Distance: 10.3 miles
Elevation gain: 1950 ft.
Alternate hikes: 7-8 miles, 950 ft.
The Hike (Note - mileage given is cum from the trailhead): Two trails start from the Ray Miller Trailhead at the mouth of La Jolla Canyon. The wide one going up along the dry canyon floor ahead is the La Jolla Canyon Trail – our return route. We will take the narrow, inconspicuous La Jolla Ridge Trail to our right. It starts by curling up along the toe of a ridge, where it meets a short spur trail going down to an equestrian staging area. It then doggedly climbs 2.4 miles to a junction with the Overlook Trail, a wide fire road. Keep going north on the Overlook Trail, wind your way around several bumps on the undulating ridge, and arrive at a saddle 4.5 miles from the start, from where roads descend east into Wood Canyon and west into La Jolla Valley. We go left and descend moderately onto a fire road running on the floor of the valley. We continue on the road to the walk-in campground at 5.0 miles. Here we have piped water, restrooms, and oak shaded picnic tables for our lunch break.
After lunch, we continue west in the direction of a military radar installation on Laguna Peak. Ignore trails going left, right and left; we’ll want to gradually circle to the southwest and south, heading for a saddle on the right, northwest, shoulder of rounded Mugu Peak. Attaining that saddle at 6.8 miles, we’ll have a great view of the Pacific Ocean.
From the saddle, the trail contours south and then east around the south flank of Mugu Peak. We arrive at 7.7 miles, at another saddle just east of Mugu’s 1266 ft. summit. Five minutes of climbing on a steep path puts you on the barren top, where hikers have fashioned a large rock cairn and planted pine saplings.
Return to the saddle east of the peak and continue descending to a junction, at 9 miles, in a wooded recess of La Jolla Canyon. Turn right, proceed east along a hillside, and then hook up with the La Jolla Canyon Trail, where you turn right. Nearing the canyon’s mouth, we’ll pass a little grove of walnut trees and a small, seasonal waterfall. We descend to join the dirt road built to haul stone out of the area for construction of the coast highway and arrive about 15 minutes later at the Ray Miller Trailhead.
Alternate hikes: Going west along the road beyond the campground there are three trails that deadend at the road. All lead south to the La Jolla Canyon Trail and to the trailhead. Turn left on any of them to shorten the hike.