Mount Helix: the hilltop amphitheater with a 360-degree view most San Diegans skip

East of San Diego, a cone-shaped hill rises out of La Mesa's suburbs with a white cross on top. Drive up the winding residential road and you'll find a century-old stone amphitheater facing east, built for sunrise, with a view that runs from the mountains to the ocean and downtown. It's one of the best free viewpoints in the county, and most people only know it as 'the hill with the cross.'

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Leaflet | © OpenStreetMap contributors

Mount Helix

1. 1Mt. Helix Park (amphitheater and cross) — 4901 Mt. Helix Dr., La Mesa

Pins are approximate. Source: Mt. Helix Park Foundation and OpenStreetMap, checked October 6, 2026.

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The story

The summit was once part of a citrus grove owned by Cyrus and Mary Yawkey. The park was established in 1925 in Mary Yawkey's memory, with an amphitheater built in 1924 and dedicated the following year, and was gifted to San Diego County in 1929. Since 1999 the nonprofit Mt. Helix Park Foundation has run it with volunteers and donations. Its first major repair since 1924 restored the seating in 2017. The Easter sunrise service started informally in 1917 and is described as one of the oldest continuous Easter sunrise services in the country.

• —Hours: 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., per the foundation's site (subject to change).
• —Parking: a handful of short-term spaces near the top. Don't block driveways on the residential road; arrive early.
• —Best time: sunrise. The seats face east toward the mountains.
• —Events: the foundation runs astronomy nights, sunset concerts, a Turkey Trot and the Easter service. Check mthelixpark.org.

Want a summit you have to earn? Try Cowles Mountain, the highest point in the City of San Diego, about 15 minutes away.