San Diego: Hike to the Famous Potato Chip Rock

Jun 15

Next time you’re in San Diego, be sure to hit the iconic Potato Chip Rock. Enjoyed by both locals and tourists, this spot is a must-see for the hiking enthusiast! Take in some great views, get in a good workout, and enjoy the famous California sunshine on this family friendly hike. Are you brave enough to stand on the top of the “potato chip”?

The Hike

About 30 miles North of Downtown San Diego, the hike to Potato Chip Rock is a total of 7.3 miles out-and-back. It takes an average of 3-4 hours to complete. Taking into account snack breaks and photos at the Potato Chip, it took us about 4.5 hours total.

There is very little (if any) shade on the trail, so you will be in direct sunlight the entire hike. We recommend venturing in cooler weather (spring/fall) or early in the morning. Of course, being the adventurers that we are, we didn’t take our own advice and did this hike in the middle of the day in summer (oops). Even in hot weather, this hike is manageable as long as you have plenty of water and sun protection.

The trail to Potato Chip Rock is accessible year round and is dog friendly. Just be sure to keep your dog on a leash and pick up after them. There are a few trash bins and restrooms along the trail to discard any waste. Note: We did see quite a few snakes on the hike, so make sure you and your pets stay on the trail.

Where to Start

To begin the hike to Potato Chip Rock, you will need to begin at Lake Poway Park (14644 Lake Poway Rd.). Note: There is an entrance fee of $10 on weekends/holidays for non-Poway residents. If you try to search “Potato Chip Rock Hike” on Apple Maps, it is going to put you at the wrong address (take it from us - oops). You will want to start at Lake Poway Park for the correct hiking directions. Parking is free on weekdays. We went on a Tuesday and there was plenty of parking. There are restrooms and drinking fountains available here as well.

From the parking lot, you will want to make your way toward the lake and make a right along the Lake Poway Trail. There will be a trailhead map showing the lake and surrounding hikes. The trail will follow alongside the lake for a little under a mile, depending on where you park. Eventually, you will hit a split in the trail - you want to go to the right taking the Mt. Woodson Trail.

Mt. Woodson Trail

The Mt. Woodson Trail will take you to Potato Chip Rock. To get to your first waypoint, you will continue for 1 mile along the trail and end up at a Lookout/Picnic area. This is a good place to stop for a snack break before continuing your hike. There isn’t any real shade here, so the picnic tables do get hot in warmer weather. Be sure to conserve your water for the rest of the hike!

Warren Canyon Split

Continue on the Mt. Woodson Trail and you will hit the Warren Canyon Split. You want to stay to the left here to continue on the Mt. Woodson Trail. This will take you to your next marker in about 0.6 miles. This section of the trail is full of switchbacks and rocky stairs. The elevation changes rather quickly, but the switchbacks seemed easier to us than the first ascending section of the trail. At the last split, you can either take a short detour to the left to reach another lookout point with view of the surrounding area, or continue on the trail furthest right to Potato Chip Rock.

Lookout Point

From here, it is 1 mile to your destination (you’re almost there!). The last push to Potato Chip Rock isn’t as strenuous and more enjoyable as it is much flatter with a lesser incline. The ocean breeze also makes it much more bearable in warm weather. Note: Parts of the trail here get narrower and are lined with bushes - this is where we encountered a rattlesnake. Be sure to stay on the center of the trail and always be aware of your surroundings!

Potato Chip Rock

After 3.6 miles and 2,755 feet of elevation gain, you made it to Potato Chip Rock! Reward yourself with a break and some snacks and enjoy the views of the beautiful landscape.

Depending on the day/time, there can be a long line of people waiting to take their infamous photo on San Diego’s Potato Chip Rock. Do it for the gram’, am I right?

To get onto the rock itself does require some scrambling. There is a large boulder behind Potato Chip Rock that you will use to get on the rock itself. We went to the right side of the boulder, and were able to climb up on to of it before hopping down onto the base of Potato Chip Rock. Once you’re on it, it’s easy to climb to the top. Strike your best pose and smile, but stay safe!

Getting off the rock is the hard part. Once you make it back to the base of Potato Chip Rock, you’ll either need someone to help hoist you up onto the first boulder, or height & upper body strength. Cameron was able to hoist himself up, but Christiane needed a boost. On our trip, there was a friendly hiker who was helping others get up and down from the rock.

Return to Lake Poway

Being an out-and-back trail, getting back to Lake Poway is fairly simple. You’ll be taking the same way back that you came. This is much faster and easier as almost the entire way back is downhill (just be careful not to go too fast). There is a short section closer to the lake that is uphill. It was tough (not gonna lie) after 3 miles of downhill hiking. From there, you are home free and have completed the Potato Chip Rock Hike!

Fun Tip: On your way down, lookout for what we call “booty rock” (pictured below). You can see why we came up with the name.