Borrego Buttes

Today’s planned summit was of Coyote Mountain, just east of Borrego Springs. Since Ted had a commitment in the early evening, we were constrained on what we could do. Also, the recent storm had left some snow on of the higher peaks, so they were off the list. As we drove through Ranchita, the area was covered in a nice layer of snow. We pulled off and snapped a few photos before heading on down to the trailhead.

Initially, we had wanted to hike Coyote on Saturday, but the weather had other plans. When I went to bed, the forecast looked ok. But when we parked at the trailhead, the winds were stronger than we expected. The thought of hiking up the exposed ridgeline just did not seem like a wise plan. So, we pivoted to some other adventures. Since we were so close to Fonts Point, we decided to drive out and see it. I had been out there years ago, but neither Susie nor Ted had ever been. The drive was pretty straightforward to the trailhead, and once there we strolled out to the overlook and took in the views of the Borrego Badlands.

Since we had a time issue, we decided to knock out some short hikes that Ted needed. We drove around to hike Borrego Mountain East Butte. Parking again near the land bridge, we crossed it and quickly began making our way up toward the summit. Both Susie and I noted the route had been marked with a lot of cairns. Neither of us remembered them when we climbed this peak back in November. At the summit, we signed the register and took some photos before heading back down. Along the way, we crossed paths with two other hikers making their way up. Funny, there had only been two hikers to have signed the register between our previous visit and today. The two we met today had recently moved to Borrego Springs and had been looking to explore the area.

Once back at the car, we still had time, so we decided to head over to the Slot and bag Borrego Mountain West Butte. I had always wanted to try to drive the connecting dirt road from East Butte that passes by Hawk Canyon. For the most part, I felt the road was fine, although Susie and Ted might disagree. This road intersects with the standard route you take up from the 78. This is also where the rangers were collecting the $10 use fee.

We found a parking spot and noted there were now pit toilets at the trailhead so that fee at least had provided some services. Grabbing our gear we set off along the well-defined use trail to the summit. About partway up we caught up with some other hikers who were working their way up toward the summit. They asked for directions to the Slot. It seems they had turned right, not left, from the entrance near the parking lot. We directed them back down toward the parking area and wished them well. After a bit more climbing we found ourselves atop the summit. Unfortunately, there is no benchmark or register here, so we just snapped a few photos and headed back down. Since we were making good time, we decided to go ahead and go ahead and do the Slot.

We followed a side trail that took us right into the Slot. We passed a few folks along the way, including the folks we gave the directions to earlier. We did not linger too long as we made our way through the twists and turns, as we still needed to be back in town around 3. Once the passage opened back up some, we took a short climb back out and headed to the car. While not the adventure we planned, it was still a great day out on Anza-Borrego.

I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. 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). Beyond attempting the San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list a second time, I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.

Travelers Peak

With both Susie and Ted unavailable to tag along for Sunday’s adventure, I had some choices to make as to what peak I was going to climb. I could try for Groan Benchmark, which Susie did a couple of weeks back when I was in Joshua Tree but did not like the 6+ miles of off-road solo driving to the trailhead. That really only left Coyote or Travelers Peak as options. I settled on Travelers Peak since it was the shorter of the two.

Passing through Ramona, I caught a wonderful pre-dawn glow. Too bad Ted wasn’t along for the ride, as he would have been all over it. I could see the snow still up on the mountains as I neared Santa Ysabel. Hopefully, I will be done before all the folks who will be heading to the mountains to play in the snow head back into town. I snapped a few photos of the snow-capped Thimble and San Ysidro before making my way down to the desert floor. Just about halfway down, I quickly stopped as some borregos (sheep) were making their way across the road. I grabbed my camera and began snapping away, and managed to get several nice shots. This was the first time I had seen them up here, as my previous sightings have all been further south. I took it as a good omen for the day’s adventures.

After making a quick bio-break at Hellhole Canyon, I cruised through town and out toward the turnoff to the Calcite Mine. The first time I hiked this area, we had parked right next to the road. The second time, I drove partway in before stopping. This time, I figured I could drive all the way to Calcite Mine and start from there, saving some mileage and elevation. As I made my way up the road, it was in great shape. In fact, about partway up, a minivan was parked at a turnout. I thought, “What is Leslie Adams doing out here…?” I had recalled there was one possible rough spot near the end of the road, but it appears that has been resolved. Another Subaru was parked there when I arrived. The driver was just making his way down from exploring partway up the use trail. We chatted a bit, then I set off.

The weather was pleasant as I began working my way up the use trail. The first part of the hike has a very nicely defined use trail from folks exploring just a bit of the ridge once they make it up here, but after the first bump or so, it begins to fade a bit. The route basically follows the ridgeline the entire way to the summit. The challenge of this hike is three-fold, with the first being the steepness. In the 1.3 miles to the summit, I would climb over 1,600 feet. The second challenge is the nature of the Santa Rosas. The geology of this range tends to be crumbly earth, so that is something to contend with. The final challenge is this ridge is often quite narrow. If you have done Mt. Baldy via Devil’s Backbone, that is what you can expect for several sections.

I kept a careful and measured pace as I worked my way up. There is very little plant life on this trail, so at least I did not have to worry about that. Several times the route encounters a section that will give you pause as to how you are going to overcome it. For the first two, I took a route to the right. This allowed me to safely avoid a real up-climb.

I continued plodding on toward the summit, pausing to snap a photo from time to time. As I neared the summit, I stood before a doozy of a challenge, but I recalled that the way to bypass this was to take the route to the left. Even the bypass was still a real challenge, as it required using my hands to safely navigate it. Ted is going to hate doing this peak…

Finally, the summit came into view. I slipped off my pack and soaked in the view. The Salton Sea was very clearly visible to my east. I forget how big it is. Usually, I am looking from much further west. Off to my north was Marble Peak and beyond that Rosa Point. My views to the south and west were equally stunning. The snow-capped mountains were a nice treat. I signed the register and enjoyed a snack. I realized later I forgot to snap new photos of the reference marks…oh well. Once I was ready I began my careful descent.

I took it slowly and carefully, and in fact several times, I sat down and worked my way down a challenging section or two. The sun would glint off my windshield way down below. It is always nice to know it is still there.

Soon, I was back at the car and had crossed another peak off my x2 list. A Jeep had driven up and we chatted a bit while I was stowing my gear. It was still early and I debated if I wanted to go explore something else. I considered driving out to Fonts Point, or maybe hiking out to Hans Benchmark. But in the end, I decided to explore a small section of the California Riding and Hiking Trail near Ranchita. This would let me have a little fun in the snow. The entire hike logged in at 2.6 miles with 1,642 feet of elevation gain. Including my time at the summit, took me 3:26 to complete.

Questhaven Road Nature Trail

One of the trails I had never hiked that is listed on the WBC 50 for 50 Challenge, is the Questhaven Nature Trail. Since the trail is short and (sort of) on my way home from work, I decided to explore it at the end of one work day. I found a spot to park at the south end of the out-and-back trail and set off. The trail is actually the former road that passed through the area, but was closed back in 2006.

I enjoyed the shade from all the trees that lined the sides of the road. A dry creek was off to my right, and after a rainstorm, this little jaunt could be very pleasant. The trail ends at the gates to the Questhaven Retreat, Church of the Holy Quest. I retraced my route back to my car, passing a few others out for a nice jog. The other aspect of this hike is the local lore that this area is haunted, but I will leave all that for you to explore on your own.

Daley Ranch Loop

Really did not feel like making the long drive out to Anza-Borrego, plus Ted could only hike in the morning and Susie had out-of-town guests. So, instead, we decided to do a nice loop that combined 3 WBC hikes into one. We pulled into a moderately full parking lot at Daley Ranch about 7:30, grabbed our gear, and set off. After the short climb under the sign, we continued north until we reached the turnoff to the Boulder Loop Trail. After another little climb, Ted shed a layer before we continued on. At our next junction, we debated taking the slightly shorter route but opted for the longer one. I finally found a spot to snap my required photo. Some mountain bikers were resting at the gazebo near the junction with Cougar Ridge trail.

We descended down to almost where we turned off to start the Boulder Loop Trail, then made a left turn to head to the Ranch House, my second spot for my photo. After a quick snack and helping a mountain biker with some directions we headed toward the Sage Trail and eventually to Stanley Peak.

We had another short climb before the trail leveled off for a while. One of the ponds lay off to our right. As the peak drew nearer, we had to decide to take the longer route or the shorter and steep route past the water tank. The longer route won again. We began our climb to the summit. Partway up a mountain biker passed us, but just a few minutes later he stopped to catch his breath. This happened twice more until we reached the summit nearly at the same time.

The summit was crowded, so we found a quiet spot to snap a few photos. We commented that we are not used to crowds given our usual hiking adventures. Most of the crowd left en masse, so we popped over to the eastern view for a quick look, then the west view before beginning back down.

We opted to take the water tank route, just to avoid some people. Our route had a small amount of backtracking but we soon made it to the junction with the Diamondback trail that would take us to the Coyote Run Trail, then onto the East Ridge Trail, and finally onto the Creek Crossing Trail. We could see Dixon Lake to our left as we neared the now very full parking lot. We tossed in our gear and changed our shirts before heading over to Burger Bench for a well-earned lunch and brew.

Keys Peak

While backpacking the Boy Scout Trail in Joshua Tree with my good friend Ted Hoelter, I hoped to summit Keys Peak which is on the Lower Peaks Committee list. After hiking about 4 miles along the trail, we found a nice spot to set up camp for the night. Keys Peak was just a short walk to our east. Once camp was set up, we headed over to the base of the peak.

I found the benchmark and register. We snapped our photos and took advantage of cell service to check in with our spouses. The sun was setting and there was a light breeze, so I was eager to climb back down and start thinking about dinner. Coming down, I quickly found the string of cairns that guided us back to the desert floor. This little excursion was .5 miles with just over 325 feet of gain. Back at camp, we enjoyed our dinner under the evening skies before turning in.

Nopal Benchmark

After climbing Blue Angels Peak and Whip Benchmark, our next destination was Nopal Benchmark, which sits to the southwest of some communication towers. We drove up past them to a small turnout. A small fire ring had been built and next to it was a small frying pan. We wondered who would have left it behind. I spotted a use trail that led up the slope of the peak and began following it toward the summit. Not more than a minute later, a car pulled up and out hops a kid to retrieve the frying pan! He had slept there last night and missed it when he packed up. We asked how it was overnight, and he replied it was nice except for being a bit windy. He hopped in this car and drove off. We continued upward following the use trail. We had to climb over a couple of rocks, but other than that it was a straightforward ascent.

The summit did not have a benchmark nor a register, but it had great views of the 8 freeway just below us.

Once back at the car, we saw that it was getting close to lunch, so we decided to skip Quirk Benchmark and Smuggler’s Den. There are a couple more benchmarks back here (Gold and Tehe) and I am sure I can convince Dave to go driving back here again. We hit The Outpost in Alpine for some great pizza and a beer before heading home. A great day to cross two more of my Borrego Benchmark Club list and have some fun in the Rubicon!

Whip Benchmark

Today’s adventure was a combination of climbing some peaks listed on the Borrego Benchmark Club list and some fun off-road adventures in the Valley of the Moon area. We stowed our gear in the back of the Jeep after hiking Blue Angel Peak and set off toward some of the other minor benchmarks scattered around the area. Just to our west was Whip Benchmark. I wanted to get it last time I was here but had some time constraints that prevented me from hiking to it. We carefully made our way back down from Prospect Mine. At one point we had a 25-degree tilt, which was a fun bit, as we came down the road. The road up toward Whip also had some fun off-road bits, but nothing like that section we just drove down.

Whip Benchmark was a quick walk up. In fact, there was a benchmark and register that was guarded by a cactus on the summit. The last person to sign it was back in March 2021! We snapped some photos and cruised back to the jeep. We missed a turn when leaving Prospect Mine for the road I thought we should take, but could now see it to our east. That road actually rejoined the road just above that “fun” section, but this time Dave found a better line and it was a cakewalk.

Blue Angels Peak

Today’s adventure was a combination of climbing some peaks listed on the Borrego Benchmark Club list and some fun off-road adventures in the Valley of the Moon area. Dave picked Ted and me up and headed down the freeway toward the Valley of the Moon. Ted has been wanting to climb Blue Angels peak to cross another SoCal county high point off the list. We pulled off the freeway and lowered the tire pressure on the Rubicon before setting off. We drove up the road that takes you into the Valley of the Moon. Past where I had parked my Subaru on a previous excursion, the road had its first real section that would take some care getting through, but the Rubicon had no issues. Our first designation was the trailhead for Blue Angels Peak. It was nice just driving there and not having to walk on the road like I did the first time. Just before we reached the trailhead, we had to drive up one tricky section. We parked and grabbed our gear for the much shorter hike to the summit than last time.

First, we inspected the quartz mine, as well as the abandoned Chevy, before heading southward along the use trail. To our east, we had some nice views of the actual Valley of the Moon. Huge wind turbines stood off to our south. We cruised along toward the summit, and scrambled up what I thought was the peak, only to discover it was the bump to our north. Since Boundary Marker 321 was just a few hundred yards away, we headed over to it first. After snapping a few photos of it, we retraced our route and ascended the correct bump.

Dave is dealing with some tendon issues, so he found a nice rock to lay on and enjoy the sun, while Ted and I made the short scramble to the summit. I could not find a register, but at least it now has a wooden sign. After snapping our photos and me scrambling to photograph the reference marks as well, we dropped back down off the summit and began working our way back to the jeep. We stowed our gear in the back and set off toward some of the other minor benchmarks scattered around the area.

Boy Scout Trail

With my usual hiking partners busy, I decided to take a backpacking trip in Joshua Tree National Park. My friend Ted from Santa Barbara, who had joined me when I hiked Santa Cruz Island, was able to join me. We opted to hike the Boy Scout Trail, which would be a nice 8-mile hike, allowing us to explore both the upper Mojave desert with its Joshua Trees and then the lower Mojave desert, with cacti and yuccas. In addition, I hoped to summit two peaks on the Lower Peaks Committee list that are near the trail–Keys Peak and Mount Mel. We were doing this trip as a point-to-point hike, starting at the Keys West Trailhead and working our way down to the Indian Cove Trailhead. I arrived first at the Indian Cove Backcountry parking area and waited for Ted to arrive. Another hiker was getting ready to head off and planned on following the same route, but as a day hike. Since there is cell coverage at this trailhead, he had called for a cab to drive him to the other trailhead. This also could be an option for those who can’t or don’t want to set up a car shuttle. Ted eventually arrived, after getting a late start, and having to get a pass from the ranger station ($30). I took a short nap in the car while I waited. Once Ted arrived, I transferred my hiking gear into his car and he tossed his backpack into mine. With that, we headed back into town to grab lunch before setting off.

After enjoying a nice burger and soda at JT’s Country Kitchen, we drove back into the park via the West Entrance. This is the main entrance to the park from the north, so be prepared to wait a bit to pass by the ranger station. Since I have a National Parks Annual Pass, I was able to bypass some of the waiting. We drove south toward the Keys West parking lot. This is a large lot but can fill up. Sure enough, upon arriving, there was not a spot to be found. The Boy Scout Trail is also a popular day hiking site, so we decided to wait for some returning hikers and then take their spot. After about 10 or 15 minutes, a couple did return and I was able to take their spot. Two other cars were waiting behind me. I had grabbed two backcountry permits (free) while waiting at the other trailhead and had them filled out.

NOTE: Permits are no longer free for backpacking in Joshua Tree. You need to obtain them from Recreation.gov or from the Park Headquarters in Twentynine Palms.

We had left one at our destination and had the other ready to deposit at the backcountry board in this location. We took advantage of the primitive pit toilet before setting off. Another thing to note, there is no water at this trailhead.

The trail sets off to the north. Soon you will see a mileage sign to the three main destinations from this trailhead; Willow Hole Trail (1.2 miles), the Big Pine Trail (3.7 miles), and Indian Cove (7.7 miles). What is interesting is the mileage sign next to the parking lot lists the Indian Cove at 7.5 miles. Since I had created markers for the turn-offs to each of the side peaks, I wanted to make sure my tracking app was working. For some reason, it was not recording the distance. After relaunching the app a few times, then finally rebooting my phone, it started working. I could have enabled tracking on my Garmin InReach Mini, but I like to only use that for communication with my wife or in a real emergency.

Off to the west, we could see the snow-capped summit of San Gorgonio, Southern California’s highest peak. The trail is nice and flat for almost the first 3.5 miles, so we were able to cruise along. This area is also a popular climbing area, and we would pass signs indicating various climbing access trails to spots like “Brownie Girl Dome” and “Hidden Dome”. The first real junction that you need to look for is the Willow Hole Trail. Stay to the left to keep on the Boy Scout Trail. As you cruise along the trail, enjoy the Joshua Trees that will dot the landscape.

I knew at a certain point the trail would begin to pass into rockier terrain and we would no longer find a suitable campsite. In addition, there are some rules that we needed to observe. Besides the “stand 1 mile from a road and 500 feet from the trail”, we were also not allowed to camp on the east side of the trail. (NPS rules). We could see the terrain becoming less sandy, and the plant life began to change as well.

NOTE: There are now designated dispersed campsites that you have to camp at to reduce the impact on the area. See https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/the-boy-scout-trail-zone.htm

Off to my right, I could see Key Peak in the afternoon sun. We had been seeing several possible camping sites but decided to keep heading north just a bit. Not really finding anything else suitable, we retraced our route about .1 mile to a nice area near Keys Peak. We picked spots about 20 yards apart, so our snoring did not bother each other. Once camp was set up, we headed over to the base of the peak.

I looked at the western face and felt that we could tackle it straight on until near the summit where the rocks looked larger and we would stay to the right for the last bit. While I spotted one cairn near the start, I did not see the next one. No matter, the terrain did not provide any issues. About halfway up, something shiny caught my eye, and I found a mylar balloon caught in a bush, so I headed over to collect it. Once the trash was packed away, I headed back toward my original route. As I expected, toward the top, there were a few Class 2 sections to scramble through, but soon we were on the summit. I found the benchmark and register. We snapped our photos and took advantage of cell service to check in with our spouses. The sun was setting and there was a light breeze, so I was eager to climb back down and start thinking about dinner. Coming down, I quickly found the string of cairns that guided us back to the desert floor. This little excursion was .5 miles with just over 325 feet of gain.

As the sun’s light began to fade, I sat back and enjoyed the changing light upon the rocks around us. We each had our dinners and some beers we had packed in as well. It was getting colder, so we each retreated to our tents for the night. Ted had brought a tripod and DSLR in hopes of getting some nice star shots later once the sliver of moon had set. I did not have the best night’s sleep, as I needed just a bit more warmth. I woke before the sun crested the hills to the east, and Ted was up soon thereafter. Ted took a bit longer to get ready, so I scrambled up the mound of boulders to our west for a look around. Once we were done with breakfast, we finished packing and headed back onto the trail.

We came to the intersection with the Big Pine Trail that could take us to the west and eventually to the main road, but we continued working our way northward. The trail was getting rockier and rockier. There were a few boulders to work our way down, but nothing serious. It was more about having a backpack on versus a standard daypack. Along the way, we passed an old water basin from a nearby mine.

The trail markers kept us on the trail, although the route was very easy to follow. We had begun the descent toward the canyon that we would eventually follow out. Ted commented that we certainly picked the right direction, as climbing this with a full pack would take some effort. The next point of interest was the Boy Scout Viewpoint. This spot gave us an epic view toward the east. After capturing the panoramic view, we would descend through a series of switchbacks until we reached another wash. Here the trail made a hard right turn and began heading eastward.

While trail markers would still guide us through the wash, there really is only one route to take. Various cacti would dot the sides of the wash and canyon walls, including some very beautiful and colorful barrel cacti. We still had some shade, so the temperatures were pleasant as we worked through the wash and the narrow slots. I kept an eye on our track for the turn-off to climb Mount Mel. I wasn’t certain if I was going to do it as the poor sleep had not left me overly eager to scramble up the rocky slopes to this summit. Once at the turn-off, I looked at it and decided to skip it. It is close enough to the other trailhead that returning another time was not going to be an issue.

Finally, the trail left the wash, then hugged the side of the hill before exiting into the wide flat desert. From here we had a long gradual downhill hike back to the car. This trailhead only holds about 6-7 cars, and there were a few open spots. There are no facilities, but both the ranger station and Indian Cove campground do. We changed our shirts and shoes and headed back to go get my car. Along the way, we grabbed lunch at the Crossroad Cafe. They had a one-hour wait, but that gave us time to go into the park, get my car and be back in time. After lunch, Ted and I said our goodbyes until our next adventure.

Day 1: 3.93 miles, 1:35 with maybe 200 or so feet of gain.

Day 2: 4.45 miles, 2:09 with 1,280 of loss.

Gaviota Peak

After watching the SpaceX launch of the NROL-87 mission up in Lompoc, I decided to add in Gaviota Peak before heading back home to San Diego. I pulled into the parking lot at Gaviota State Park around 1:30 pm and changed into my hiking gear. There were about 4 other cars parked in the small lot. The park does charge a $2 self-pay fee to use the lot. There are no bathrooms here or any other amenities. While there is parking outside the official lot, I felt like supporting the park.

The route to the summit has two options–the slightly more direct fire road or the Trespass Trail. I was a little tight on time due to a slight delay in the launch, so I was going to take the fire road both up and back. Many hikers take the fire road up and return down the Trespass Trail.

The route immediately begins its climb right at the start. After a short while, the noise from the 101 faded away, and I was left with just the sounds of my boots on the dirt. At the 1/4 mile mark, the trail splits between the Trespass Trail and the fire road. I kept to the left to stay on the fire road.

As I worked my way up to the summit, a few wildflowers would dot the side of the road. I saw the side trail to the hot springs but didn’t have time to go visit them. The route is a steady, constant climb. I later reviewed my route in CalTOPO and the grade was an average of 20%. So you will get a nice workout as you make your way up, but you are rewarded with some really nice views of the surrounding area while you keep climbing.

The road came to a T junction just before the summit. This gave me the first real view of the coast. Simply stunning! The last 2/10 mile to the summit is a bit steeper. Once at the summit, the large metal can that serves as the register was clearly visible, signaling the summit of Gaviota Peak. I did locate the reference mark, but the true benchmark is either lost or under that can. The can holds a large collection of registers, so I opted not to sign in. After snapping my photos, I retraced my route back down to the car. If I was going to take the Trespass Trail, I would have continued over the summit. That trail follows the ocean side of the ridge, so you will have more ocean views to take in, but it is about another mile longer.

This hike is #70 on the Sierra Club Lower Peaks Committee list, and my 12th summit. I logged 5.8 miles in 2:34 with 2,106 feet of elevation gain.