My pedometer read 9.00 miles exactly, and the altitude gain and loss given by Schad was 1600'.
Red berries adorn a low manzanita- type bush.
Lots of star thistle is in its dried spiky form, and the dead chamise flowers give a lovely rust brown color to the hillsides. As a result, the views were very poor due to the high humidity. There were no bugs at all. There were only two other cars at the Ellie Lane trailhead, but there were over 10 at the Highway 67 trailhead, with those people concentrated between Ramona Overlook and Iron Mountain. The trails were in great shape, with no overgrowth at all.