Directions: I-8 east from San Diego to Sunrise Highway exit.
Exit left, follow Sunrise Highway into Mt. Laguna Recreation Area. Go to the
Meadows Information station. Park. On the west side of the Sunrise Highway
there is a trail marker for the Sunset Trail (at Meadows Information Station there is a
permanent outside map). Get on the trail. Run.
Trail Information: There are two very different possibilities; one is a
three mile easy loop following the Sunset trail to Water of the Woods (aka Laguna Pond)
then bearing right back toward where you have parked. The other is a more rugged 8
mile loop that follows the entire Sunset trail to Laguna Lake trail head. Turn right
(east) along the Lake (usually dry) to the earth dam. Turn right over the dam, bear
slightly left, then right curving over a knoll, down a small hill back to Water of the
Woods, left and out to your car.
Miscellaneous Information: Rocky and uneven in places makes a nice
concentration exercise. Watch for rattlesnakes and cows. Some steep sections
no more than 20 feet -- the entire trail is at an altitude from 5000 - 6000 feet.
Martha Kennedy