McGinty Mountain

You do not want to try this hike unless you are ready for a five mile hike. It is a gradual grade, but there are some very steep rocky inclines. Great vistas are your reward. At the end of the hike someone had an aggressive dog, which was butting at people. We love dogs, we have 3 of them… we don’t take them hiking… they bark and might disturb the serenity. Be smart enough to leave your aggressive animals at home. Also, be considerate of those walking the trail, there was quite a bit of dog waste on the trail.

Not heavily trafficked. Saw maybe 5 or 6 people the whole hike. I enjoyed it, lots of incline in a few places, but worth it because the views at the top were gorgeous. When you reach what seems like a fork in the road, go right. (stay ion the heavily traveled sand/​dirt path) this was a good 5 miles hike I would do again.

Good hike. Not sure on exact distance but takes about 2hrs r/​t. Moderate incline. Has a nice view when you get to the top! Real easy to get off trail, so make sure you stay on the thicker one

I’m not an experienced hiker and didn’t make it to the top, but I loved that at almost any point, there were beautiful views. I gave it 4 stars because there was barely any shade. It was hot, it’s August and 90 degrees. Better not to go in the summer. But, it was still worth it to me. When you get closer to the top it’s pretty steep.

Lovely vista.
As I am the unofficial hiking planner for my friends, I was looking for some new, medium-​length, close to San Diego hikes for our weekends. We had a few hours on a Sunday afternoon yesterday, so we took advantage by driving out to Jamul to hike a new, unknown peak.
As we drove through random rocky neighborhoods and suburbia, my friends expressed doubt at my choice of hike. But when we started up the peak and came to the top of the ridge with vistas out towards San Diego, they revised their statements.
A rocky, deserty hike. My hiking app said it was 5.3 miles and we did it in just over 2 hours. (We weren’t hiking too hard — just enjoying the day — but it could be a good workout.) The view from the top was great. 360 degree view, and we could see downtown San Diego, the bay, and Point Loma through the haze. The breeze was brisk at the top, so we didn’t linger long.
Recommended if you want a change of pace from Woodson, Cowles, Iron.

A good hike and great views, but McGinty is never home.

Okay, so I was reluctant to do this hike, since 2 of the 3 reviews weren’t so hot. I’m the kind of person that runs up and down Cowles Mt. or Iron Mt. as part of my weekly workout routine… I do the west approach of Mt. Woodson in two hours (roundtrip)…so, you can imagine that I wasn’t expecting much! But I’d seen Mt. McGinty from my house for 4 years now, and wanted to give it a go.
As for the reviewers that stated the trails are hard to find and not marked, I can understand they’d feel that way if they didn’t stay on the right trail. If you stay on the correct trail (the wider and more obvious one that winds to the right and goes down a bit), the peak isn’t hard to find at all. We also saw the cave, but it’s tricky to get to, so it wouldn’t be a part of the hike.
As for the reviewers that stated the vista wasn’t all that, I don’t think you got to the top. After that initial steep ascent (which only takes 20 – 30 minutes), you have to turn to your left and keep going! After another 30 minutes, we were at the top. We were higher than Crest, and just as high as San Miguel. I could see all the peaks all the way to the ocean, to Mt. Laguna, Otay Lakes, and Mt. Woodson. It was beautiful!
If you’re a hiker like me, this ascent will take you about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the top, so expect 1−½ to 2 hour round trip jaunt (conservatively speaking). It’s comparable to Iron Mountain for ease and views. I gave Iron Mt. 4 stars as well. Mt. Woodson got five stars since there’s 1,000 feet more elevation gain. Both are beautiful. Enjoy!

The beginning was very plush with weeds. The trail is very unkempt so be prepared to not see a clear dirt path or follow an easily accessible trail. There was no one else on the trail and it was very confusing, especially when coming down so be careful. It does have some nice places to sit around or maybe even camp once you’re closer to the top.

This is way an easier hike than any website or guide book lets on for anyone who has a half dozen or so hikes under their belt at least. It’s supposed to be a 1300 ft. elevation change but it’s very gradual so you can’t really tell and there are a lot of flat parts for long periods of time so I was disappointed in the total calorie burn of the hike which was about 400 less than my normal hikes. The trails are VERY poorly marked so it’s easy to get confused and not be able to go back the very same way you went up. Mark your own trials with rocks, etc.
The entrance to a trailhead is .4 of a mile on the right once you get onto Jamul Dr. and only marked with a few boulder and a small parking area enough for 6 cars or so. It’s a flat start to the trail for about 5 min until you see a very small unmarked path going up the mountain on the right. On the left you will see a brand new house and if you keep going straight, you will actually enter their property without knowing it. The owner of the house came out screaming that we were heading past the entrance to the path and to get off her property!
Overall, it’s a 2 hour hike and 4.5 miles up and back if you don’t get lost and is very good for beginners to intermediates. I give it a ⁵⁄₁₀ in difficulty which is much lower than what the websites give it.
The vistas are a little disappointing as you mainly see brand new mansions built in amongst dry plants and desert. I’ve seen prettier but it wasn’t too bad for a pleasant Sunday afternoon stroll. Overall, it’s a nice easy hike if you wanna chit chat and not exert yourself too much but still get a little workout.
Directions from SD: Take I-​5 S to CA 94 E. In 13.3 mi., turn R onto Campo Rd. In 4.5 mi., turn L onto Lyons Valley Rd. In .8 mi., turn L onto Jamul Dr.
Park .4 mi. later near gated trail entrance.