How To Hike Coldwater Creek Trail

Are you ready for another Weekend Adventure? In this article “Weekend Adventure To Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Cold Water Creek Trail, I’ll review my latest trip to San Diego backcountry and tips to make your hike easy and stress-free.
Last week we went to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and went down another trail a few miles up the road called Sweetwater Trail. This state park has over 100 miles of open trails with different hiking levels. With protests and riots in the big city all, I wanted to do with to be in nature. I tried to get away from social media, negative news, and connect with myself.
Going out into nature is healing and cleanses the soul. I think if more people spent more of their time in nature and less time confined to densely populated cities, we would all be happier people. Having access to open spaces is so vital for us to feel more human. The quarantine and riots make us look like a bunch of savages.
On my drive over to Alyssa’s house, I felt uneasy and energetically out of balance. Going out into nature was just what I needed to get my body in balance.

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Weekend Adventure Clearwater Trail Review

I picked up my hiking buddy Alyssa and made our way east on highway 76. Alyssa and I have the most random conversations on our two-hour drive to the state park. Our discussions can start with the latest news, our week, and of course, men. I enjoy girl talk conversations immensely, and we have some good laughs.
We arrived in Cuyamaca at 4:45 p.m. to blue skies and 64-degree temperature. The weather was colder than we anticipated, and luckily we came prepared with our sweatshirts. Coldwater Creek trail is at Mesa Trail turnoff on highway 79. There was plenty of parking, and most of the hikers on the trail were leaving the trail. The tail begins with walking down some steps and crossing a cobblestone bridge. I was excited to see a beautiful running stream flowing under the bridge and trees. We hiked on the Coldwater Creek trail winds through the mountains on an easy path. There are only one or two spots that you have to climb on top of some raised rocks.
Most of the trail is downhill and easiest to walk down. We ran into six hikers along the path, so this trail has more traffic than Sweetwater Trail. Horses are also able to travel on the trail, but we haven’t seen any yet. What I love most about this trail is that there is a lot of shade and a couple of options to go on more challenging trials.

How To Hike Clearwater Trail

Before you hit the trail here are a few things that will make you feel comfortable and energized.

• Eat a healthy breakfast of whole grains and a protein. A perfect breakfast that I would eat is whole grain toast, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. 
• Stay hydrated by drinking water before and after your hike. Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is elevated at over 4,000 feet with it’s highest peak reaching 6,500 feet. Neglecting hydration could lead to headaches and body aches. The best option is to drink before you feel thirsty before, during, and after the hike.
• Bring a snack of granola bars, dried fruit, and energy bars
• Dress in layers! The weather can change in a matter of minutes so dressing in layers gives you the option to cool off and get warm.  Moisture-wicking clothing is a good option to keep your muscles warm and keep you dry.

Hiking Tips

If you plan on using the Mesa Trail, here are a few things that you need to know.

Watch out for mountain lions and snakes! We didn’t see mountain lion warning on the marque at the start of the trail, but came across a sign at a campground we passed on our way back to the car. I almost stepped on a baby snake too! The snake was slithering across the path as we passed by. I hope that this is the last snake that I’ll encounter on any trail!

Be careful when you’re re-entering the road from a turnout. We had a car pulled out a turnout and didn’t even look to see me coming down the road.  Always look and get your vehicle up to the speed limit as soon as possible.

Wear good hiking shoes or sneakers. Our last hike, I got shin splints in both legs, and this time I wore a different pair of shoes. This time I was fine until we turned around and started hiking uphill. I had the worse cramps in both of my calves. I will be investing in a new pair of shoes before our next hike.

Weekend Adventure Photos

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