I turned off Black Mountain Truck Trail and drove a short distance to the Boulder Basin Campground. This road was slightly rougher, so I had to watch for a few rocks during the drive to the campground. When I arrived, the campground appeared empty. I wondered whether that would change over the upcoming Labor Day holiday, or whether the fire ban in place was keeping the site vacant. I parked under some shade and placed my America the Beautiful pass on my dashboard, just in case a ranger passed through. From the parking area, I followed the service road up toward the lookout tower. Unfortunately, a sign on the locked gate indicated the tower wasn’t staffed today. No matter, I’m already a card-carrying member of the “Ancient and Honorable Order of Squirrels“.
The road led to the summit, and a short, paved path took me from the road to the tower itself. I had some commanding views of the west side of San Jacinto and the lands beyond. Although the upper tower was closed, I climbed partway up the stairs to really enjoy the views. After a quick break, I retraced my route back to the car. Now to return to the Palm to Pines Scenic Byway (aka Hwy 243) and my final peak of the day, Indian Mountain. The hike to the tower was 1.3 miles with a modest climb of 272 feet, and it took me 34 minutes.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. I co-authored Urban Trails: San Diego, available now!
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. I’ve also conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and both the Arizona-Winter and Arizona-Summer).
I look forward to exploring new summits and adventures across the Southwest.