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.
Dogs on leash
Hiking
Mountain biking
Nature trips
Walking
Running
Views
Wild flowers
Wildlife
Rocky
Closed
![Woodson Mountain Loop [CLOSED] Map](https://cdn-assets.alltrails.com/static-map/production/at-map/17935791/trail-us-california-woodson-mountain-loop-at-map-17935791-1590520416-414x200-1.png)
NOTE: It has been reported this trail has temporary closures due to COVID-19. Please see the park's website for up to date information.
July 22, 2020Hiked 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.
June 9, 2020April 2, 2020Mount Woodson is closed to the public!
March 1, 2020
February 15, 2020Great hike!
February 15, 2020Nice loop trail.
January 11, 2020Pass potato chip and loop back around on an windy forested trail.
November 27, 2019August 24, 2019Definitely 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.
August 20, 2019Great 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!
July 10, 2019Love the hike, it's challenging and the views of the county are just breathtaking! Great place to get away and enjoy nature at its best! :)
June 2, 2019good loop. the Koegel trail is by far the best part.
May 22, 2019The good thing about this route is it runs along the forested northern side of Mt Woodson and there aren't many people - at least until you get to the ridge line and join the hikers coming up from Poway Lake. The start of the Fry Koegel runs along the perimeter of the Woodson Golf Course homes which means dogs running along fences barking but it soon gets into the trees. I climbed on a day with low clouds at about 2600ft so the top of Woodson was shrouded in mist but there were some great views on the way up. I opted to descend on the paved roadway to make a loop but many people descend via the other Fry Koegel route (there is an "old Fry Koegel" and a new one that deviate for about a mile with the old one taking a higher line on the mountainside).
May 19, 2019March 15, 2019Pretty and green! One toppled tree, but easy to walk around.
November 3, 2018The return trail is nice!!! You get off the service road .. lot of shade and once you turn back towards the 67 you probably wont see anyone..
October 28, 2018January 1, 2018
First to ReviewWe did this loop by starting on the Fry-Koegel trail which was nice, because it's a more gradual incline to the peak then the Mt. Woodson trail. We only saw one other person on the Fry- Koegel trail, but when we connected with the Mt. Woodson trail it was crowded, because it was the day after Christmas. I would have given it 5 stars, but the paved access road, tons of people, and all the antennas take away from it a little bit. All and all it's a nice hike, and you can do your obligatory Potato Chip Rock photo if the line isn't too long.
August 4, 2020August 3, 2020July 18, 2020July 11, 2020July 10, 2020July 5, 2020July 4, 2020July 3, 2020July 1, 2020June 30, 2020
