A Weekend Getaway in San Diego's East County

By Miriam Raftery

October 12, 2017 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – You’re invited to soak and stretch your way to relaxation and Nirvana at the second High Mountain Desert Yoga Retreat, tucked among boulders high in the In-Ko-Pah and Jacumba mountains near the eastern San Diego County line.

This four-day healing event from October 31 to November 3 will include natural sulfur hot spring pools, healing sessions at the Desert View tower including Kundalini Tantra Yoga, Reiki healing, and crystal sound healing. Guests will also savor delicious vegan meals scenic hikes and some desert surprises, plus a three-day stay at the nearby Jacumba Hot Springs Resort.

By Miriam Raftery, East County News Service

May 16, 2016 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – A Honda Civic belonging to a missing Buena Park man, Jonathan Barmaki, has been found by Border Patrol agents on Old Highway 80 near a welcome sign to Jacumba Hot Springs on May 9th. Agents found Barmaki's cherished 15-year-old dog, Andy,  dead inside the vehicle.

The vehicle was not out of gas and Barmaki’s wallet and keys were missing, though his cell phone, along with dog food and a dog bowl, were left in the car. The car windows were rolled up and footsteps from the vehicle led 70 feet to a border fence 25 feet high. Authorities are investigating the disappearance as"suspicious,"10 News reports. 

East County News Service

February 2, 2016 (Jacumba) – The Sheriff and Crime Stoppers are asking the public’s help to identify suspects who stole a construction backhoe loader and tools from the front yard of a home undergoing construction in Jacumba Hot Springs back on December 14^th.  A $1,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest.

East County News Service

January 24, 2016 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- A sexually violent predator with a long history of violent sexual attacks including rape at gunpoint and  a stabbing will be placed in Jacumba Hot Springs for supervised outpatient treatment, Superior  Court Judge David Gill has ordered.  Authorities received 11 emails and five phone calls on Ural Davis’ proposed release, but no one showed up at Friday’s hearing to provide public comment in person. 

East County News Service

November 7, 2015 (Jacumba Hot Springa) – The town of Jacumba will host a community-wide yard sale on Saturday, November 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring hand-made crafts, art work, household items and other yard sale treasures.  Parking and admittance are free.

In addition, tours will be offered of the Chinese Castle, a historic icon in Jacumba. There is a $5 charge for the castle tour and proceeds benefit the Jacumba-Boulevard Revitalization Alliance, a 501c3.

East County News Service

October 24, 2015 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Fall is in the air and it’s a great time to take a hike.  The Jacumba Hikers/Walkers have a series of hikes coming up to intriguing locations, with various levels of difficulties from easy to extreme. 

November’s destinations include Tule Canyon, Round Mountain, the Old Butterfield Stage Coach route, and Amadeo’s Straw bale cabin compound. In December, the group will hit the trail for an ancient waterfall and Davies Valley, wind caves in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, an ancient juniper forest, and the Valley of the Moon. 

East County News Service         

September 6, 2015 (Jacumba Hot Springs)--In an August 21 article, we quoted a former Jacumba Planning Group chair who indicated that the Local Government Formation Commission (LAFCO) has a rule prohibiting water sales outside of Jacumba’s water district.

East County News Service                                                                                                     

April 29, 2015 (Jacumba Hot Springs)--The Jacumba Arts Council presents the fourth annual Blues Fest this Saturday, May 2nd from 2-7 p.m.  After 7 p.m. there will be a 'monster jam'. The event is sponsored by the Jacumba Hot Springs Spa & Resort and will take place at the Jacumba Hot Springs Spa located on Old Highway 80.  Admission is free, non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase along with delicious varieties of barbeque.

By Hayden Parsley

January 29, 2015 (Jacumba Hot Springs)—Take a trip into California’s past at the Desert View Tower, a quirky and whimsical relic of the past that is still open to the public in San Diego’s East County.  Located just off Interstate 8 at the In-ko-Pah exit, the tower is poised on a rocky overlook surrounded by desert on all sides.

Built in the 1920s by Bert Vaughn, a real estate tycoon who owned much of Jacumba,  this 70-foot watchtower has become a tourist attraction and a local landmark on the outskirts of the small town today known as Jacumba Hot Springs.

December 19, 2014 (Jacumba Hot Springs) –A Superior Court Judge has approved the release of sexually violent predator Gary Snavely to be housed in Jacumba Hot Springs:

By Miriam Raftery

November 14, 2014 (Jacumba Hot Springs)—The state has changed its proposed plan to place sexually violent predator Gary Snavely in Borrego Springs and now instead proposes places him in Jacumba Hot Springs at 45612 Old Highway 80.  A hearing is set for December 19 at 9 a.m. in Department 2 of San Diego Superior Court downtown.

By Miriam Raftery, photos by Danielle Cook and Wayne Brammer

September 7, 2014 (Jacumba Hot Springs)—This high desert town in San Diego’s East County is normally characterized by dry washes.  But tonight around 7:30 p.m., the town’s Centennial Committee chair Danielle Cook reports, “I received a call a half hour ago from another Jacumba resident, Bill Pape, saying to "get down to the bridge right away, there is a flash flood here and about 20 of us are gathering to watch it.”

By Miriam Raftery

August 30, 2014 (Jacumba Hot Springs)—Two agave roasting pits  found recently in Jacumba Hot Springs have been carbon-dated, indicating Kumeyaay Native American occupation in the Jacumba region dates back at least 9,000 years.  Termed “an astounding recent archaeological find” by the Imperial Valley Desert Museum in Ocotillo, the agave roasting pits were unearthed during construction of SDG&E’s ECO substation project in San Diego’s East County.

Howard Cook, chair of Jacumba Hot Springs Sponsor Group (the town's advisory planning board) believes the find should have impacts on future develoment projects pending in the area. 

“This is highly relevant to the proposed Jacumba Solar project located next door and sharing roads with the under construction Eco project,” he told East County Magazine. “Certainly this calls for a cultural monitor and perhaps some preliminary excavating of the proposed site by [an] historical society and Native American historical/cultural experts."

By Miriam Raftery

June 4, 2014 (Jacumba Hot Springs)—Slipping away to the high desert community of Jacumba Hot Springs proves a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Not too long ago, Jacumba nearly became a ghost town after a resort hotel from the ‘20s burned down and Interstate 8 was built, drawing traffic away from Old Highway 80 through the heart of Jacumba.  But then a revitalization committee petitioned the state to take back the town's historic name -- Jacumba Hot Springs. Since then, these movers and shakers have infused new life into a town named by the Kumeyaay Native Americans who once camped here in the winter months: Jacum—a place of healing waters.

Now celebrating its centennial year, the town recently hosted the Healing Waters & Arts Festival--a successful event for the community and guests alike. 

May 24, 2014 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Jacumba Hot Springs (Jacumba) celebrates its Centennial with a major festival on Saturday, May 24th in downtown Jacumba. The Healing Waters & Arts Festival will stretch along Old Highway 80, from the old pink bath house ruins on the west end of town, east to the community park.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Parking and attendance are free. Attendees will enjoy Kumeyaay Bird Singers, Native American flute players holistic healers, New Age vendors, drum circles, bounce houses for the children, and many unique crafts, clothing and jewelry vendors. Also featured are multiple music venues, art walk with open studio tours, delectable food trucks, Pacific Southwest Railroad Museum display, Campo Motor Transport Museum displays, raffles for prizes and more, all in a beautiful high desert setting.