Hiking the PCT

For this hike, we decided to drive down and do two hikes. The first day we hiked from Stephenson Peak Road to Lucky 5 Ranch Gate. The second day we hiked from Stephenson Peak Road to Cibbets Flat. We wanted to do the larger hike on the first day, so we skipped ahead then went back the second day.

This is a beautiful hike that starts near the top of Mt. Laguna at 7,000 ft and follows the ridge line all the way to Lucky 5 Ranch Gate. The entire hike has views of a large valley off to the right. At about 10 miles into the hike there is a nice little park where you can stop and eat at picnic tables and use the outhouse. One section of this hike is on an old road that we read was used for transporting mail over the mountain by horse or donkeys. Just beyond that we reached an area where we saw 3 tombstones from people that had died. It was interesting that they were there on the PCT so far from a road or anything. This hike gave me a few blisters, probably because of going down hill a lot.

I was a little hesitant to do this hike after popping my blisters, but I was very pleased that I decided to go ahead with it. It is a fairly easy, mostly downhill hike. The first part of it goes through a beautifully tree covered meadow area, then descends into the hills that lead up to Mt. Laguna. The hike continues up and down through the hills until you get to Cibbets Flat Campground. We did this hike backwards, which is highly suggested, because south to north would be a very steep challenge.

For these two hikes there are several places you can stay. The first place is Cibbets Flat Campground, which was described in my last blog entry. The other options are in the Mt. Laguna area where you will find several different campgrounds and a motel with little cabins. We stayed at one of the many campgrounds at Mt. Laguna, unfortunately I can’t remember the specific name. Caution: if traveling to this area at night it is extremely dark and signs are not real clear. Some of these campgrounds are also only open at certain times a year. There are nice wooded spots for tents or motor homes with restrooms.

Where to Park

Depending on which way you decide to hike and in which order, there are three places to park in this section of the PCT. I will start with the southern most parking area to the northern most. Cibbets Flat campground, off of Kitchen Creek Road, has many places to park as mentioned in my last blog. Stephenson Peak has a small parking area for people to look out at the amazing views. Lucky 5 Ranch Gate has a large area for parking right off of Highway S1 and an outhouse. The only problem with this hike is that it takes a lot of time to get from Cibbets Flat to Mt. Laguna. There is no straight route there. When entering the Cleveland National Forrest you will need an adventure pass to park.

Tip
When hiking, try not to get your hiking pole stuck between your legs. Jim's pole got stuck up on something between his feet and his hands were strapped to them, so he fell head first into the hard ground. We had to do a little first aid on him. 

You can stay at Laguna Mountain Lodge

Camping at Laguna Mountain

Cleveland National Forrest Information