Potato Chip Rock Hike (San Diego)

7.5 miles - Hard Effort
3-4 Hours (Total)
2,130 Total Feet of Climbing
Max Elevation of 2,846 feet
Leashed Dogs Allowed

I'm sure you've seen pictures of the Potato Chip Rock hike, even if you're not familiar with it. Potato Chip Rock is the iconic rock formation in San Diego County where everyone grabs a photo of themselves perched out on the rock, over the oblivion. The hike to the rock and summit of Mt Woodson is a fun one, with a few options to get to the top. It's a hard hike because of the uphill, but otherwise well-marked and easy to do. It gets crowded so plan your trip accordingly (keep reading!).

In this Guide:

Where Is Potato Chip Rock
When to Hike to Potato Chip Rock
Turn-by-turn Hike Directions
Potato Chip Rock Hike Maps & Video

Quick Links:
Park Website - NOAA Weather Report - My Apr 2024 Gear

Where Is Potato Chip Rock?

The Potato Chip Rock hike starts in Poway, located about 30 minutes north of San Diego. There a few ways to hike to Potato Chip Rock, and this route is the most scenic and offers bathrooms and facilities. I'll give you a few other options later in the guide.

Use this trailhead address: Lake Poway, 14644 Lake Poway Rd, Poway, CA 92064.

Note that if you put "Mt Woodson Trailhead" or "Potato Chip Rock Trailhead" into your GPS, it might take you to one of the other ways to do the hike.

This hike, which is probably the most popular route to Potato Chip Rock, starts at the Lake Poway park in Poway, CA. The park has bathrooms, picnic tables, and plenty of parking. There's a non-resident fee on weekends and holidays; on weekdays it's usually free. It's free for Poway residents with ID.

map layout of potato chip rock trailhead — When you enter Lake Poway, go to the far lot to park. There's plenty of parking, bathrooms, and a place to fill water bottles.

parking lot in poway — There's lots of parking but it fills up later in the day.

I highly recommend leaving as early as possible. The gates usually open at 6am (check the website above). When you do this hike first thing in the morning, it's glorious. When you leave around 8-9am, you'll have crowds of people on the trail. It's worth getting up early for.

What About the Potato Chip Short Trail?

There are a few ways to hike to Potato Chip Rock and Mt Woodson. The route from Lake Poway is the most popular route for a good reason. It has great scenery, plenty of parking, facilities and bathrooms, and is the least steep (although still a tough climb). It does have an entry fee on the weekends.

If you want to try the other routes, here they are. Otherwise, keep reading for all the trail directions from Lake Poway.

mt woodson short hike map — The most popular free route starts on the side of Rt. 67, where you can park for free along the road. The 4 mile round-trip route takes Mt Woodson Road to the summit. It's a paved and steep route, and lacks the scenery of the Lake Poway route.

Is Potato Chip Rock Safe?

Yes, as long as you're not a dummy. People get hurt here when they do stupid things like hanging off the rock or trying risky poses. If you fall off the rock, it's about a 40 foot fall. I've been there when a kid was hanging off, fell, and had to get rescued.

There's a small hop onto Potato Chip Rock, and when people land on the rock, it can vibrate a bit which can be scary. When you're standing on the rock, it's not too bad, and you won't fall hundreds of feet if it breaks. You might break a few bones, but you'll survive.

What You Need For the Hike

There is no shade on the trail and it can get brutally hot here (which is another reason to leave early). I see people doing this with a single bottle of water and it's just not enough. Bring at least 1L of water, I bring 3L.

And if you want the pictures of yourself standing on Potato Chip Rock, it's best to do this hike with another person so you can take pictures of each other. Selfies don't work, you have to have someone else take the picture. You could try it with a tripod and Bluetooth remote, but I'm not sure if the Bluetooth range is long enough.

Gear That I Love Right Now

Nothing is sponsored or promoted, just the actual gear that I use.

Garmin InReach Mini 2If you are out of cellphone range the Mini 2 will reliably allow you to hit SOS via satellite. You can see my review here.

HOKA Speedgoat 5These are a great balance of comfort and performance. The high stack height leaves my feet feeling great after a hike.

Check out the complete list here.

Potato Chip Rock Trail Maps

Use This Map:
View in CalTopo | PDF Map | GPX File

How Will You Navigate?

Using the Apple Watch for Hiking

Garmin Fenix 7 & Epix Review For Hikers

How To Read a Topographic Map

Garmin GPSMAP 67i Review

3D Map

Elevation Profile

Potato Chip Rock Hike Elevation map — This hike is mainly uphill, but you can see there are a few sections where the gradient eases up and you can catch your breath.

Potato Chip Rock Hike Directions

start of Potato Chip Rock hike — Head to the far end of the parking lot from the earlier directions. The building on the right is a bathroom with water fountains. Take care of any business and head around the building to the right. You'll cross over some grass to the trail. The official trailhead is on the right side of the bathrooms, but the entrance to the bathrooms is on the left side, so I usually go this way.

trail in poway — Once you start on the trail past the bathrooms, bear to the right on the Sumac Trail (not marked as such though).

poway trail — Shortly after that, continue left above the lake, avoiding the trail that joins from the right.

lake poway — You'll be hiking above Lake Poway to your left. This part of the hike is really beautiful. The lake is stocked with fish and you might see some folks trying to catch them.

porta potties on trail — At this junction, continue straight to head towards Potato Chip Rock and Mt Woodson. The left takes you to the lake.

Potato Chip Rock trail — Avoid the trail that joins from the right and continue hiking left, around Lake Poway.

porta potties on Potato Chip Rock trail — Here's the most important junction, the trail to Mt Woodson. You'll see some porta-potties here, which is your last bathroom opportunity.

hike board on trail — To the right of the bathrooms is the Mt Woodson Trail. Make a right at the board.

hike board in poway — Make sure to check out the hiking board for any recent trail info and standard warnings to not doing anything stupid.

heat advisory on trial — The start of the Mt Woodson trail also has signage about the heat and water. There are a ton of folks who do this hike unprepared. If you're reading this article, hopefully, you're not one of them.

mt woodson trail sign — Here's the sign at the start of the Mt Woodson Trail.

mt woodson trail — From here the trail goes up. It gets steep but it's not crazy.

flower bush on Potato Chip Rock trail — Keep your eyes open for lavender in bloom.

hike to Potato Chip Rock — You're basically staying straight on the Mt Woodson Trail until you reach Potato Chip Rock. Continue climbing.

views from Potato Chip Rock hike — If the hike gets too steep, stop, turn around, and enjoy the sweet views of Lake Poway and the surrounding mountains. It's a nice way to catch your breath.

trail turn — Keep staying on the main trail and avoid the unofficial cutoff to the left. You'll be rewarded with some nice views in a minute.

scenic overlook — Now you reach a nice wide area with a bench. The views from here are great, and if you're having a tough time, it's a great place for a break.

stairs on trail — This next part of the hike is one of my favorites. The Mt Woodson Trail makes its way up through a very funky boulder field.The boulders were formed by spheroidal weathering, where joints in the rocks eroded leaving just the boulders exposed, and weathered and smoothed over thousands of years.

e wilThis section has a few switchbacks, so make sure you stay on the official trail and avoid any cutoffs. The views of the surrounding mountains and boulders is great. Local Native Americans called Mt Woodson "Mountain of Moonlit Rocks." It didn't become Mt Woodson until 1895 when it was named after a settler who moved to the area.

Potato Chip Rock hike stairs — Stay right on the Mt Woodson Trail.

mt woodson — You'll start to see the radio towers on top of Mt Woodson in the distance. Almost there.

people on Potato Chip Rock — You'll know you're at Potato Chip Rock when you see the crowd. If you time it wrong, there can be 100+ people here. Wait in line to get your photo (or just skip it).

posing on Potato Chip Rock — If you want a picture, make sure you have someone else to take the shot for you. Selfies don't work here.

mt woodson summit road — You've come this far, so now you might as well visit the summit of Mt Woodson. Keep hiking for a minute up the trail past Potato Chip Rock.

cris hazzard on mt woodson — Boom! You're on the summit of Mt Woodson. From here, just go back down the way you came to finish the hike.

Need More Info?

Have a question about the guide or want to see what other people are saying/asking? View the Youtube comments for this video. Leave a comment and I will do my best to respond.
When planning, always check the park website and social media to make sure the trails are open. Similarly, check the weather and road conditions.

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This Guide Was Written by Cris Hazzard

Cris Hazzard 4 Mile Trail Yosemite
Hi, I'm Cris Hazzard, aka Hiking Guy, a professional outdoors guide, hiking expert, and author based in Southern California. I created this website to share all the great hikes I do with everyone else out there. This site is different because it gives detailed directions that even the beginning hiker can follow. I also share what hiking gear works and doesn't so you don't waste money. I don't do sponsored or promoted content; I share only the gear recommendations, hikes, and tips that I would with my family and friends. If you like the website and YouTube channel, please support these free guides (I couldn't do it without folks like you!). You can stay up to date with my new guides by following me on YouTube, Instagram, or by subscribing to my monthly newsletter.