Valley of The Moon and Vicinity

The Valley of The Moon

The Moon rises over Valley of The Moon

Valley of The moon is Located on the eastern end of Jacumba, There is a Trail Head located on Hwy 80 which parallels Hwy 8. I always park here and walk it in as the road up is very rough even for the best of off road vehicles. As you go up it becomes rougher and you'll see small parts of vehicles littering the road as well as scrape marks on the stone that juts up here and their. The valley itself is quite the jumble of rock, some of it has been sculpted into the most unusual shapes by wind and sand. One should also beware to keep ones bearing, The shear beauty of the area can make one lose track of this.
The area also is home to Smugglers Cave and The Elliot Mine. One of the more beautiful areas is just beyond the Elliott mine, but beware if you have step over a fallen barb wire fence, congrats you just entered Mexico.

View from atop of the small peak and Elliot Mine. This is The view looking South East of The Valley of The Moon and out over The Anza Borrego Desert far below. A word of caution some advanced experience with outdoor hiking is a must here, look at the picture, you dont want to loose your bearing or direction in this enviroment.

Upper Valley of The Moon

Climber valley of The Moon, gives a sense of Scale to the size of the Rock Scapes

The area is also rich in cultural materials, Native american pot shards a quartz flakes can be found. Remember though look take photos and do not touch, Down one canyon lies the remains of an old cabin, though not much is left.
There is also a road that leads up to an old abandoned antenna station, and quartz mine. If you are a peak bagger there is Blue Angel Peak though I dont believe there is any trail to the top.

The Border before Valley of The Moon

This Formation is quite near Valley of The Moon.

This Rock Formation is found down a was that is south of Smugglers Cave.

This Large Formation is found down a was that is south of Smugglers Cave.

I apologize for not give out directions to most of my trips, trails change and I do not have the time to keep the site always updated. My hikes also span from the easy to the extreme, a lot of places do not even have trails, as well as extreme conditions. Some sites need to be protected as they are fragile and historically sensitive. So if you decide to hike some of these areas, do your research and know your limits, have the proper provisions .Every year many hikers die from not understanding these Simple Rules. San Diego County and surrounding areas are diverse in climate and terrain. Remember if you do decide to Hike do your research, carry the essentials and do so at your own risk. An alternative is to join one of the many hiking groups such as meetup or on facebook ,as well as other social sites. Not only is there safety in numbers but a pooling of knowledge.