Otay Mountain Truck Trail

[jhmoore]

[MENTION=272937]jimmynotjim[/MENTION] and family joined my girls and me today for a little exploration along the Otay Mountain Truck Trail -- thanks for the good company! It was great to see the three kids hanging out on top of a boulder and chatting.

Some questions for the group wisdom:

- are there good side trails that a stock rig could do without risking damage? We kept exploring side roads, but most didn't go anywhere. We did mark one to come back to when the ground is a little more dry. But mostly we didn't find anything beyond the gravel road. Anyone have tracks or coordinates to share for side trails that we should try?

- at the south end, we came to a locked gate & would have been stuck except that a guy wearing a military uniform (but driving an unmarked pickup truck) came up after 5 minutes and had the key. Is there a way around if that gate is locked or do you have to drive all the way back to Pio Pico??

On the attached map, the dark blue was us today and the light blue is a shared GPX of the trail from the Interwebs. We were going to explore where the light blue is different than our trail for another way out, but then the guy with the key showed up. Anyone know if we would have found a way out??

 

[Munson]

I was actually just there on Saturday! As far as I could tell all the side trails were either pretty smooth or too rough for me to try alone in my stock Trail. There were a couple I went on that had a little bit of bumps due to irrigation but nothing rough. As you said they all end after a bit. BP uses the trails quiet frequently so they aren't going to let them get too rough.

I also got stuck at the same gate and let out by a uniformed BP agent. A review of the tail on another site mentioned going around the gate but when I went to do that it looked like BP or someone had blocked that route with some cement blocks. Others were there at the same time going around the gate but had lifted rigs to get over the deep drainage ditches. I was in the process of thinking about attempting it when the BP guy came along.

 

[4runnerfiend]

best I could do.
Here is a GPX file.

echo-spring-to-sycamore-canyon-san-diego-county-ca-usa.gpx - Google Drive

However there is a very steep downhill at
32.62630, -116.79153
a stock rig could go down this but it is REALLY steep.

This is a very rutted out steep up hill. Only for modified vehicles and skilled drivers especially when wet
32.631083, -116.781451

This is a decent rock garden Stock rig would scrape most likely
32.632265, -116.796403

This is where we exited the first time going around the gate. last weekend this was not passable.
32.654737, -116.807063


This area was where there was lots of mud during this last winter, and still some last weekend. fun area to just muck around.

32.617610, -116.781889

 

[originalg00kster]

Which way did you enter from? the country store entrance? I've been exploring OTT for about a year or so now and found a couple of little side trails that are challenging for a noob like myself with the stock sr5. I always enter through the county store entrance, off of otay lakes road.

 

[4runnerfiend]

Which way did you enter from? the country store entrance? I've been exploring OTT for about a year or so now and found a couple of little side trails that are challenging for a noob like myself with the stock sr5. I always enter through the county store entrance, off of otay lakes road.

entered at Marron Valley road. go past the gun club and then it forks.. go right. if you use Google maps or Gia you can see the trails in Satellite view.

 

[grave]

this is so close to where i'm working right now. if i didn't vanpool down every day i'd head up after work.

 

[originalg00kster]

entered at Marron Valley road. go past the gun club and then it forks.. go right. if you use Google maps or Gia you can see the trails in Satellite view.

oh okay I know exactly where you're talking about. I exit from that side but I enter from Otay lakes road.