every pine tree in your path.

After about another mile, Big Laguna Trail intersects with Sunset Trail in the Meadows at “Water-of-the-Woods,” a small pond brimming with flowering water lilies and ducks during the spring and early summer. During the winter, when ice appears, pine cones rest on the surface. This is a good place for a snack and a decision point to either extend the walk via a combination of Sunset/Big Laguna Trails north or take Big Laguna Trail south for a leisurely finish of the 3.25-mile loop. This loop hugs Big Laguna Lake, situated in the middle of the Meadows with views of the Laguna Mountains, surrounded by pine forests on all sides. Birdwatchers will have no problem spotting several types of water fowls, red-wing blackbirds, stellar jays, and robins. Because the Lagunas contain several habitats, many native plants thrive here, including prickly pears, typically found in deserts and chaparral; mountain mahogany, found mostly in chaparrals and woodlands; and wart-stemmed ceanothus, a California lilac occurring in coastal and mountain areas.

Best times to visit are in the spring, when the ponds and lakes are full of bird activities and flowering water plants; or during the autumn, when the air is crisp and mountain-fresh and the black-oak leaves turn to autumn colors. So, go get yourself a National Forest Adventure Pass ($5 per vehicle at sporting-goods stores and in Ramona, Pine Valley, or Laguna locations), grab the leash and the dog, the camera, and enjoy San Diego’s Big Sky Country.

Distance from downtown San Diego: Either 50 or 62 miles. Allow 1 or 1.5 hours driving time. Drive east from San Diego on I-8 and take Sunrise Hwy (SR-1) north. Drive to either mile-marker 19.1 at the Meadows Information Station or to the Penny Pines turnout at mile-marker 27.3. A National Forest Adventure Pass is required to park at either location. No facilities guaranteed.

Hiking length: 3.25 miles or close to 9 miles, depending on combination of Sunset and Big Laguna Trails taken. A car parked at each end could also enable a one-way down Sunset Trail, which is hikers-only for about 4 miles. Big Laguna Trail allows hikers, horses, and bikes.

Difficulty: Easy 3–6-hour loop hike with a 500-foot elevation gain/loss.

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

Summit Fellowship wants to be a home of belonging

Unitarian Universalism allows you to be exactly who you are in the moment
Lower Sunset Trail on Mount Laguna passes through vast meadows and deep pine forests and skirts a pond and a couple of lakes.
Lower Sunset Trail on Mount Laguna passes through vast meadows and deep pine forests and skirts a pond and a couple of lakes.

Montana is not the only state that can boast being “Big Sky Country.” We have the same bragging rights in our own backyard: the Laguna Mountains (locals call it “the Lagunas”). Tucked in the Cleveland National Forest, the Lagunas is an impressive mountain range with the highest point at 6300 feet, high enough for snowfall during the winter. One of the best hikes in the Lagunas is lower Sunset Trail section, a 3.25-mile loop filled with vast meadows, dense pine forests, a pond, and a couple lakes. It offers fantastic views of the mountains and, on a clear day, the Pacific Ocean and downtown San Diego.

The trailhead is off Sunrise Highway (SR-1), where you can park along the highway at the Meadows Information Station at mile-marker 19.1. The trailhead is located off the highway shoulder on the north side of the highway. There are several trails connecting to Sunset Trail, but the route is easy to follow with trail markers at each intersection. Sunset Trail connects with the Big Laguna Trail to make for an enjoyable and easy 2–4-hour loop with about 500 feet of elevation gain/loss. Sunset Trail is a hikers-only trail and one of the few in the mountains that allow dogs on leash.

Sponsored
Sponsored

After 1.5 miles into the hike, the trail takes you into the Laguna Meadows, covered with native black oaks, Engelmann oaks, and giant Jeffrey pines. Make sure you stop and plant your nose very close to the bark of a Jeffrey pine tree. You’ll look silly, but the reward is worth it — the bark emits a delicious vanilla scent. The scent is addictive and you will be sniffing every pine tree in your path.

After about another mile, Big Laguna Trail intersects with Sunset Trail in the Meadows at “Water-of-the-Woods,” a small pond brimming with flowering water lilies and ducks during the spring and early summer. During the winter, when ice appears, pine cones rest on the surface. This is a good place for a snack and a decision point to either extend the walk via a combination of Sunset/Big Laguna Trails north or take Big Laguna Trail south for a leisurely finish of the 3.25-mile loop. This loop hugs Big Laguna Lake, situated in the middle of the Meadows with views of the Laguna Mountains, surrounded by pine forests on all sides. Birdwatchers will have no problem spotting several types of water fowls, red-wing blackbirds, stellar jays, and robins. Because the Lagunas contain several habitats, many native plants thrive here, including prickly pears, typically found in deserts and chaparral; mountain mahogany, found mostly in chaparrals and woodlands; and wart-stemmed ceanothus, a California lilac occurring in coastal and mountain areas.

Best times to visit are in the spring, when the ponds and lakes are full of bird activities and flowering water plants; or during the autumn, when the air is crisp and mountain-fresh and the black-oak leaves turn to autumn colors. So, go get yourself a National Forest Adventure Pass ($5 per vehicle at sporting-goods stores and in Ramona, Pine Valley, or Laguna locations), grab the leash and the dog, the camera, and enjoy San Diego’s Big Sky Country.

Distance from downtown San Diego: Either 50 or 62 miles. Allow 1 or 1.5 hours driving time. Drive east from San Diego on I-8 and take Sunrise Hwy (SR-1) north. Drive to either mile-marker 19.1 at the Meadows Information Station or to the Penny Pines turnout at mile-marker 27.3. A National Forest Adventure Pass is required to park at either location. No facilities guaranteed.

Hiking length: 3.25 miles or close to 9 miles, depending on combination of Sunset and Big Laguna Trails taken. A car parked at each end could also enable a one-way down Sunset Trail, which is hikers-only for about 4 miles. Big Laguna Trail allows hikers, horses, and bikes.

Difficulty: Easy 3–6-hour loop hike with a 500-foot elevation gain/loss.

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

Reader 1st place writing contest winner gets kudos

2nd place winner not so much
Next Article

Croome Brothers Trio, Jack Tempchin, Ricky, Swami & the Bed Of Nails, Kahlil Nash

Acoustic and electric in Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy, and City Heights
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.