Do not confuse this Crest with the Angeles Crest, which lies two hundred kilometres to the north. This Crest is a small hill community east of El Cajon in San Diego County, a scatter of houses on steep slopes and ridges covered with granite boulders, chaparral and oak, with views over the El Cajon valley and towards the mountains of the Cuyamaca range. It has about two and a half thousand people and a rural feel, despite being so close to the city.
Crest has seen fire. In 2003, the Cedar Fire, one of the largest wildfires in California history, swept through the area, destroying many homes. The community rebuilt, but the risk remains, and in dry, windy weather, especially when the Santa Ana winds blow from the desert in autumn, the hills can be dangerous. Check fire conditions before you ride here in late summer and autumn.
As a food stop, Crest itself has very little, but El Cajon, a few kilometres west, is a surprising place to eat. It is home to one of the largest Chaldean and Iraqi communities in the United States, and its main streets are lined with Middle Eastern bakeries, markets and restaurants serving kebabs, shawarma, fresh bread and sweets. A plate of grilled meat and rice, with a cup of strong tea, is a fine meal before or after a ride.
The roads around Crest are tight and twisty, with steep climbs, blind corners and narrow lanes winding between boulders and houses. La Cresta Road and the roads through Harbison Canyon and Dehesa offer short but fun rides, and they connect to the bigger mountain roads to the east, towards Alpine, Julian and the Cuyamaca Mountains, where the riding gets even better. Watch for gravel, deer and local traffic, and remember that summer temperatures in the inland valleys can be very hot.
Bostonia, about six kilometres away, is the nearest larger community, and El Cajon has fuel, shops and services. Mount Helix, a nearby hill with a large cross and an outdoor amphitheatre at the top, offers one of the best views in San Diego County, over the ocean, the city and the mountains, and it is worth a short detour at sunset.