I have driven up several times to the veteran cross, and been driven up by my family as a kid as well. Little did I realize that the true summit is not at the cross, but a quarter mile away by the radio towers. The cross is at the east summit, only about 11 feet lower, and the summit is just next to the high point of Via Casa Alta. Growing up in Clairemont, San Diego, I have always admired the mountain. Soledad is easily visible from the nearby neighborhood of Clairemont. I have fond memories of Soledad, so the next natural curiosity is to whether it could be climbed or hiked. The logistics of reaching the cross are simple, and while the logistics of reaching high point are not super tough, they are strange, as the summit is by the radio towers in a residential area across the street from rich homes. I started my hike near the intersection of Via Capri and La Jolla Scenic Drive South (not the La Jolla Scenic Drive that leads to the cross). La Jolla Scenic Dr S ends at a cul-de-sac. There is a steep use trail at the end of the cul-de-sac that leads up to another trail. At the junction, turn right on the wider trail, and follow it to a narrower trail branching uphill steeply to the left, and follow it up in a lush north-facing slope of tall chaparral. It is steep, but short, as before you know it, you are at the cross (Soledad East Veterans' Cross), the 811' east summit. The trail is quite beautiful with a few species of local regional-endemic shrubs. Of course, the cross is nice with a great memorial to those who served and sacrificed their lives in war. After I was done, I walked along La Jolla Scenic Dr. to turning right onto Via Casa Alta, following it to its highest point. This is where the trip becomes interesting. The summit area is by a radio tower complex. And to reach the highest point outside of the fenced in radio complex (private property) can be tricky. To get to the highest point outside of the private property means either approaching from the east along the berm above the street, but it would mean tight bushwhacking through ornamental shrubs (Oleanders). It was not appealing, so I wandered back and forth looking for an alternative approach, probably looking strange in an affluent neighborhood busy with people walking. Most approaches would necessitate climbing over a retaining wall and scrambling over slippery pine needles. So I went further along to the west end of the radio complex where it neighbors a mansion, and I scrambled the shorter retaining wall section, and crawled uphill a short distance over slippery pine needles on hands and knees, grabbing any pine branches to maintain my upward climb, so it made me laugh to say that I made a short class-2 summit push in a residential neighborhood!! After the scramble, I then walked to the fence, following it until it reaches its high point. The highest elevation lies just a few feet away within the property, so for the sake of avoiding trespassing, I called it a summit at the fence. I returned the same way back to the street, the cross, and my car.