Mt. Calavera: San Diego’s Dormant Volcano
Last weekend a small group of us ventured into Lake Calavera Preserve for a hike and were rewarded with an unexpected view of the remains of a volcano that blew its top about 22 million years ago -- well before my time. Only a portion of the original geological structure remains, but it’s a site to behold. Especially in Carlsbad, better known for beaches and Legoland.
In doing a little research, it appears the volcano’s remains are primarily basalt, which attracted miners back in the day and contributed to the hollow bowl we see now. (We debated if “caldera” is the correct term, but I didn’t run across any literature that called it that.) The basalt is actually what plugged up the volcano’s mouth millions of years ago and forced an eruption. Down below is Lake Calavera, which holds about 520 by 400 acres of water – or at least did. There was evidence the lake was low due to drought.
The Preserve itself is a network of mostly single-track trails easy to walk, if not always easy to climb or navigate. Thankfully my trail shoes lived up to their price tag. But we had to forgo a more rigorous hike to the top because we felt we needed poles (a very fit person with excellent balance could do it without assistance). We used my Alltrails app to help keep us on the right path, though it’s easy enough to be guided visually either around the lake or volcano remains.
Several sites talked about a cairn garden and labyrinths but I saw no evidence of either. It could be we just weren’t looking in the proper place, or the weeds hid the formations. An abandoned mine-turned-cave had to be sealed off by the city of Carlsbad years ago.
Where to Park: There are several official trailheads. On a previous visit, we parked along College Avenue just off Tamarack Blvd. and walked down to the lakeside trails from a dam entrance. This time we parked in the small lot at Oak Riparian Park and started at a trailhead a few football fields’ length down Lake Blvd. There are two other entrances that may be more convenient, depending on where you travel from.
What to Expect: Most of the trails are exposed and obstacle-free, which makes them idea for hiking, running and biking. We saw several runners but not one cyclist. Maybe it was our early hour. Plenty of people walking with their pooches. It was sometimes hard to tell if the scat on trails was from feral or domestic dogs. Lots of leafy sections with wooden bridges near the park side of the preserve.
There are a lot of trails that intersect, not all with signage. Here’s where that Alltrails app came in handy. Even with it, we frequently went off the beaten path but always ended up where we intended. There are some climbs that render this trail as moderate, rather than easy. They were doable, until we got to climbing the actual volcano. One side has steep-but-defined trails; the other involves climbing up rock ledges. Both had people working their way up to the top for the views and a rock garden.
We finished by crossing a creek and coming up the other side of the park. It was easy to cross because water levels were really low; not sure if it gets more difficult with rising waters.
When to Go: This place gets a lot of traffic, and its far enough inland that the marine layer will burn off quickly on hot days. We were fortunate to keep a heavy cloud cover, which kept us cool. Mornings are busy, as I imagine day and early evenings when the climate cooperates. Everyone we met was friendly.
Finding gems like this place is one reason I love hiking throughout Southern California.
