Woodson Mountain Loop is a 5.4 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Ramona, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Extra half star for a sight I've never seen before: While the trails were far from empty on a cloudy Monday mid-morning (except for the Fry-Koegel portion), when I got to Potato Chip Rock I was totally alone -- zero (!) people on the rock or in the area nearby.
Very much a butt kicker on the way up, great to start first thing in the morning less people . The loop on the way back down was very pretty and I was very surprised at how covered it was. Would highly recommend this trail!
It was a nice change of scenery Gorgeous day out. Trail wasn’t crowded at all. This route was very nice, definitely the road less traveled- this was a loop that began from the 67 and climbed to the summit, afterwards continuing on to make a loop towards the north which was in a wooded area, then back to the 67. I really enjoyed this route. It was a nice change of scenery- highly recommended
if you're an experienced or even a moderate hiker this is a quick warm-up LOL. Been here plenty of times both routes. Was lovely today, no people at all. Climbed the chip up and down .5 seconds LOL! almost more like 10 sec.
Trail up is entirely paved so thumbs down on that, but after a quick but challenging in the heat uphill climb, you’ve reached the chip rock in 2 miles. The best part of this hike was the Frye/Koegel loop that took me back to the highway and ended up near the golf course. this descent was beautiful with butterflies and the only thing you have to look out for is the poison oak but it has been trimmed back. I’ll probably never do the paved road again and always go to the Fry trail . Beautiful near Sunset.
Hiked up to watch the sunrise from the top. We left the car at 3:55am (with headlamps), reached the top at 5:38am, and watched the sun rise over the range of the hills to the east at 6:01am. Took pics on the rock and climbed around a little on the way back down, and back to the car at 7:42am. Because we went so early, the heat wasn’t a problem for hiking it in July. And we didn’t see anyone at all on the Fry-Koegel trail all the way up. Only a couple other people at Potato Chip Rock when we got to the top. And there were a handful of people up there by the time we headed down. We passed people pretty consistently as we walked back down the paved trail on the Romona side - so make sure to take a mask or neck gaiter for social distancing right now.
Definitely nice to take this loop to avoid some of the crowds. The paved road down is pretty steep and can be hard on your knees.
Great trail. If you take Fry Koegel Trail first it’s a more gradual climb to the peak of mount Woodson and it’s lush with lots of shade. I recommend wearing long pants since there is a lot of poison oak along the trail edge. Once you hit Woodson trail there is limited shade the rest of the way. Go early to avoid the heat and the line if you are wanting to enjoy a photo op on potato chip rock and extra water. Happy hiking!