I was looking for a shorter hike this morning, as I needed to get back home to attend one last lunch under the current owners of my favorite Mexican restaurant, Mi Ranchito. With that constraint, I settled on Buckman Benchmark. This peak is on the San Diego Peak Club list and has been staring at me every time I pass by it on the 8. I turned off at Buckman Springs, made a quick stop at the rest area, and drove down Buckman Springs Road. I wasn’t sure if the Forest Road would be open, but it was! I drove up about 1.5 miles to the locked gate and parked. I could have started from the main road, but I was thankful not to have that extra hiking. The day was unseasonably warm, so I was glad to have an early start. After hopping over the gate, I set off northward along the road. At the junction with the Long Valley Loop, I headed west. It might be possible to drive in from the Long Valley Side and park at this junction, but the distance from the locked gate was only about 0.2 miles. I had a couple of tracks from others who had climbed this peak, so I had a good idea where to leave the road and begin the bushwhack to the summit.
The brush wasn’t too bad, and I found a nice use trail that I could follow for most of my way up. I had one or two spots where I had to push through some of the chaparral, but was able to continue upward without any issues. After cresting over a small rise, I spied the summit. I found the reference mark without issue. The actual benchmark was under some brush, along with two register cans. I signed them both and took a few photos before heading back down.
On my descent, I veered off twice into some heavier brush. Knowing I avoided it on my way up, I checked my track and backtracked. As I neared the road again, I found myself about 10 feet above the road and a sheer road cut. Not wanting to attempt descending that, I hiked parallel to the road until I found a safe spot to descend. Now back on the road, I made my way back to the car. I had meant to make the short side-hike to Fuzz Benchmark, but forgot. Oh well. I drove home, cleaned up, and had one last “Friday Special” at Mi Ranchito before the new owners take over. Sad to see Wendy and Mauricio sell/retire, but that is life. The hike was 2.4 miles in 1:51 and 880 feet of gain.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. I am the co-author of Urban Trails: San Diego, coming in Spring 2026!
In 2019, I became the third person to complete the San Diego 100 Peak Challenge. Not stopping with that accomplishment, I set my sights on the harder San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list, which I completed in 2021. In addition, I have conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and both the Arizona-Winter and Arizona-Summer).
I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.