Laguna Back Way

Continued

Second, make sure your car, SUV or truck is ready for a bumpy, potholed journey. You’ll need a vehicle with some ground clearance. I didn’t take my Miata on this drive, although I did see several folks in standard passenger cars along the way.

Head east on I-8 and take the Willows Road exit, heading north toward the Viejas Casino.

Willows is a busy, two-lane road headed to the tribal casino and adjacent outlet mall. Worth a stop, but maybe on the way back as we’re going to take the turn at Viejas Grade, a “Y” intersection a mile or so west of the casino.

This section of the road is loops around the northern part of the reservation, home to the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay. Here you’ll see what the tribal lands were like like before the casino -- small homes and farms -- although the pre-gambling poverty is gone. The Viejas Band moved here after the City of San Diego was allowed to purchase the heart of the Capitan Grande Indian Reservation for the El Capitan Reservoir. It was completed in 1934 and is visible from I-8 just east of the Harbison Canyon exit.

The road twists and turns past the Viejas Mission church and cemetery. Pavement ends on the northern edge of the valley.

From the valley, Viejas Grade heads into the mountains, quickly climbing on the rocky side of Poser Mountain. Lou Stein’s “San Diego County Place Names” notes that it was named after early settler Heinrich von Poser. A spectacular view of the Viejas valley, Alpine and San Diego unfolds as drivers traverse the bumpy route to the top. The drop is considerable if you stray off the road, so be alert.

After about four miles of dirt, the pavement returns near the top of the grade, entering the community of Descanso. A wonderful small community nestled in a ravine, the settlement dates back to the 1880s. Follow the street signs through this residential area, past the Ranger Station and Descanso Town Hall, and on to Viejas Boulevard. Stables in the area offer trail rides.

Loop through Descanso and onto Old Highway 80. Hard to imagine it now, but before Interstate 8 opened in the early 1970s, this was U.S. 80, the route to Imperial County, Arizona and points east. One lane in each direction through mountain communities such as the one up ahead, Guatay.

Stein reveals that Guatay was once a favorite winter home for the Native Americans of the area, ancestors of today’s Viejas Band. Nearby is Guatay Mountain, which was thought to be home to a great chief.

Take Old 80 for about three miles while the vintage concrete roadway’s expansion joints make a slap-slap noise on your tires. Watch out for the next turn, the left at Pine Creek Road, just before Old 80 bridges Pine Creek.

The road runs along the creek, sheltered by the namesake pines. Entering the Cleveland National Forest, a sign points out that the small cottages are summer homes on leased land from the Forest Service.

Here, you’ll cross Pine Creek on a narrow bridge. The $500,000 span opened in January, 2001, to protect the creek bed habitat of the endangered arroyo southwestern toad. The road originally forded the normally dry bed, squashing the toads and their eggs.

Just past the homes is a gate that the U.S. Forest Service closes during bad weather. Call ahead to the Alpine ranger station, (619) 445-6235 to check road conditions.

At about six miles since leaving Old Highway 80, be sure to make the right turn at the small sign marked “Pine Creek Road,” shown as “Hidden Valley Road” on some maps. If you go straight, you’ll end up at Lake Cuyamaca, but that’s for another day.

Another two miles and what’s left of the pavement becomes just another lump adjacent to a pothole. You’ll really want to slow it down on this stretch so you don’t ruin the suspension on your vehicle. The pines have disappeared and you’re in an open but rugged area of the Cleveland National Forest.

Up ahead is a sign noting the boundary of the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area. By this time, you’re back in the woods, mostly oaks and pines. In the summer, the oaks provide shade from the intense sun; in the fall, their golden leaves are proof we do have changing seasons in Southern California.

The recreation area is full of hiking trails, campgrounds, picnic areas and other places to enjoy. Another mile and we’ll hit Sunrise Highway, county highway S-1, also designated the Sunrise National Scenic Byway. Oaks and pines also dominate this area, creating a canopy in the spring and summer, a golden tunnel in the fall and a spooky arch over the road during the winter.

Points of interest are well marked along Sunrise Highway. Up first is Penny Pines, a monument (and penny pine plantation) honoring the children and organizations that donate pennies to plant trees in national forests. Two trails are also accessed from this spot.

The information station adjacent to the Mt. Laguna Lodge and store is a great place to check out everything about the area. The store has supplies and rents cabins at reasonable rates.

Continue south on Sunrise Highway, past the turn for SDSU’s Mt. Laguna Observatory, and make the left at Kitchen Creek Road. Open most of the time, our next stretch will bump down the mountain to Interstate 8. If the gate’s closed, just continue on Sunrise Highway to I-8.

The next five miles are more dirt and potholes, but the view is spectacular. Trees leave us after a short time, revealing Southern California’s standard coastal sage scrub, hugging low to the rugged terrain.

The pavement picks up near the bottom and is surprisingly nice... a smooth, lined highway that takes you from nowhere to the freeway.

Then again, why not bypass the freeway... continue on under the span and make a right at Old Highway 80, another stretch of the route we took through Guatay. Watch for the hang gliders landing near Boulder Oaks. It's an easy drive to the bottom of Sunrise Highway, where you’ll cross Interstate 8 into Pine Valley.

I never miss a stop in Pine Valley. In the summer, its location and towering pines always make it seem cool and comfortable. In the winter, the smoke from fireplaces seems to hang there, giving it a toasty, cozy feeling.

Of course, the ice cream at Frosty Burger could be an attraction as well.

From Pine Valley, follow the signs to return to Interstate 8.

East County’s mountain communities and the Cleveland National Forest are places of contrast and rugged roads. To really explore them, take a few days for this drive, stopping at bed and breakfasts, cabins or camping along the way. Or, take a day and mark spots for a return. However quickly or slowly you explore, do make the journey.

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