SAN DIEGO — On January 25, county supervisors unanimously approved upgrades to a popular hiking spot near the community of Ramona and the city of Poway.
Located west of state route 67, the Mount Woodson Gateway County Preserve has several trails, including one leading to Potato Chip Rock, a well-known tourist spot.
Planned improvements include a 209-vehicle parking lot, signage, a solar-powered entrance gate and lighting, trash and recycling bins, and portable toilets. The $3.5 million project should be completed by the end of this year, according to the county Department of Parks & entertainment
Find out what’s happening in Encinitaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Visitors to Mount Woodson now park their vehicles on the side of SR-67, which creates safety issues, parks officials said. In 2019, the county purchased the 84 acres adjacent to SR-67, as part of its Multiple Species Conservation Program, setting aside 9 acres for the upgrade.
The hiking area is adjacent to a residential development, and several homeowners have expressed concerns about hikers possibly wandering onto their properties. A representative of the Mount Woodson Homeowners Association said homeowners have dealt with litter, noise and minor damage.
Find out what’s happening in Encinitaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“Everybody loves the migrants but (homeowners) want to discourage any further trespassing,” she added.
DPR officials said the county will monitor tracking areas to make sure people don’t enter nearby homes.
Supervisor Joel Anderson also pushed for stronger county enforcement of the hiking area and better signage, and said he hoped that would be acceptable to property owners.
Anderson said along with better security, the conservation upgrades would also increase the value of nearby homes.
“I can’t say you have many offices that I’ve walked into that have a picture of Potato Rock,” he added.
