Marty Minshall Trail and Lake Cuyamaca

CRSP Ride Report, June 2023

Every now and then, I’ll make a point to ride what I call the Cuyamaca Big Loop. Basically, I start down south on East Side Trail and head north, there being various ways to go. At some point, though, I need to head on over in the direction of state route 79 to then go up Milk Ranch so that I can eventually reach the top before reveling in the wondrous 7 miles of mostly descent back down in the direction of where I started. Adding in Middle Peak and then descending it via Black Oak is not something I’ve done in a few years, and did not do on this trip, either.

Stonewall Creek to Marty Minshall is the way I get on over to Trout Pond, where there is no pond and thus, no trout. This time around, Marty Minshall reminded me of how scenic that little pocket of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is, blues and golds and filtered sunlight under the pines and oaks providing several definitions of natural beauty.

lake cuyamaca from stonewall creek fire road