Hey Substack community, happy summer! I hope you’re all enjoying the start to your summers and getting out on the trails as much as you can regardless of the heat!
Pyles Peak is one of the 5 peaks that compose of the 5 Peaks Challenge in Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego. Pyles Peak is a beautiful trail run with multiple options to shorten or lengthen the distance of your run. For this video I opted to start from the Big Rock trailhead on the Santee City side of the mountain. All together, this route consists of roughly 2,000' feet of elevation gain over the course of 7.5 miles, so it nearly mirrors Mount Woodson from Poway Lake to the north.
Pyles Peak is one of the 5 peaks that compose of the 5 Peaks Challenge in Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego. Pyles Peak is a beautiful trail run with multiple options to shorten or lengthen the distance of your run. For this video I opted to start from the Big Rock trailhead on the Santee City side of the mountain. All together, this route consists of roughly 2,000' feet of elevation gain over the course of 7.5 miles, so it nearly mirrors Mount Woodson from Poway Lake to the north. The great thing about Pyles Peak is you automatically get to bag two peaks during the run, Cowles, and Pyles! If you have the ability, make sure to time this run during the spring as the wildflowers on the western slopes of Pyles are beautiful and abundant if you hit the trail at the right time. As I also mention in the video once I top out Pyles, I've been using Never Second lately as my fuel supply which I highly recommend. It took a minute to get use to the thiner viscosity of the gels, but once I was over that hurdle I found these sources of fuel to be very tasty, easy to consume, and I'm not sure if it's some kind of placebo effect, but I feel that due to the viscosity of the gels being thinner, the fuel enters into my bloodstream quicker. Maybe it's all in my head though... Either way, I recommend anyone looking for a new fuel source to try Never Second if you get the chance. I am also continuing to use Precision Fuel and Hydration.
Mission Trails Regional Park trail system is a robust one, hosting nearly 65 miles of trails within 8,000 acres, it's an incredible resource for hikers, bikers, and of course, trail runners. Mission Trails is also the largest municipal park in California, and one of the largest urban parks in the United States.
Make sure to check out our Trail Running GPX page so you can download the route and upload it to your watch or phone. This GPX page will be a continuous work in progress so make sure to take advantage of the GPX files we already have posted and be sure to check back weekly as we continue to update the page.
Also, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel @CirqueRunning to keep up to date with all of our latest trail running edits. Enjoy this video of Pyles Peak in Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego!
Cirque Running's other sites and media channels
Website: cirquerunning.com
GPX Files: Trail Running GPX Files
Coaching: cirquerunning.com/coaching
Instagram: @cirquerunning
Facebook: Cirque Running
Run Gear List
Patagonia Capilene Cool Lightweight Shirt
Patagonia Strider Pro Shorts 5"
Patagonia Duckbill Cap
Suunto Race Titanium
UltrAspire Momentum 2.0 Vest
Hoka Mafate X
Goodr sunglasses
Cirque Running’s mission is to inspire our trail running community through elevated retreats and professional coaching, with certified UESCA ultrarunning coaches. We’re Trail Runners, Mountain Guides, Educators, Coaches and Stewards of the Sierra and California, and we want to share these remarkable places with all those seeking natural abundance in the Range of Light and beyond.
Share this post