Elected officials, park rangers and community leaders to join together to launch new hiking challenge

San Diego CA— The “5-Peak Challenge,” the first-ever hiking challenge held in the City of San Diego, will kick off with a launch event at Mission Trails Regional Park on Saturday, November 7 at 10 a.m.

The event will be jointly hosted by San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, San Diego City Councilmember Scott Sherman and La Mesa City Councilmember Kristine Alessio, and will take place at the Kwaay Paay summit trailhead. During the event, Supervisor Jacob, Councilmember Sherman and Councilmember Alessio will welcome and honor a group who has previously completed four of the five peaks as they finish the final leg of the 5-Peak Challenge.
“Mission Trails is one of San Diego’s greatest jewels and this event will showcase that,” said San Diego Councilmember Scott Sherman, who chairs the Mission Trails Regional Park Task Force, “The 5-Peak Challenge is a wonderful event for all ages and will assist in reducing traffic on Cowles Mountain by encouraging hikers to venture onto some of the less utilized trails.”
The 5-Peak Challenge is set across the park’s five major summits at the 7,220-acre Mission Trails Regional Park. Hikers who participate will traverse a total of 11.5 miles of hiking trails with more than 6,000 feet in total elevation change. The challenge was designed by park rangers to be done in parts over several weekends, rather than all in one day, making it accessible to first-time and veteran hikers alike. The first 100 hikers to complete the challenge will be entered into a drawing to win eight different outdoor-themed prizes, including a brand new tent and hiking backpacks.
“We’ve already received a lot of positive feedback about the 5-Peak Challenge from some of our park’s regular guests,” said Jay Wilson, Executive Director of the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation. “We look forward to this challenge inspiring a new generation of hikers that take advantage of the park’s 60 miles of trails and San Diego’s excellent year-round climate.”
The 5-Peak Challenge will be contained entirely within Mission Trails Regional Park, one of the region’s premier educational and recreational resources. More information is available online at http://www.mtrp.org/five_peaks01.