Cleveland National Forest

Report by Christian S.

A Hidden Gem

Cleveland National Forest: a hidden gem. Although hard to imagine, the sunny and rainless weather in San Diego has its downsides: The vegetation with its generally brownish color is not really what a European is used to. And even the National Parks like Joshua Tree National Park or Death Valley National Park are, although stunningly beautiful, not really green either. Cleveland National Forest -just 45 minutes east of San Diego- is a welcome change from the generally brown landscape in southern California. And since the park is very close to Interstate 8, which connects San Diego and El Centro, getting there is fairly easy even without a GPS.

With mountains that hit 1800m or more, this forest even gets snow pretty regularly throughout the winter months which comes as close to a Christmas feeling as it can get in SoCal. And contrary to the National Parks, it never feels crowded in these woods, since hours can go by before you see another human soul while hiking. This remoteness is a welcome change from the crowded cities and urban areas along the coast. The woods are especially beautiful for hiking or mountain biking throughout the year. As a visitor, you first want to start at a visitor center like the one on Mount Laguna or an office of the forest rangers (Alpine, next to Interstate 8 for example). There you can get the daily pass for the park ($5 per car), a hiking map and pretty much all information you need for a day in the forest.

Cleveland National Forest – Mount Laguna

If you want to start with a small hike, Mount Laguna might be the place to go: With a wide variety of paths and many scenic sights, it is a good start to get a first impression of the iconic pine tree forests. All throughout the forest, the landscape looks like a western movie and you can easily forget that you are in Southern California close to the Mexican border. Actually, the scenery looks more like the well-known National Parks in Northern California or a wood at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Another reason to visit these woods is the wildlife: mountain lions, bob cats or deer are common in Cleveland National Forest and we even saw a coyote on our first hike in this park.

Wildfires

Sunset highway, a scenic street that meanders over Mount Laguna, is a safe bet for good overlooks that give you an idea of how close this park actually is to the desert. And as you drive along on this street, another characteristic of woods in California becomes inevitably clear: Wildfires are still the biggest thread to these refugees and two big fires destroyed parts of the forest within the last ten years. Therefore, a conscious handling of fire in the park is unavoidable, since it can lead to drastic outcomes. But nonetheless, Cleveland National Forest is a unique experience you can enjoy when you feel like spending a nice day in the woods.