Part of Hiking Trails, our guide to hiking trails across San Diego County, from city peaks to desert canyons.
Cowles Mountain, at 1,591 feet, is the highest point in Mission Trails Regional Park and in the City of San Diego, per the City of San Diego page. That page gives no trail length, elevation gain, dog rule or parking address, so we do not state them. Use the Mission Trails trail map for routes.Checked October 23, 2026.
What We Can Say
The City of San Diego says: “At an elevation of 1,591 feet, Cowles Mountain is the highest point in Mission Trails Regional Park and the City of San Diego.” The Mission Trails Visitor Center is open 9 AM to 5 PM daily and closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day; that is the visitor center, not the trail. See Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center and our trail system page.
Heat and Dogs
Mission Trails published an article saying that on the hottest days “the safest choice may be the simplest one: leave your dog at home.” The leash rule for the trail itself is not confirmed.
What We Could Not Verify
- Trail length, elevation gain, difficulty, dog rule, parking and staging address and closures are not confirmed. The City of San Diego Parks and Recreation or Mission Trails Regional Park can confirm.
- Coordinates are not confirmed, so no map is shown.
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FAQ
How tall is Cowles Mountain?
1,591 feet, per the City of San Diego.
How long is the hike?
Not confirmed here. Check the Mission Trails trail map.
Sources
Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s San Diego. Cite this page: It’s San Diego (itssandiego.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link to this page; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.