Battle Mountain

If you have driven the 15 near Lake Hodges, you probably have seen the white cross on a hill to the east. This is Battle Mountain, which got its name from a battle that was held at a mountain nearby called Mule Hill in 1846. Mule Hill/Starvation Mountain got its name after the battle when the soldiers ran out of food and had to kill some of the mules in order to eat.

The actual hike up, if you can call it that is a quick one but steep. Perfect for a workout… I had been saving it for the end of the year, but my plans changed so I decided to do it during a break from some chores…

The cross on top of the hill was built by Jack Templeton in his backyard. He lived below the trailhead and would frequent the hill regularly. Apart from the noise coming from the 15, the views are quite nice.

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.

Pinyon Mountain

After a hearty snack after our summit of Whale Peak, our attention to Pinyon Mountain. There is no trail to the summit, so we surveyed the mountain and consulted our topo map. Once we reached the ridgeline it would be a straightforward push to the top.

We carefully slogged up the steep and rocky slope. The footing took some care between the loose rocks and the cacti. Once the ridgeline was reached, the route across was as straightforward, like we expected. Although there was not a benchmark here, we did sign the register before heading back down.

Rather than completely retracing our steps, we opted to use the route a bit further to the east. This seemed to be a better choice. I would recommend this option for future attempts.

Once back at the car, we drove back into town feeling good having summited two more peaks.

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!

McGinty Mountain

Located near Jamul, stands McGinty Mountain. Jerry Schad, the original author of Afoot and Afield in San Diego, wrote

While there is not as much foot traffic on this trail as nearby Mount Woodson, Iron Mountain, and Cowles Mountain, the views at the summit are equally as stunning and worth taking in.

A nice-sized dirt parking lot is available next to the trailhead. A kiosk provides some information about the trail and the area. I was joined by my friend Michael and his son Jacob.

The trail follows the side of the mountain, using a series of long switchbacks. You gain some elevation quickly, so make sure you stretch first. After a bit, the grade will lessen, keep an eye on your route as the area is riddled with side trails. Usually, the heavier trafficked path is the correct one.

About 2.2 miles in, the grade will increase again, but as a reward, you will see one of the old mines off in the distance. It is easy to miss but the picture below shows where to stop to see it.

Soon, you will reach the summit of McGinty Mountain after a little rock scrambling.

Once you reach the summit, you will be rewarded with views of Mount Helix and Cowles Mountain to your west and San Miguel Mountain and Tecate Peak to the east.

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!

Sentenac Mountain

My third peak for the day was Sentenac Mountain. This peak is near the Scissors Crossing near the western side edge of Anza Borrego. I turned off the road at the Plum Canyon turn out and followed the dirt road until it ends, which is the start of the California Riding and Hiking Trail.

I followed the CRHT for a bit, before heading west up a wash toward the summit. This was really fun, as I scrambled over the dry waterfalls with some nice sandy stretches in between.

According to my research, I knew I would exit this drainage to follow the ridgeline to the peak. I meandered past the cacti as I drew closer to the top.

Once there, I found the register and views of Granite Mountain to the southwest, and Grapevine to the north.

The sun was beginning to set, so I headed back down the ridge into the wash. As I drove back home, I felt a nice sense of accomplishment on bagging three desert peaks in a day.

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!

Borrego Mountain-West Butte

The second summit of the day was going to be Borrego Mountain West Butte. First, I drove back through Borrego Springs to Palm Canyon. I went out to the trailhead, as they were hiking the trail first. As I waited, I chatted with the volunteer for a bit, mostly about summiting Indianhead.

Soon, I spotted the Rabbi and his family coming down the trail. Once they were settled, we drove back to the turnout to the Slot. They parked the RV and piled into the Outback for the short ride to the trailhead. Once there, I pointed them in the direction of the Slot and I headed up the trail to the summit.

Unlike the scramble to the top of East Butte, the path to the top of West Butte was a well-worn trail. The summit was also a mostly flat butte. I looked for a register but found none. Knowing I had folks possibly waiting for me (I left them the keys), I headed back down.

As I got back to the car, they were enjoying their lunch after a wonderful time in the canyon. We piled back into the car and headed back to the road. I dropped them off as they were to continue their desert adventures, while I was off to hit my third peak, Sentenac Mountain.

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!

Borrego Mountain-East Butte

I felt like I needed to get back out to Anza-Borrego and get a few more peaks under my belt. The plan was to attempt Borrego Mountain East Butte, then meet up with Rabbi Earne and his family and escort them to the Slot Canyon, while I summited Borrego Mountain’s, West Butte. Finally, with time and energy permitting I was going to try to summit Sentenac Mountain.

I arrived at the trailhead for Borrego Mountain just as the sun was just rising. I bundled up and headed toward the gully that would lead me up to the summit. One nice thing about this hike, there is a bathroom.

At the base of the boulder-filled gully, I surveyed my route. I opted to stick to the left side. I carefully and slowly worked my way up through the jumble of boulders. Soon, I found myself past this challenge and at a saddle between two portions of the East Butte. The summit was on the western side, so up I went.

The actual summit is atop a flat butte, as I walked around, taking in the sweeping views. I found the register and signed in.

I had an approximate time I needed to meet the Rabbi, so I headed back down. This time I opted to travel on the east side of the gully. It was about the same level of difficulty as the other side. I found myself back at the car and ready to continue the day’s adventures.

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!

Viejas Mountain

Although I did not make out to Ant Benchmark the day before, I opted to summit Viejas Mountain instead. This peak is just to the west of the casino, so it was an easy drive to the trailhead. Mark and I arrived at the trailhead a bit after sunrise.

There is no disguising what this hike is, it is just a steady climb upward. It was a cool morning with a bit of a breeze blowing. Soon, we reached the summit and took in the views while we rested. There is a rock wind shelter that has been built, sadly from rocks that used to denote the winter solstice by Kumeyaay Indians.

I was able to find two markers, but not the formal benchmark nor a register. A few others had joined us on the summit, and after chatting some, we headed back down the trail. In the distance, El Cajon Mountain beckoned for another day…

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!

Peak 4159

So, Peak 4159…

This was the third peak that I was hitting that day. It was another short off-trail summit. The peak was not too far from the turn out that I used for Oak Benchmark. I reached the summit without incident. The views were meh, not that different from Oak Benchmark’s views toward Julian. A few months later when I hiking with Derek, he asked me what my least favorite hike was so far, and Peak 4159 was it.

But that is not the rest of the story. If you look at the official list, you will no longer see this peak listed, this is due to a dangerous property dispute. I catalog it here only for completeness.

I had planned to try to squeeze in one more summit but did not want to be late for The Last Jedi so Ant Benchmark would have to wait…

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!

Oak Benchmark

The second summit of the day was Oak Benchmark. The light rain that started at the end of my hike to Peak 1549, had ended. I had originally planned to summit this peak back when I did Cemetery Hill but thought better since it was hunting season.

Parking in the same trailhead, I headed south along the road to a nice clearing. From my research with Google Earth, I knew that this should provide an easier route to the summit, as there is no formal trail to the top. The main warning I had read about was the amount of poison oak that exists. I was hoping attempting this in the winter would reduce my chances of encountering it.

I picked my way up toward the peak, I meandered through the brush until I reached the summit. I found the benchmark and register with no problem.

The skies continued to look threatening, but the views gave me a nice look back toward Julian.

I headed back down toward the car with no real issues. Just the crush of fallen oak leaves under my boots. With that, it was off the third peak of the day, Peak 4159.

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!

Peak 1546

As I drove out toward Julian in the predawn light, I was hoping to summit at least three of my planned four peaks today: Peak 1546, Oak Benchmark, Peak 4159, and Ant Benchmark. I knew the last one was going to be a stretch as I had tickets to The Last Jedi. But the other three are all along Eagle Peak Road, so I thought they could be bagged together.

First up was Peak 1549. I drove down the dirt road until it ended. I parked the car and under mostly cloudy skies continued down the now overgrown road. This was another inverted hike, so I knew the hard part was the second half…

As I strolled down, the sun would illuminate the hills and the dry Mildred Falls to my north.

After about a mile or so, I came to the portion of the hike that requires a permit. This is one of two trails that lead to Cedar Creek Falls. This is a popular destination when the falls are running, but alas there was no water flowing. I can certainly see how the unprepared get themselves into trouble. I opted to be a rebel and continue on, in part, since I was not actually going to the falls themselves. The trail rose again, and soon my destination was in view, a solitary bump just to the west of the trail.

I followed the steep use trail to the summit. There I was rewarded with some incredible views of the San Diego River drainage.

I did not stay long as I had more peaks to summit. I began the climb back up the road to my car, enjoying the cool air. I can imagine what it must feel like in the summer climbing back up…

Just as I reached my car, a light rain began to fall. On the Oak Benchmark!

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!