Stanley Peak - Peak #31 - A rainy morning in Daley Ranch, Escondido

Stanley Peak
Elevation: 1,983′
Mileage: 5.5
Trailhead: Daley Ranch La Honda Parking Lot
Agency: City of Escondido
Dates Hiked: 03/08/2010, 02/27/2016, 05/15/2019
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03/08/2010
I was all set to go out to Anza-Borrego to bag some peaks and see some wildflowers, but the weather wasn’t looking very hospitable. Traveling on dirt roads after heavy rains isn’t advised, even with my all-wheel-drive Tiguan.

Instead, I set my sights on a “backup hike” that I’ve had in my mind for a while. This hike is in Daley Ranch in Escondido, which is pretty well-visited. On this morning, however, the rain likely kept everyone but the determined away.

On my way to the trailhead, it looked like the clouds were clearing up, which bode well. However, once I got about 15 minutes up the trail, the rain started and didn’t stop until I reached the summit.

The trail was nice and maintained, a welcomed break from my past few hikes. It dipped down past a rushing stream and meandered a nice meadow.

In some places, the trail was pretty muddy and I could see where horses had recently sunken pretty deep into it. But overall, there were firm spots here and there, so I didn't get the mud weights on the bottom of my shoes like I did for the McGinty Mountain hike.

Tracks through the mud on the way to Stanley Peak

I ran a lot of the trail, where it wasn’t too muddy, to shorten my time exposed to the wetness, so I am sure that I missed a lot of what was there to see. But the area is gorgeous and green as ever. It is a place I want to take my daughter when she gets a little older and the weather gets a little better.

Covering many of the hillsides were wide swaths of blooming purple flowers. If the day was sunny, I would have been presented with mountains of color.

I passed a giant water tower and scrambled up to the peak, wet and cold. There wasn’t much to see, as I had hiked into the clouds. I ran back down the trail as the clouds opened up again with more fury. I made it back to the car in no time, but I was a little damp and muddy.

The view from Stanley Peak in the clouds

But it was a pleasant and memorable hike. For the most part, I was glad to be back on the trail after a month. These weekend rainstorms are sure putting a damper on my progress at this point.

Sure it was wet, but like I say all the time, the worst hiking trip is better than almost anything else I could be doing.

Update: I’ve been to this peak many times (I forgot to record them, so I don’t know the dates), and part of the beauty of this area is you can take a number of trails and make it as long and as short as you’d like it.