Hike of the week: Celebrate fall in San Diego County at Mission Trails’ North Fortuna peak

I’ve been resistant to welcoming autumn into my life this year, wishing instead for a longer summer and resenting the upcoming shorter days.

This isn’t exactly unique to 2025 — I’ve always loved the summer months — but the recent July and August passed by in such a flurry that I feel like I’m still catching up. So autumn, to no fault of its own, has been the source of my irritation for merely existing and making its gradual entrance here in San Diego.

But I’m coming around to it. In the last week, I went on a ghost tour in Old Town with a visiting friend, which left me feeling properly spooky. Then, we experienced a few rainy and windy days where all I wanted to do was curl up with a book, cup of tea and pumpkin bread. To top it off, I hiked at Mission Trails Regional Park to the North Fortuna summit. There, the leaves are changing and a cool evening breeze — coupled with the earlier setting sun — makes for a much more enjoyable trek than during the heat of summer.

All told, I may need to issue an apology to fall. It’s lovely, and my desire to slow time is unreasonable, or at least impractical.

This week’s roughly 4.5-mile out-and-back moderate hike climbs to the top of North Fortuna, which sits at 1,291 feet and is one of the five peaks in Mission Trails Regional Park. I’ve completed the other four — Cowles Mountain, Pyles Peak, Kwaay Paay and South Fortuna — if you’re looking for extra options.

There are several ways to hike to the summit, since Mission Trails offers a vast interconnected trail network. I chose to start on the Oak Canyon Trail, located on Father Junipero Serra Trail.

Park anywhere along Father Junipero Serra Trail near the Kumeyaay Lake Campground, and there’s also a parking lot. From there, hikers can walk along the paved road to reach the trail, which begins just west of the Old Mission Dam.

The Oak Canyon Trail is mostly easy as it travels across the San Diego River and heads north. Hikers can rely on a few trail signs to point them in the right direction.

As it continues on, though, hikers may lose the trail and find themselves hiking in the rocky wash. This happened to me, but it was simple enough to spot the trail up ahead, so keep your eyes peeled if you get off the path.

Hikers will follow the Oak Canyon Trail for about 1.3 miles before reaching the Fortuna Saddle Trail, which is marked with a sign. It’s a very steep climb for half a mile and is the most difficult part of the hike.

At 1.8 miles, you’ll be able to catch your breath at a plateau situated between North and South Fortuna peaks. There’s a great view from here, too, so it’s worth it to pause before making the final 0.4 push to the summit. This is an uphill climb, but it’s more gradual than the Fortuna Saddle Trail you just hiked.

Once at the top, take a play out of my book. While admiring the landscape, I ate a couple snickerdoodle cookies that I’d packed from home. Now that I’ve accepted the season of fall, I seem to be going all in.