Cowles Mountain

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: ELECTRICAL STORM LIGHTS UP COWLES MOUNTAIN

August 20, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) –Michael Adam Cohen, award-winning entertainment reporter and photographer, shot these surreal images of a lightning storm over Cowles Mountain,  as Tropical Storm Hilary drenched our region.

The first image, viewed from  Mt. Helix,  makes Cowles Mountain appear to be an island floating in a foggy sea. In reality, those are clouds obscuring Interstate 8.

The second images shows  multilpe lightning bolts creating a dramatic light show in the skies above Cowles Mountain, which is located in  Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego.


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MEDITATIVE MUSICAL EXPERIENCE ON COWLES MOUNTAIN SEPT. 15

East County News Service

August 27, 2019 (San Diego) -- On September 15th at 3:00 p.m., people from all over San Diego will be taking a SilentHike — a musical journey into mindfulness at Cowles Mountain. SilentHikes are a new concept from MindTravel — an immersive music and meditation experience company created by composer and concert pianist Murray Hidary (see his TedX talk here).

During the SilentHike session, MindTravelers will wear wireless headphones and embark on a hike with music, guidance and thoughtful commentary from Hidary. All the components – music, words, silence, visual cues – work synergistically to help participants connect with themselves and the world around them.


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THE EPIC COWLES HIKE

 

By Greg Dunne

"Of all the paths that you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt." – John Muir

Editor’s note:  The Five Peaks Challenge encourages hikers to ascend five peaks in Mission Trails Regional Park at their own pace.  Greg Dunne and his team were the first to achieve this in a single day. To follow up on that feat, they’ve now hiked every trail on and around Cowles Mountain--all in one day.

May 21, 2017 (San Diego) -- Today we took an epic hike up Cowles Mountain and the surrounding trails that has never been done before, all in one day! I call this hike “Cowles Tour 13.2”. My friend David Hart and I undertook this hike on Frid
ay, May 19, 2017. My daughter would ask – WHY? Well, my answer is not because it’s there, but because it’s in my backyard, fun and nobody thought to do it.


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TWO RESCUED OFF COWLES MOUNTAIN

 

East County News Service

Photo: San Diego Fire-Rescue

April 24, 2017 (San Diego) – Two hikers were rescued over the weekend off Cowles Mountain.

A 69-year-old woman suffered heat exhaustion and was airlifted off the trail on Saturday afternoon.  Then on Sunday, a second airlift was done to rescue a 25-year-old hiker who suffered an injury.  She was taken by ambulance to a hospital for non-emergency treatment, according to San Diego-Rescue Service.


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DRIVER CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR KILLING MOTHER OF 3 NEAR COWLES MOUNTAIN

 

East County News Service

August 21, 2015 (San Diego) – A suspected drunk driver who ran a light at Golfcrest and Navajo road struck and killed Rocia De Anda Leamon, a 38-year-old mother of three teenage sons.  The young mother was crossing the street to go walking on Cowles Mountain as she did daily, when she was hit and thrown 57 feet, landing face down on the pavement, the Union-Tribune reports.


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SNAKES ALIVE!

 

By Miriam Raftery

March 27, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - The warm is warming up, and snakes are coming out of hibernation.


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COWLES MTN. WINTER SOLSTICE WALKS DEC. 20-22

 

December 15, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) - The Mission Trails Regional Park Trail Guides will lead pre-dawn hikes to the area of the solstice observatory on Cowles Mountain on the 20th and 22nd of December. The Canyoneers of the San Diego Natural History Museum will lead the hike on the 21st.


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SD TRAILS: NIGHT LIFE ON COWLES MOUNTAIN

 

By Randy Zuniga

December 6, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) - A mountain of a mere 1,594 ft. high borders three cities -- San Diego, Santee, and La Mesa. For some, it's an epic hike accompanied by packs filled with snacks and water. For others, it's a quick jog up and a small water bottle waiting for them back at their car. No matter who you are -- everyone seems to love this mountain.


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BIRD TALK: THE ELUSIVE BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER

 

By Greg Dunne

March 15, 2014 (Cowles Mountain)--The Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher is a small songbird living here in our East County that reminds me of the Wrentit.  It mainly reminds me of the Wrentit because it is not easily seen.  It is always a thrill when you can get a glimpse of this beautiful, but tiny bird. It will be a great time to observe small songbirds now that the rains have cleared and the sun reappears.


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WINTER SOLSTICE HIKE DEC. 20

A Winter Solstice hike up Cowles Mountain will be held on Friday, December 20th from 6 to 8 a.m. will be led by a Mission Trails Regional Park trail guide.


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COWLES MOUNTAIN MAIN TRAILHEAD TO CLOSE FOR 7-WEEK RESTORATION; OTHER ROUTES TO THE SUMMIT ARE OPEN

 

March 17, 2013 (San Diego's East County) --  The trail to the top of Cowles Mountain from the Golfcrest Drive/Navajo Road trailhead is slated to be closed from Monday, March 25 through Friday, May 17 due to a trail restoration project.  The restoration is estimated to take seven weeks, though dates are subject to change, Jay Wilson with the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation told ECM.


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PHOTO OF THE WEEK: CHRISTMAS MAGIC AT COWLES ISLAND

December 25, 2012 (San Diego's East County) -- No, this isn't a preview of what East County might look like after a few decades of rising tides and global climate change.  This image of Cowles "island" is in fact Cowles Mountain, surrounded not by water, but a sea of clouds. 

Scroll down for a second image depicting the Grossmont Knoll and Cowles Mountain, adrift in early morning clouds viewed from Mount Helix.  Both of these magical images were photographed by photographer Tom Lemon.


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RALLY & HIKE TO STOP THE QUAIL BRUSH POWER PLAN NOV. 3

November 1, 2012 (San Diego) – SaveMissionTrails.org is organizing a Stop the Power Plant rally & hike at Cowles Mountain on Nov. 3 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.  The meeting place is the Cowles Mountain staging area at the intersection of Navajo Rd. and Golfcrest.  Attendees are asked to wear orange and bring (or borrow) a sign.


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SANTEE POWER PLANT: TO BE, OR NOT TO BE

 
By David Secor, Candidate, 50th Congressional District
June 19, 2012 (Santee) -- Oh, NO! Shakespeare? No, this isn’t Hamlet’s question, it’s ours.

Will the people, the businesses, and the local governments who all know it’s the right thing to do, stand up and take the actions necessary to stop the proposed Quail Brush power plant. (In what follows, I borrowed the italicized words from Bill.)

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FREEBIE ALERT! WINTER SOLSTICE WALK DEC. 21

 

Cowles Mountain is the site of a Kumeyaay Indian solstice site and the Canyoneers are conducting a free walk up the mountain on December 21 at 6 am to view the sunrise on the first day of winter.


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