#9 Vulture Crags

At the Vulture Crags overlooking The Luge Trail.

 

Southern California Map

Driving Map

*Parking on Modjeska Grade Rd is 5 miles south of Silverado Rd, or 10 miles south of Highway 261, via Santiago Canyon Rd.

Google Maps Trailhead Link

Trailhead parking coordinates: 33.70498°N, -117.63733°W.

Peakery Link: Vulture Crags, 2,178 ft.

Hiking Stats:

Hiking Map

Summary

The hike to Vulture Crags is essentially a trail without a parking lot.  At least not one nearby.  Typically, visitors park on Santiago Canyon Road and take a steep hike up a paved road to get to the true starting point on Santiago Truck Trail.  However, instead of doing what everybody else was doing, I wanted to drive by the trailhead to see what it looked like.  I drove past several hikers and bike riders on the road leading to the trailhead.  Once I saw where It would begin, I kept driving past it.  About a quarter mile past the trailhead, I saw a pullout on the side of the road with two cars parked in it.  Most importantly, there was an open spot big enough for another car to park.  I helped myself to the spot and used that as the beginning point of the hike, which saved me a long climb up the paved road.

Approaching the crags.

One thing I noticed right away was that this is a very popular place for mountain bikers.  I was definitely in the minority as a hiker.  I did see a few other hikers, but there were several groups of mountain bikers.  The trail follows the wide dirt road back into the hills, where there were often mountain bikers slowly pedaling their way up hill.  At certain times, I was walking as fast as they were pedaling.  Along the way, there are parallel side trails which elevate to high points above the road.  I veered off the road a few times for a change of pace instead of sticking to the road, which got monotonous at times.  

Approaching Peak 2400.

At about 3 miles, the trail passes below Peak 2400, which is the highest point on the hike.  Climbing it first is optional.  I was determined to get to Vulture Crags first, since that was my primary destination.  The Vulture Crags location location was not obvious, but I knew if I saw that flags that were planted on the trail, that the Vulture Crags are found on the opposite slope.  So when I saw the flags across a chasm, I knew that if I saw the flags on The Luge flag pole (at the top of an intersecting trail to the east), then the crags are on the slope to the right.  Sure enough, there they were.  I veered off an embankment right off the trail and approached the crags while going up slope.  It was a short but tricky scramble to reach them, but when I did, I took photos and some video.  This was the turnaround point.  The plan from here was to visit Peak 2400 on the way back.

On the summit use trail.

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Peakery Link: Peak 2400, 2,400 ft.

When approaching Peak 2400, I found a good use trail below the peak.  I headed up to the top on the use trail, where there was a tall summit pole and a cement block that appeared to once have a benchmark on it.  This marks the highest point in the hike,  Just like that, this completed the two summits.  The rest of the hike involved retracing steps back to the trailhead.

On the summit of Peak 2400.

Video:

Simulated Hike:

#8 Ranger Peak

Approaching Ranger Peak

Southern California Map

Driving Map

*Parking is 11.25 miles south of Interstate 10 on FR FS05.

Google Maps Parking Link

Trailhead coordinates: 33.83791°N, -116.81169°W

Peakery Link: Ranger Peak, 5,020 ft.

Hiking Map

Hiking Stats:

Setting off on foot.

Summary

After driving over 11 miles from Interstate 10 in Banning, continue south on Highway 243 to FS05, right before the Vista Grande Fire Station.  I turned right on this dirt road and parked after about 100 yards or so in a large parking area.  It is actually possible to drive the rest of the way to Ranger Peak with the proper vehicle, but that is better left to hiking. 

On the summit.

The mostly flat hike leads to the summit of Ranger Peak.  Radio towers stand tall near the high point, but on the true summit, portions of a foundation remains.  I'm not sure if this was a former fire lookout or not, but distant views are really good.  Returning the same way wraps up the hike with with low mileage.

Summit views.

Video:

Simulated Hike:

#7 Barker Peak

Approaching Barker Peak.

Southern California Map

Driving Map

Parking Map

Parking is 8.7 miles south of Interstate 10.

Google Maps Parking Link

Trailhead coordinates: 33.87927°N, -116.83273°W.

Peakery Link: Barker Peak, 4,334 ft.

Hiking Map

Hiking Stats:

Summary

Several peaks tower over the city of Banning.  One in particular (Barker Peak) is reachable after a drive up Highway 243.  To reach the hiking starting point, I drove 8 miles south of Interstate 10 to Twin Pines Road.  From there it is a short drive to Valley Hi Drive on the left.  The road may not be signed, but it is a dirt road passing through ranch properties toward Barker Peak.  To reach the hiking starting point, it is best to find a place to park as the road gets rough.   

Hiking up the road.

The dirt road starts heading uphill.  There is one wide bend in the road, creating a bit of a switchback.  It is pretty much a straight shot from there.  On top is the cement foundation of a former lookout tower.  Great views below, which is the true hallmark of a good lookout site.  As a recommendation, pairing this hike with nearby Ranger Peak will knock off two mountain conquests within a few hours.

On the summit.

Video:

Simulated Hike:

#6 Asbestos Mountain

On the way up Asbestos Mountain.

Southern California Map

Driving Map

*Parking is 11 miles east of the Highway 74/371 junction at the end of Jeraboa Rd.

Google Maps Parking Link

Trailhead Coordinates: 33.61255°N, -116.46142°W.

Peakery Link: Asbestos Mountain, 5,265 ft.

Hiking Stats:

Hiking Map

Heading up slope over boulders.

Summary:

I was originally looking to hike Lookout Mountain and Table Mountain on the same hike.  However, since my day started late, I cut out Table Mountain, since it would have taken more time than my backup plan, which was Asbestos Mountain.

Approaching the summit block.

After completing one HPS summit on the day, I accepted the challenge of doing two of them.  The start of the hike to Asbestos Mountain begins after driving a series of residential dirt roads in the community of Pinyon Pines.  I parked in front of the last house at the end of the road, and started hiking on a jeep road leading toward Asbestos Mountain.  When the road started bending away from the peak, I left the road and went cross country toward a gully.  When reaching the gully, I found trail cairns which mark the route to the peak.

On the summit.

Without the rock cairns, the climb would be rather difficult, so I found them to be helpful, though often difficult to spot.  The climb up the gully is a rock scramble for the most part.  Time was starting to run out on me, though, so I had thoughts of bailing out and coming back another day.  To complicate matters, I lost the rock cairns about 3/4 of the way up, and wound up doing a much more difficult rock scramble.  Before reaching the summit, I again found the rock cairned route.  The sun was getting close to dipping behind the nearby Desert Divide, so I quickly followed the cairns to the peak. 

Summit views.

The summit is not a simple walk to summit.  I had to climb some class 3 boulders before reaching the summit high point.  I stayed for about 2 minutes, where I shot a short video and took in the views.  I then immediately climbed down the boulders and stuck close to the rock cairns.  I was determined to not get caught in the gully when it got dark, so I wanted to get back down as soon as possible.  Fortunately, navigation was much easier going downhill, where I found myself on the desert floor and back at my parking spot at about 5 minutes before it got dark.  Mission accomplished!

Video:

Simulated Hike:

#5 Lookout Mountain

Lookout Mountain viewed from the PCT.

 

Southern California Map

Driving Map

*Parking is 1 mile east of the Highway 74/371 junction in the PCT parking area.

Google Maps Parking Link

Trailhead coordinates: 33.56341°N, -116.57622°W.

Peakery Link: Lookout Mountain, 5,590 ft.

Hiking Stats:

Hiking Map

Summary:

Near the intersection of Highway 371 and Highway 74 east of Anza, the Pacific Crest Trail crosses Highway 74.  From the parking area, I headed south on the PCT.  Lookout Mountain is visible from the highway, but it is on private property.  In order to gain access to the peak, I needed to get there in a round about way.  By going 1.5 miles south on the PCT, it takes me south of the private property line. A use trail leaves the PCT in a gully.  The trail is well marked with rock cairns on a rather steep climb toward the top of the mountain.

Approaching the summit.

With relatively little shade up the peak, I benefitted with the cool January weather.  Once reaching the summit, I found the usual red coffee can register that I usually find on HPS peaks (HPS = Hundred Peak Section, which is a list of 280+ peaks on a prestigious Southern California peak challenge list).  Right behind the summit is a security fence marking the private property line.  I enjoyed my short visit and returned the way I came.  I'll return to this section of the PCT again when I choose to do the Table Mountain hike, which is about 4 miles south of Lookout Mountain.  This means I shall return someday, which is always a good thing!

On the summit.

Video:

Simulated Hike:

#4 Mount Gower

Officially entering the preserve.

 

Southern California Map

Driving Map

*Parking at Mount Gower Open Space Preserve is 25 miles east of Interstate 15.

Mount Gower Parking Link

Trailhead coordinates: 33.02514°N, -116.79680°W.

Peakery Link: Mt Gower, 3,104 ft.

Hiking Stats:

Hiking Map

Summary:

After spending so much time lately chasing easy to moderate nearby summits, I felt the need to take advantage of the cool weather and get a more strenuous peak.  I had been in the Ramona area in the summer and experienced the heat.  I wanted to get the tougher Mt Gower hike completed on a cool day rather than in the hot summer months.  January seemed like a reasonable time to swing by, so I made it a priority.

A rare moment of shade trees on the trail.

I arrived relatively early, but parked at the end of the road, rather than driving in on the gravel access road.  This added about a half mile to my hiking day.  Once at the trailhead, the trail wasn't very clear to me, because the ones I saw didn't go in the direction of the peak.  I eventually had to take a chance before realizing that I was indeed going in the right way.  The trail bends around in odd angles, and sometimes goes downhill and away from the peak.  However, what it is doing is to go around some of the lower ridges before elevating on the ridge for Mt Gower.  In short. it gets where it is going in a round about way.

A good view of Mount Gower early in the hike.

As expected, there is not much shade on the hike, thus the January visit.  When there were pockets of shade, it was a welcomed relief, even in January.  Meanwhile, the trail climbs toward granite slabs below the summit.  The hardest part of the hike begins here, with narrow use trails climbing through the rocky slabs.  I arrived at the summit boulder and declared victory.  I noticed a trail that continues along the ridge to the east, but ignored it, since it didn't look any higher than where I was.  I returned along the same pathway to conclude the day hike and feeling satisfied about knocking off another major San Diego summit.  

Approaching the summit.

Unfortunately, after doing research, I realized that the true summit is on that trail to the east.  I still consider that I completed the peak though, since it looks like an optical illusion to call the eastern peak the high point, and it was a short flat walk away.

Summit views.

Video: