1 mile (one way). Easy hiking with some nice
views of the valley from the upper stretches.
Junctions with the Tarabal Trail, Anza Canyon
and the Lost Valley Road.

The Cat Road is named for the caterpillar tractors (“cats” for short) used in its construction. The lower portion of the road was already in place by the mid-1950s. Besides providing access into the northern end of the valley, it also serves as a fire break. For hikers, it’s a good way to reach a number of different trailheads, and can be useful in planning loop trips in and out of the valley. The trailhead is located just beyond the Cupeño Archery Range.

0.0 Trailhead.

0.1 Several bedrock mortars are visible in the rocks on the right side of the road in what has become Lost Valley’s major archeological site. The trail continues to climb steadily.

0.3 Junction with the Tarabal Trail.

0.5 The rocks to the left, off the road a little ways, provide a nice overview of the valley.

0.65 As the trail begins to climb this ridge, you pass the site of one of only two destructive fires in the camp’s history. In 1978 a four-acre blaze burned the lower end of this ridge and the meadow below it. The cause? A smoldering campfire.

0.75 Junction with the road up from Valley’s End campsite.

1.0 Junction with the Lost Valley Road and the top of Anza Canyon.