Potato Chip Rock is a natural tourist attraction near San Diego, California,[1] named for its resemblance to a potato chip. The rock is thin and cantilevered over fourteen feet.[2] It is located on the summit of Mt. Woodson at an elevation between 2700 and 2800 ft,[3] in an unincorporated part of San Diego County between Poway and Ramona.
Potato Chip Rock sits 100 feet below the summit of Mt. Woodson.[4] The hike to the rock takes approximately one to two hours. One popular way to reach the rock is through a 6.6-mile round trip hike from the Lake Poway trailhead to the west.[5] There are two other popular routes to the top that start on the east side of Mount Woodson. A short route begins from free parking areas along Route 67, with an entrance at 16310 Highway 67, and follows Mt. Woodson Road up to the rock. This 3.75-mile round-trip hike is paved and steep.[6] The Fry-Kogel trail is the third route to the rock, and is about four miles long.[7]
The rock was used as an April Fools' Day prank by Poway mayor Steve Vaus in 2017.[8] In a tweet, he wrote that part of the rock had snapped off and fallen into Lake Poway below. He even added a picture for "proof".[9]