Decided to tackle one of Ted’s remaining peaks on his 100-peak list today. Given his time constraints, Coyote Mountain seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Our drive out had us under overcast skies, but as we dropped down to the desert floor, we left the clouds behind. Unfortunately, not the wind, as it was breezy as we got out of the car. We had the same issue the last time we tried to climb this mountain. The winds were not as strong, and we decided to at least get on the ridge and see how we felt. We crossed the rocky desert floor to the ridge that lay off to the west. As we drew near, we spied some cairns.
Once on the ridge, we could feel the wind, and it was strong enough to move our trekking poles, but nothing beyond that. We decided to continue; however, this was to be a silent climb, as we certainly were not going to be chatting over the wind. The route was almost overmarked with cairns, as well as the fairly well-defined use trail that followed the ridge. For the most part, we kept our heads down to avoid our hats being blown off, and pushed upward. The route goes mostly north, before turning westward to the summit, with a couple of short flat sections. The last time I climbed this peak, I needed to rest from time to time. For this climb, we kept hiking, except to snap a photo here and there.
We reached the wide, broad summit, found the register and benchmark. I signed us in and opted not to enjoy the can of Coors that was in the ammo box. After a quick snack and various photos, we headed back down as the wind was still blowing and there was nothing on the summit to act as a windscreen.
After a few minutes descending, the winds ceased. Since we no longer had to keep our heads down, we could enjoy the expansive views to our east, and we could have a conversation. Along the way, we met two other hikers taking a short break on their ascent. We chatted for a bit before parting ways. Once at the base of the ridge, we followed more cairns that took us farther east than the route we took on the way in. We passed an old water tank, then finally back onto the road, and then our car. We tossed our gear in and changed into some dry shirts, then drove along the road to inspect a structure near the edge of the dry lake bed. This is a small shack labeled as “The Peace House”, and it was quite interesting. Since it is wildflower season out in the desert, here are the various flowers we spotted along our adventure:
After grabbing some Mexican food in town, we headed home. I logged 5.4 miles, while Ted had us at just under 6. Our total time was 3:43, about 45 minutes faster than my last time. The entire climb was 2,573 feet.
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.