Pacific Crest Trail At Penny Pines

I read a review that mentioned you do not need an Adventure Pass, but we stopped @ the Laguna store anyways to check. They told me yes you do. $ 5 pass, just heads up. Parked at penny pines, did the hike to Garnet Peak 3^rd wknd of January, in the 50degree range, got warm where a light jacket was plenty once we started really moving. Brought my dog, he loved it. Great trail type hike till about when you get to the peak it’s more of a little climb. Amazing views, not much else like it in SD. Can’t believe I’ve yet to do this hike until now! I read online while googling it was only a 2something mile hike out and back, but on the way to the peak I thought it was definitely longer than ~1mile in, so I Nike gps’d it on the way down and it was approx ~2miles one way, definitely a ~4mile hike. Great easy/​moderate hike all around, not crowded either.

So close to San Diego but it feels like you are really in nature. The hike is fun but open to any skill level. My dog loved it!

This is a great, relatively easy hike with wonderful views of the surrounding mountains, desert, and Salton Sea. You don’t need an Adventure pass if you’re parking at Penny Pines; however, I would recommend picking up a $ 2 map at the Mount Laguna Lodge Store. You’ll see the parking lot area on both sides of the road ~4 miles from the Lodge Store (look for the cattle guard).
Tack on the ½ mile climb to Garnet Peak and then continue along the PCT to the Pioneer Mail picnic area. There’s another restroom area (nothing fancy – just pit toilets) and picnic tables. Takes approximately 4 hours total for the entire hike (7 miles + Garnet Peak) if you’re walking at a brisk pace.
In late October, you can feel the crisp mountain air, which is a welcome change from the summer record heat. As others have mentioned, I would make sure to bring hiking boots, layers of clothing, sunglasses/​hat, sunscreen, water & snack food.

We camped at Laguna Campground so it was a couple miles to trek over to PCT at Penny Pines. We went up to Garnet Peak, there was a pretty steep incline and rocky terrain. I recommend hiking boots to protect your feet and ankles, I wouldn’t use my trail-​runners on this hike. There was no shade as expected during the hot month of August but there was a wonderful surprise rain that lasted for 15 minutes!
Great view on top of Garnet Peak Trail, we took our water break on the top of the hanging cliff. We saw only 1 other hiker on this section of PCT. We felt like we were in another world far away from San Diego. We followed the trail until it ended at the picnic area (you can continue to several other hikes from this point). We purchased a Laguna Mountain Map at our campground for $ 2 which was greatly useful. I recommend for anyone at any fitness level, just take it slow on the incline or take a break! I absolutely loved this hike and look forward to hiking it again soon.

Hiked Saturday August 15, 2015
Penny Pines to Garnet Peak
Mileage: 4.4 miles
Time: 2+ hours
First off, there is no shade on this trail. NO SHADE AT ALL. Wear plenty of sunblock and bring water! We hiked it in 95 degree weather. It was hot, very hot.
Directions: We camped at Laguna Campground, so this hike is just down the street from here. When you come out of Laguna Campground go left, you pass the lookout to the right and keep going. Watch out for the mile markers, once you pass mile 27.5, go a little further and Penny Pines will be on the right. If you go pas mile marker 27, you’ve gone too far. From what the ranger station told us, you don’t need an adventure pass to park on the side of the street. I wasn’t too sure, so I still put my year pass on display.
Trail: So you do probably a little under 2 miles one way on the PCT and you will get to the Garnet Peak Trail on the right hand side. Once you get to that point, it’s pretty much a straight shot up to the peak. It was so hot when we went, I was going so slow! Great views at the top though of Anza Borrego!
Not a very long hike, but it’s a nice one and it’s part of the PCT!

Amazing hike and unlike many in San Diego, there are not truckloads of people on the trail. You may run into one or two who are beginning the PCT journey which is super interesting. The trail meets them about 50 miles into their 1300 mi journey south to north.

We did Garnet Peak trail hike last Saturday, Nov. 15^th, 2014. The length and difficulty are just right for a big group with kids (11, 13), the view is fantastic!
The kids have a lot of fun playing around on big rocks, and because there are no
trees block the view, the grown ups can spot the kids easily on the trail :)
The most memorable thing is, the lady who works in the visitor center lent us
2 jackets for the day, we did not have enough jackets. We felt the warm welcoming
and kindness.

Started at penny lane trail head and hiked to garnet peak and back. Some of the most amazing views and thousand feet drop offs :)
We did this on a Sunday in October, weather was perfect and it took us 3 hours because we like to play around and investigate everything. Had a great snack break at the top of garnet peak, which is a little bit of a climb up at 5,000 ft elev. but nothing harsh.
Get your pass at the Mt Laguna lodge before you hike $ 5

Phenomenal hike, definitely go, it is a true hidden gem! Very manageable drive from San Diego or Orange County. Incredible views in every direction, and in particular of the desert floor below (few thousand foot drop offs). It is an «out and back» hike, so feel free to hike out as far as you’d like before returning.
On the way in, it is easy to pass by the trailhead at Penny Pines. Get ready to pull over and park on the side of the road when you reach mile marker 27 on Sunrise Highway (note: it is a lot less than 27 miles once you get off the 8 at Sunrise Highway). Pick up your $ 5 adventure pass at the Laguna Mountain Lodge (will be on your left as you go through the mountain «village» of Mt. Laguna).
Make sure to hydrate well, the altitude is around 5,000 feet, but did not bother us at all. The trail is fairly easy — gradual inclines and descents. Would highly recommend checking out Garnet Peak, it is a few hundred feet of elevation gain from the main Pacific Crest Trail. Great opportunity to take pictures up there.
On a Saturday afternoon in early September it was not crowded whatsoever, we only saw five people the entire day. We will definitely go back again soon!

Wow. Went on an 11 mile loop that took us through golden fields, past lakes, through snowy meadows, and up and out to a desert overlook, with a view of the Salton Sea. Went on March 1, and I think we probably caught the last snow of the season out there this year. The weather was absolutely perfect– it started out a bit chilly, but walking along for a bit, you warm up and surprise yourself to be in a tank top in the snow and feeling great. This is a great trail to bring dogs on as well– they adore the big wide open fields, taking a few splashes in the lake, and holy moley, dogs love snow! I have never seen dogs go so wild over snow in my life.
It’s a pretty mellow hike– there definitely is elevation getting up to the desert overlook, but it’s such a gradual incline that you don’t really notice it too much. We started our hike near the main road at Penny Pines, bypassed the camping area, and wound our way about to the Pacific Crest Trail to the overlook point. We also took a swing by Foster’s Point, which also offers great views of the desert. This part of the trail was truly breathtaking. The desert stretches on for miles, and the golden sand and dust contrasts intensely with the bright, clear blue sky. Great place to bring your camera. You could see Garnet Peak from where we were, and we considered checking it out as well, but in the end, 11 miles was enough for one day for us.
Going at a relaxed pace with lots of stops to enjoy the views and fuel up with snacks and water, we hiked for about 6 hours. Definitely bring hearty snacks and plenty of water– you will need sunscreen and a hat for sure, sunglasses highly recommended, especially if there is still snow on the ground. Wear comfortable hiking shoes, and take a look at the map before you head out on your trail, as there are lots of possible trails to take, and you could easily get lost if you’re not paying attention to where you’re going. Buy an adventure pass for parking– it’s only $ 5 a day, or something like $ 30 for an annual pass. Definitely one of the best hikes I’ve done in San Diego. It is absolutely worth the drive to get out there and hike! Do not miss this one!

3.5 stars
The PCT at Penny Pines is one of the better hikes in San Diego. I highly recommend taking the trail to the top of Garnet Peak. Once you summit, you’ll be treated to amazing views of the underlying desert & much more. I went on a Saturday morning in May & it was fairly crowded– especially at the top where there is only a small amount of room to sit and relax. Also, I would recommend combining this hike with another one in the Laguna Mountain area as I found the jaunt to Garnet Peak to be on the quick side. If you like to hike, you will enjoy PCT at Penny Pines and Garnet Peak.

Fabulous hike. Amazing views on a clear day of Anzo Borrego. Buy an adventure pass ($ 5) at the visitor center. To do about a 10 mile hike add in the Laguna Trail. After putting in the hard work, on your way back to SD, stop in Alpine at the Alpine Brewery for some great BBQ and beers! Pure «Hoppiness» :)

Awesome hike. Although you do need to buy a forest adventure pass… the nearest one to the trail is at the lodge about 5 miles before you get to the trail head. Otherwise you’ll get ticketed by the rangers (we almost made that mistake).
But definitely the quietness of this trail is something you can’t find everywhere around here.

This is breathtaking.
The Pacific Crest Trail itself is awe inspiring in its entirety, but this section on Mount Laguna is spectacular.
You can travel North or South (though I recommend North) and have spectacular panoramic views of the desert below. The trail is exceptionally well maintained, and rises and falls gently for a about 13 miles north before it descends into the Anza Borrego State Park below.
The views from the Penny Pines trailhead are of Anza to the East. You can see Split Mountain, the Vallecito Mountains, and though they are far away, the Carrizo Badlands. On a clear day the Salton Sea is visible as well.
There is a potable water source on the west side of Sunrise Highway here, as well as many trails on that side as well (Laguna Meadow and the top of the Nobel Canyon Trail).
You will need an adventure pass to park here, but the turnouts on both sides of the Highway are large and accomodate many vehicles.
Adventure Passes are available at the Laguna Mountain Store and are good for an entire year. Quite a deal if you take advantage of it.