-Combs Peak-

HPS: #10
SDC: #13

Elevation: 6,193 ft.

Date Hiked: 12-31-09

Trip Report:
Combs Peak is located in the far northeast corner of San Diego county.  It is the most remote of the ten 6,000 foot mountains in San Diego.  This is a peak that I had wanted to do for a long time.  It supposedly has some of the best views in the county of both the San Jacinto Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains. It was also both an HPS and SDC peak, both lists I would like to complete.  I wanted to find out if this was true.

San Gorgonio and San Jacinto

I left later than I would have liked to which was around noon.  The drive from where I live in San Diego is pretty lengthy. The route goes into Riverside county around the backside of Palomar Mountain.  It took around an hour and a half to find the trailhead.  The trailhead is interesting in that the PCT crosses the road and the hike begins north on the PCT.  Near where the road crosses the trailhead there are catched water cases, for the PCT hikers.

The Trailhead with PCT Marker

I followed the PCT north for about 2 and a half miles to a pass described in the HPS guide.  The PCT trail was well maintained except for a few fallen trees and was easy to follow.  It winded around the base of the mountain until it reached  a pass around 5,600 ft.   From here there is a faint use trail to the summit.  I was not sure exactly which way this trail went at times so I had to make my own path.  Even though the temp was in the 40s I only had to wear a synthetic shirt and shorts.  On the summit the wind was strong so I put on gloves and a jacket.  Its nice to be able to hike in late December wearing shorts.

Combs Peak

Typical trail to the peak

The view from the summit was one of the best I have seen in San Diego County, Garnet Peak still being the best.  To the north San Jacinto and San Gorgonio could clearly be seen, both had snow down to around 9,000 feet.  To the east Toro Peak, the highest point in the Santa Rosa mountains, could also be seen.  It was amazing to see how quickly this range rises from the desert below. Villager and Rabbit peak, both HPS peaks, could be seen south of Toro.  To the south was Hot Springs Mountain, the high point in San Diego county.  West was Palomar Mountain and Lake Henshaw.

San Gorgonio and San Jacinto ver. II

Toro Peak

Summit Benchmark

Hot Springs Mountain (San Diego County Highpoint)

Palomar Mountain with Lake Henshaw in the Foreground

Overall this was a great hike with fine views around southern California.