Potato Chip Rock / Mt. Woodson (Lake Poway)
The fee is narrower than people think. Lake Poway charges $10 for non-residents on weekends and holidays only — collected 6am to 30 minutes before sunset. Weekdays are free for everyone, and Poway residents with proof, active military with ID, and valid fishing-permit holders are always free. The alternative is the Hwy 67 trailhead: free roadside parking, about half the round-trip distance, but a steep paved fire road with no shade and no facilities, parked beside a fast four-lane highway. Neither is an Adventure Pass site — this is a city park and county open space, not national forest. Lake Poway's gates are locked at sunset.
The facts
- Trail served
- Mt. Woodson Trail to Potato Chip Rock and the summit — ~7 mi RT from Lake Poway, ~4 mi RT from Hwy 67
- Cost / pass
- Lake Poway: $10 non-resident, weekends and holidays only; free weekdays; free for Poway residents, active military with ID, and fishing-permit holders. Hwy 67: free
- Lot size
- Lake Poway: a large park lot with restrooms and water. Hwy 67: informal roadside, no official count
- When it fills
- The lot rarely runs out before the summit-photo line does — hikers routinely advise arriving before 9am on weekends to avoid a 30-plus-minute queue at the rock
- Overflow option
- The Hwy 67 trailhead is the de facto overflow, and it's free — but it's a different, harder-feeling hike
- Tow / citation risk
- On Hwy 67, park fully clear of the travel lanes and never block the road into the fire station. At Lake Poway the risk isn't towing — it's being locked inside after sunset
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Road to the lot
- Lake Poway: paved city street to the entry station at the end of Lake Poway Rd. Hwy 67: paved highway shoulder
- Busy season
- October–April. This is an exposed granite climb with almost no shade — summer afternoons are miserable and occasionally dangerous
Getting there
Lake Poway, 14644 Lake Poway Rd, Poway, CA 92064
Get directions →Lake Poway: read the fee schedule properly
The City of Poway's own parking page is short and worth getting right, because the internet flattens it into "$10 to park at Lake Poway." What it actually says: Poway residents — no charge. Non-residents — $10. Military with ID — no charge. And the fee applies to non-residents on weekends and holidays only, collected from 6am to 30 minutes before sunset. Anyone holding a valid fishing permit is exempt. Residents can get a sticker at the entry station or office.
So a Tuesday hike from Lake Poway costs nothing, for anybody. That single fact reshuffles the whole calculation below.
The park itself is the comfortable option: a large lot, restrooms, water, picnic areas, and the Mt. Woodson trailhead a short walk from the far end. Gates open at 6am and are closed and locked at sunset — on a seven-mile round trip with a photo queue at the top, that's a real deadline, not a formality.
Hwy 67: free, shorter, and less pleasant
The east-side approach starts from the shoulder of Highway 67 near the CAL FIRE station and follows the paved Mt. Woodson Road service road to the summit — roughly four miles round trip instead of seven, with a steeper average grade. Parking is free roadside, with no lot, no toilets, no water and no shade.
The honest downsides: you are parking and stepping out onto the verge of a fast four-lane highway, the walk itself is asphalt with utility infrastructure rather than trail, and the area immediately around the fire station access road is signed and must be kept clear. Hikers consistently call it the more dangerous trailhead of the two, and that's about the cars, not the climb.
It earns its keep in exactly two situations: a weekend when you don't want to pay $10, or an afternoon when you want the summit without three hours of exposure.
What no pass covers here
Worth stating plainly because people arrive with the wrong paperwork: this is not national forest. Lake Poway is a City of Poway recreation area and Mt. Woodson's slopes are open space, so an Adventure Pass buys you nothing, and neither does an America the Beautiful pass or a California State Parks pass. The $10 is a municipal parking fee paid at the entry station, cash-simple and only on the days listed above.
Plan B
In order of usefulness: move the day, not the trailhead. A weekday at Lake Poway is free and quiet, and the summit-photo queue — the actual bottleneck on this hike, not parking — largely evaporates. If you're locked into a weekend, arriving before 9am gets you up and down ahead of the line.
If you won't pay and can't move the day, take Hwy 67 and accept the tradeoffs. If you're chasing a summit rather than that specific photograph, Three Sisters Falls and Eagle Peak are an hour east with free parking and far fewer people — subject to the Cleveland National Forest's summer heat closures. And if the day has already gotten hot, go west: Torrey Pines is coastal, shaded by ocean air rather than trees, and open until sunset.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to park at Lake Poway for Potato Chip Rock?
$10 for non-residents, and only on weekends and holidays — weekdays are free for everyone. Poway residents with proof of residency, active military with ID, and holders of a valid fishing permit park free at all times. The fee is collected from 6am to 30 minutes before sunset.
Can you hike Potato Chip Rock without paying?
Yes, two ways. Hike on a weekday, when Lake Poway parking is free for everyone. Or start from the Highway 67 trailhead on the east side, where roadside parking is always free — a shorter, steeper paved route with no restrooms, water or shade.
Which Potato Chip Rock trailhead is better, Lake Poway or Highway 67?
Lake Poway is the nicer hike — about seven miles round trip on real trail, with restrooms, water and a lake to start from. Highway 67 is about four miles round trip on a steep paved service road with no facilities, parked on the shoulder of a fast four-lane highway. Lake Poway for the experience, Highway 67 for speed or to skip the weekend fee.
What time does Lake Poway close?
The gates open at 6am daily and are closed and locked at sunset. On a seven-mile round trip with a queue for the summit photo, plan your turnaround around that lock time — not around daylight.
Do you need an Adventure Pass at Mt. Woodson?
No. Lake Poway is a City of Poway park and Mt. Woodson is not national forest land, so an Adventure Pass, an America the Beautiful pass and a California State Parks pass are all irrelevant here. The only charge is Poway's $10 non-resident weekend and holiday parking fee.
Facts on this page last verified July 20, 2026. Fees, hours, and access rules change seasonally — confirm with the official source before a long drive.