Pala Mountain Trip Report

2,140+ ft

Date: October 2, 2004

I failed on this one because of bushwhacking concerns.

Edward Earl's report was valid, and I used it to access the 1,100 foot high base of the ridge in said report. I turned back about 100 feet higher, along said ridge, because the trail was continually disappearing, reappearing, and all of this while nursing a pack with failing zipper that threatened to dump its contents ... and a new Goretex pair of trousers, eighty dollars, that surely would have been ripped apart in the effort.

I don't know if it is "worth" a return attempt. Pala Mountain is number twenty-three on the San Diego County prominence list (with 1,100 feet of prominence). So a list completion is not possible without a reattempting the summit.

There is a $2 day-use charge to park at Wilderness Gardens, which, as Edward noted, is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. five days a week (all but Thursday and Friday).