McGinty Mountain is a beautiful hiking trail in San Diego County, California, near Jamul. On my morning hike, the ample shade on the way up made the experience pleasant. The trail features red soil, a variety of plant species, and stunning panoramic mountain views. There's a parking lot at the trailhead, and the trail is dog-friendly. This well-maintained mountain is part of an ecological preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. The trail is a 4.7-mile (7.6 km) out-and-back route, reaching a peak elevation of 2,185 feet. read more

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A fun, short, but deceptively steep hike worth the view at the top. Fun when it's not too hot.

If your looking for a butt kicking hike, go try McGinty. Small parking lot but can accommodate about 10 cars. trail are well maintained, but get rocky and needs a little bit of scrambling 500 feet away from the peak. Short but steep hike. read more

It's a decent hike. I liked that it is not very crowded/popular. It is an out and back trail. It is steep up enough to give you a decent workout without it being miserable. The views are pretty good at the top but rather average on most of the hike. There is a decent size parking area and the trail isn't too confusing to follow Distance 4.7 miles Duration 2 to 3 hrs Elevation Gain 1,300 ft read more

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We will definitely do this trail again. We arrived at 830am and did half the trail which took about and hour there and back. The trail is 90% incline and rocky. There were only two other people on the trail with us. Nice views of El Cajon and Rancho San Diego. Did not see any snakes but there were tons of lizards and bees! Only downside was that people didn't pick up after their dogs so we had to avoid a lot of dog poop. read more

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Small unpaved but free parking lot at the trailhead. The trail is quite uneven most of the way. The most interesting part about the hike is the views that open up on top. read more

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This is a good hike. I'm beginning to run out of new places near El Cajon I can hike before I have to drive further and further out. Desperate for something new and close by with a moderate to hard difficulty, I stumbled upon this trail on Alltrails.com. :) I rate my trails based on a few things: Difficulty (I'm a regular hiker FYI), scenery, quaintness, traffic, and other things like the flora and fauna. Difficulty: easy moderate. Length is only 5 miles to the peak and back. Once you hit the last stretch to the peak it gets a bit steep, nothing terrible. Just remember though, if you aren't a regular hiker it may be more difficult. Traffic: Low. Saw most people Sunday afternoon as I was heading back, which was about 3-4 parties. 6 parties total. Landscape: high brush desert Elevation Gain: 1020 ft Length: 5 mi to peak and back Scenery: Not the best I've seen. There are houses surrounding the trail's preserve. Beyond that though, a great view of San Diego area and the surrounding mountains. Typical of the area. Quaintness: Not the best either. I like it very quiet, with hardly the note of civilization in the air. Not possible on this hike. Dogs barking, car alarms, moving vehicles... You hear what's happening below. Flora and Fauna: Very good for the area. Lots of birds singing, I saw a rabbit and lots of lizards. Flowers were blooming today. I don't know what plant species it was but something was smelling like freshly made Mexican tortillas, making me hungry. :P I rate this hike 3 stars due to the fact that it didn't stand out to me enough to desire a return hike. I would, however, recommend doing it once at the very least if you live in SD and want to find a different hike to try! read more

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Hiked McGinty yesterday. Parking is a lot smaller than most of the hikes I have done. About 17 parking spaces. I was with my hiking class and that's how I found out about this one. We were fortunate to have a park ranger to come by and tell us a brief information about McGinty Mountain. She warned us not to enter any mine shafts, which we saw only one, on our hike up. Rattlesnakes and other animals like to hide in dark places. The ranger did tell us that people have died entering the mine shaft, because they fell inside and couldn't get out or fell to their deaths. They should rename or nickname this place as "Yucca Trail". Lots of yucca plants. I've been poked by several and lots of brushes too. When I went it was 87°F in early May. There we only 2 shades of trees. So there is hardly any shade around. I would consider this a more difficult hike because you have steep inclines and switchbacks. Hiking sticks/poles are recommended, otherwise your legs are getting a serious workout. Lots of bugs too, we got stung... and we're not sure what kind of bugs they were (jet black and skinny). Also, lots of animal poop (they don't look like dog). I've heard there are coyotes and mountain lions in the area, we didn't see one. I wouldn't go back because 1) it's Jamul -- gets really hot out here 2) didn't enjoy the experience 3) there's not much to this trail read more

Good hike. A bit further and more challenging than Cowles, and much less crowded. Good enough parking area. The hike is not well marked with signage but just keep going! Others mention this hike at 4.5 miles but I clocked it at more like 6 miles. Go early and take a lot of water. I saw way to many hikers exhausted and with little to no water. read more

Okay, so I was reluctant to do this hike, since 2 of the 3 reviews weren't so hot. I'm the kind of person that runs up and down Cowles Mt. or Iron Mt. as part of my weekly workout routine...I do the west approach of Mt. Woodson in two hours (roundtrip)...so, you can imagine that I wasn't expecting much! But I'd seen Mt. McGinty from my house for 4 years now, and wanted to give it a go. As for the reviewers that stated the trails are hard to find and not marked, I can understand they'd feel that way if they didn't stay on the right trail. If you stay on the correct trail (the wider and more obvious one that winds to the right and goes down a bit), the peak isn't hard to find at all. We also saw the cave, but it's tricky to get to, so it wouldn't be a part of the hike. As for the reviewers that stated the vista wasn't all that, I don't think you got to the top. After that initial steep ascent (which only takes 20-30 minutes), you have to turn to your left and keep going! After another 30 minutes, we were at the top. We were higher than Crest, and just as high as San Miguel. I could see all the peaks all the way to the ocean, to Mt. Laguna, Otay Lakes, and Mt. Woodson. It was beautiful! If you're a hiker like me, this ascent will take you about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the top, so expect 1-1/2 to 2 hour round trip jaunt (conservatively speaking). It's comparable to Iron Mountain for ease and views. I gave Iron Mt. 4 stars as well. Mt. Woodson got five stars since there's 1,000 feet more elevation gain. Both are beautiful. Enjoy! read more

Awesome hike with plenty to see. Take it easy on the McGinty trail or hook left and take the full 19 mile 15 sub trail loop. BRING A MAP! read more

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Lovely vista. As I am the unofficial hiking planner for my friends, I was looking for some new, medium-length, close to San Diego hikes for our weekends. We had a few hours on a Sunday afternoon yesterday, so we took advantage by driving out to Jamul to hike a new, unknown peak. As we drove through random rocky neighborhoods and suburbia, my friends expressed doubt at my choice of hike. But when we started up the peak and came to the top of the ridge with vistas out towards San Diego, they revised their statements. A rocky, deserty hike. My hiking app said it was 5.3 miles and we did it in just over 2 hours. (We weren't hiking too hard - just enjoying the day - but it could be a good workout.) The view from the top was great. 360 degree view, and we could see downtown San Diego, the bay, and Point Loma through the haze. The breeze was brisk at the top, so we didn't linger long. Recommended if you want a change of pace from Woodson, Cowles, Iron. read more

This is way an easier hike than any website or guide book lets on for anyone who has a half dozen or so hikes under their belt at least. It's supposed to be a 1300 ft. elevation change but it's very gradual so you can't really tell and there are a lot of flat parts for long periods of time so I was disappointed in the total calorie burn of the hike which was about 400 less than my normal hikes. The trails are VERY poorly marked so it's easy to get confused and not be able to go back the very same way you went up. Mark your own trials with rocks, etc. The entrance to a trailhead is .4 of a mile on the right once you get onto Jamul Dr. and only marked with a few boulder and a small parking area enough for 6 cars or so. It's a flat start to the trail for about 5 min until you see a very small unmarked path going up the mountain on the right. On the left you will see a brand new house and if you keep going straight, you will actually enter their property without knowing it. The owner of the house came out screaming that we were heading past the entrance to the path and to get off her property! Overall, it's a 2 hour hike and 4.5 miles up and back if you don't get lost and is very good for beginners to intermediates. I give it a 5/10 in difficulty which is much lower than what the websites give it. The vistas are a little disappointing as you mainly see brand new mansions built in amongst dry plants and desert. I've seen prettier but it wasn't too bad for a pleasant Sunday afternoon stroll. Overall, it's a nice easy hike if you wanna chit chat and not exert yourself too much but still get a little workout. Directions from SD: Take I-5 S to CA 94 E. In 13.3 mi., turn R onto Campo Rd. In 4.5 mi., turn L onto Lyons Valley Rd. In .8 mi., turn L onto Jamul Dr. Park .4 mi. later near gated trail entrance. read more

I'm not an experienced hiker and didn't make it to the top, but I loved that at almost any point, there were beautiful views. I gave it 4 stars because there was barely any shade. It was hot, it's August and 90 degrees. Better not to go in the summer. But, it was still worth it to me. When you get closer to the top it's pretty steep. read more

McGinty Mountain - Beautiful view - Hiking Near Me - Jamul, California

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You do not want to try this hike unless you are ready for a five mile hike. It is a gradual grade, but there are some very steep rocky inclines. Great vistas are your reward. At the end of the hike someone had an aggressive dog, which was butting at people. We love dogs, we have 3 of them...we don't take them hiking...they bark and might disturb the serenity. Be smart enough to leave your aggressive animals at home. Also, be considerate of those walking the trail, there was quite a bit of dog waste on the trail. read more

This was a great hike. There is a lot of dog / coyote poop on the trail so watch out. The beginning is overgrown. Make sure to do this hike in cool weather as there is not much shade. The inclines towards the end get pretty steep and are very rewarding at the end. Some amazing views from the top. It is kind of a bummer though that there is no sign when you get to the top! While it was very enjoyable I am not sure that I will be back anytime soon. read more

The beginning was very plush with weeds. The trail is very unkempt so be prepared to not see a clear dirt path or follow an easily accessible trail. There was no one else on the trail and it was very confusing, especially when coming down so be careful. It does have some nice places to sit around or maybe even camp once you're closer to the top. read more

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Not heavily trafficked. Saw maybe 5 or 6 people the whole hike. I enjoyed it, lots of incline in a few places, but worth it because the views at the top were gorgeous. When you reach what seems like a fork in the road, go right. ( stay ion the heavily traveled sand/dirt path) this was a good 5 miles hike I would do again. read more

Good hike. Not sure on exact distance but takes about 2hrs r/t. Moderate incline. Has a nice view when you get to the top! Real easy to get off trail, so make sure you stay on the thicker one read more