Hike of the week: Find a mix of easy and difficult hiking at East County’s Louis A. Stelzer Park

They say good things come in threes.

I’d argue that the phrase perfectly applies to the three San Diego County open spaces located off Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside: Oakoasis County Preserve, El Capitan County Preserve and Louis A. Stelzer County Park. Having previously explored the two county preserves, this week I went to Louis A. Stelzer County Park and it felt like the final piece to the puzzle.

Each open space offers excellent hiking options amid the county’s native vegetation. There’s something for everyone’s endurance and skill level, too.

At Oakoasis County Preserve, the hiking is easier and shaded by huge oak trees. El Capitan County Preserve is where hikers will find the difficult and exposed 11-mile climb to El Cajon Mountain. And at the 420-acre Louis A. Stelzer County Park, named after a San Diego building contractor and architect, hikers will find more of a balance.

My 3-mile loop included a mix of easy, moderate and strenuous trails, with a lovely shaded section at the beginning and more exposed parts later on in the hike. A short but tough climb to Stelzer Summit, about halfway through the hike, rewards hikers will 360-degree views of San Diego County.

The hike begins near the entrance to the park, where visitors will also find a pond, children’s play area and several benches and picnic tables. Start on the Riparian Trail, just behind the information kiosk when you walk in.

The trail, parallel to Wildcat Canyon Creek, heads southwest along a flat path shaded by tall coast live oak trees for about half a mile. There are a few wooden bridges that hikers cross over along the way.

At the 0.5-mile mark, hikers will reach another trail — the Wooten Loop Trail — that heads east and uphill. It’s a moderately difficult climb, but after just under 500 feet, hikers can catch their breath at the observation deck located along the trail. Keep going for 0.2 miles longer to reach the intersection with the Stelzer Ridge Trail.

Hikers can take the Stelzer Ridge Trail back to the county park, if they are looking for a shorter hike. I planned to reach Stelzer Summit, so I turned right, or south, on the Stelzer Ridge Trail to keep going up.

I reached a plateau at the 1-mile mark, where I had the choice of going left for 0.4 miles to Stelzer Summit, or right for 0.3 miles to the Kumeyaay Promontory. I first chose to head to Stelzer Summit. Don’t be fooled by the short mileage; this is an incredibly steep and slick hike up a service road to reach the peak, which also includes some rock scrambling at the top.

But the view was amazing, and huge boulders provided a nice place to sit and take a much needed rest. I then headed back down, and hiked to the Kumeyaay Promontory, a more modest peak but with a few benches and a nice overlook.

To return, I retraced my steps and reconnected with the Stelzer Ridge Trail, which took me back to the county park.