Juniper hugging the edge of...
Juniper hugging the edge of the trail gave us a few new pinstripes. No big deal. If you want to enter Jasper Trail from the top, look for the opening between mile 6 and 7 coming down the grade on S-22. There's no warning sign that the trail is imminent, so you'll have to be on the lookout and be prepared to backtrack if you go too far.
Grapevine Canyon road leaves the pavement just across highway S-3 from the Tamarisk Grove campground. Grapevine Canyon starts with a sandy wash and narrows into a rocky shelf road. Jasper Trail leaves Grapevine Canyon and brings adventurers on a winding, sometimes-steep route that ends at highway S-22. This route proved to be scenic, but disappointingly easy. A previous trip revealed, especially on the Jasper Trail, a route that was riddled with ruts and small-scale surface mayhem. This time, much of the Jasper Trail had been graded. Give it a winter and a few desert-style downpours, and the Jasper Trail should be back to its old, properly-challenging self.
Our 36 hours drew to a close, and it was time to point the 4Runner back toward I-15 and home. We'd visited the Space Age and the Stone Age, and had gotten our tires dirty. It was a great, pint-sized escape. Here's to the dreamers.
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 When you see this trail sign...  When you see this trail sign and the towering rock outcropping, turn right onto Jasper trail. If you continue on Grapevine Canyon Road, you'll pop out into Ranchita, a cozy collection of rural homes along San Diego S-22 (Montezuma Valley Road). From the other tire tracks, it's evident that most turn right onto Jasper Trail as we did. |  We'd seen scientific wonder...  We'd seen scientific wonder and we'd hiked, and now it was time to get the tires in the dirt. Grapevine Canyon Road takes off of San Diego county S-3 (Yaqui Pass Road) across from the Tamarisk Grove Campground. This view is taken from paved S-3 looking North on Grapevine Canyon Road. |  There are two spurs off of...  There are two spurs off of Grapevine Canyon Road to California 78, and this is the first. Stay right. |
 It was disappointing that...  It was disappointing that Jasper trail had recently been graded, so we're hoping a storm or two create some ruts and leave some rocks on the trail before we go back again. This optional line was the trickiest section on the whole route that day. What Jasper Trail lacked in technical challenge, it made up for with scenic value. As Jasper Trail climbs out of Grapevine Canyon, cacti and creosote are largely replaced by Manzanita, juniper, and sage. |  As the elevation climbs, the...  As the elevation climbs, the temperatures drop. That's not to say that the upper end of Jasper Trail shares the same climate as the Palomar Observatory, but you're roughly 1,000 feet higher by the time you're done. Go left at this unmarked intersection. |  Another view of the trail...  Another view of the trail entrance off of S-22. A left turn pointed us to the top of S-22's Montezuma Grade, and led toward home. |