Climbers Loop Trail, Mission Trails | San Diego, CA

Whenever I’m in a pinch for time and want to take a short, easily accessible hike, my go-to option is the Climbers Loop Trail in Mission Trails Regional Park. Less popular than nearby Cowles Mountain yet still convenient and easy enough for San Diego residents to access, this trail has steep and challenging terrain to provide an excellent workout.

While San Diego County has no shortage of beautiful hiking trails to explore, it falls short on great rock climbing routes. Climbers Loop is one of the few routes. As the name of the trail suggests, the Climbers Loop Trail is a popular destination for novice rock climbers. Not only does this hike have several granitic crags for climbing but it also is the shortest and steepest rock climbing hike available in San Diego County — excluding Anza-Borrego which is quite the drive despite being considered part of San Diego.

The easiest way to access this trail is to park at the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center. After parking at the Visitor Center, you will head down Father Junipero Serra for .40 miles to access the trailhead. This short stretch will be along a paved road and will provide you with an introduction to the beauty of Mission Trails Regional Park. At .40 miles you will see a giant rock to your left. I stopped here to do a little introductory climb before hitting the main trail.

On the right(south) side of the road you will see the trailhead, along with a kiosk detailing the steep terrain of this trail, and various climbing routes available on the Western face of Kwaay Paay Peak. From this point, you will ascend steeply for .34 miles and follow 17 switchbacks up to the base of huge columns of granite. You may not even realize how far you’ve trekked until you look downward and take in the San Diego River floodplain far below.

Climbers Loop Trailhead

The next segment of the trail contours, and the terrain turns rough here. There are quite a few rocks to scramble with patches of loose gravel. The condition of the trail here, known as “Middle Earth”, is not very well maintained so exercise caution. Soon you will see the main Climbing Wall, and most days of the week you’ll probably encounter rock climbers here.

If you’re not climbing, continue along the mostly flat section of trail leading past the climbing areas before descending down another steep section of terrain. This section is somewhat easier than the trail up as it traverses nine switchbacks. After your final descent on the Climbers Loop Trail, you will pass another kiosk to reach the pavement of Father Junipero Serra road. Follow it for 0.2 miles to get back to your starting point.

End of Climbers Loop Trail

The total distance for the whole loop is 1.2 miles, turning this into a 2.2 mile-roundtrip when taking into consideration the walk to the trailhead and back to the parking lot. You will gain 407 feet in elevation.

Climbers Loop Trail Tips

Tip 1: Do not hike on non-designated trails leading to the Kwaay Paay Summit or beyond the Kwaay Paay Mountain Ridge. This area is prohibited and violators will be cited according to Mission Trails Regional Park .

Tip 2: Rock climbers secret tip: show up before 8:00am to have the place all to yourself. Alternately, if you are a social climber, show up at 11:00am on a spring weekend to climb alongside dozens of other parties.

Tip 3: Chemical toilets are available near the trailhead. Restroom facilities are available at the Visitor Center.

Tip 4: On hot summer days, you can climb in the shade anywhere early, but as the sun rises keep moving North around the Main Wall, where you can climb in the shade until about 1:00pm.

Tip 5: Check out a free Mission Gorge climbing guide written by Chris Hubbard where he lists over 100 routes.

Tip 6: Want to extend your hike? Check out the nearby Oak Grove Loop trail to tack on an additional 2.8 miles.

Driving Directions: From Interstate 8 East – Take 8 to the Mission Gorge/Fairmount exit. Turn north onto Mission Gorge Road. Continue down Mission Gorge Road for approximately 4 miles. Look for the large wooden park sign on Mission Gorge Road. Turn left onto Father Junipero Serra Trail. Park along the road prior to the gates, or in the dirt parking lots next to the visitors center.