In and around Lawrence Welk, there's a number of climbs up to the Valley Center plateau...Mt. Murder (aka Mountain Meadows) road leads up to a golf course, residential development, and many signs that say 'no outlet'. I'm sure there are outlets, but seeing as how you're at the top of the hill, and risk going all the way down to a closed/locked gate and have to come back up...well that doesn't sound too fun.

Mountain Meadows is just a burn. It's just long and steep enough to feel like forever, but it's totally doable, as GrumpyPig said, when you get in a rhythm and just start going. Just expect some hurt.

Way down just North of the main entrance to Lawrence Welk is a road called Welk View drive which has a sign that says something like 18% for the next 3 miles, but is closed to vehicular traffic and just switchbacks up the side of the mountain.

I actually mapped a loop that would do Mountain Meadows and back down Welk View, then South on Champagne to Mtn. Meadows in a counter-clockwise loop...then reverse the loop. The Clockwise way looks to be much harder. GrumpyPig...why don't you try this out for us: Toporoute

Also, Jschen and others...here's a map thingamabob I found that has the majority of the San Diego climbs listed, with distances and elevations...Also route slips of manymanymany routes throughout San Diego.

Click on the Map of the Climbs of San Diego, courtesy of www.kimberlygross.com


***edited for early morning idiocy.