Notes & Websites
- This drive is from 2002, so things may have changed, especially on the off-road portions. Gates may close portions of the road at times.
- Contact the Cleveland National Forest ranger for up-to-date.
- Pick up a copy of Weekend Driver San Diego for additional tips and info.
Difficulty
- Challenging, with rocky off-road stretches. Four-wheel-drive required.
Distance
- About 55 miles from
Alpine to Mount Laguna
and back to Pine Valley. - Allow about two hours for
the drive, plus time from
your home to Alpine and
back from Pine Valley.
Directions
- Interstate 8 to Willows Road
- Left at Viejas Grade
- Left at Viejas Boulevard
- Right at Highway 79 (Cuyamaca Highway)
- Left at Old Highway 80
- Left at Pine Creek Road
- Right at Sunrise Highway
- Left at Kitchen Creek Road
- Right at Old Highway 80
- Continue on Old Highway 80 over Interstate 8 to Pine Valley (left after crossing freeway)
- Left at Pine Valley Road to Interstate 8.
Changing seasons on Mt. Laguna
Up the Creek to Mt. Laguna
Taking The Back Way From Alpine
- Drive 8 in Weekend Driver San Diego; from 2002.
There’s almost always a different way to get from here to there. Sometimes it’s not paved, sometimes it's partially paved and sometimes it's full of potholes.
Today’s drive is all of those things.
Going from Alpine to Mt. Laguna is no big deal. Just get on Interstate 8, exit Sunrise Highway and you’re there. Maybe a stop off in Pine Valley for a frosty.
You didn’t think we were going to take the easy route, did you?
A map check of the area between Pine Valley and Mt. Laguna shows a couple of roads that parallel I-8 and Sunrise Highway; we’re taking them today.
Our 55 mile loop today begins just east of Alpine, heads up the back way to Descanso, over a historic highway and up a back way to Mt. Laguna, then opt for a twisty dirt road down the mountain to historic old U.S. 80 to Pine Valley.
A couple of notes. First, the weather can be severe in San Diego’s mountains, so be sure to check the forecast and pack plenty of water. Plan on warm clothes in the winter and sun protection in the summer. Yes, it can snow up here as late as April.
