DPS: #2
SDC: #18
Elevation: 4,229 ft.
Date Hiked: 2-13-10
Trip Report:
This was the second Omega Group hike I did and was also my second DPS peak. Although I have not hiked Jacumba Mountain I believe this peak to be the easiest DPS peak in San Diego county. This peak has two routes, a longer more gradual ascent from the west or a shorter steeper ascent from the east. We chose to ascend from the east.
Sombrero Peak Summit View
The drive is a long ways from anywhere in San Diego. It is off of S2 marked with the a sign that says Indian Gorge. To get to the trailhead you drive maybe 5 miles west on this road. I began the hike around 10:45 and made good time. I was still sore from the previous day on Indianhead but that left once I warmed up. I made good time up the initial ridge and could see the road going to trailhead below.
Road to the Trailhead
Once on top of the initial ridge the route climbs up another ridge which is about as steep as the first one. The terrain was mostly sharp desert plants and large boulders, perfect for climbing. When I finally reached the top of the second ridge there was only a small rise to the summit. I reached the summit at noon taking about an hour and 15 minutes to reach the top. The views from the summit were excellent. There was not a cloud in the sky and visibility was great.
Summit View East
San Gorgonio and San Jacinto
Monument Peak and Garnet Peak
The Summit
Mine Peak
Salton Sea
I stayed on top and waited for the group for an hour and forty minutes before descending. It took exactly one hour to descend.
The Trailhead
![[Valid RSS]](http://socalpeaks.com/Images/Misc/valid_rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")
Very nice. I can’t wait to do these desert peaks. I am considering camping out there to hit multiple peaks in a day. Did you camp out there?
Yeah I enjoy the desert peaks because of the ample scrambling opportunities. The only problem is the 5 month window every year to hike out here.
There are definitely opportunities to hike multiple peaks even in a single day.
And 5 months is being generous. This year, it’s like two months of cooler weather. It’s already heating up out in the desert.
I enjoy scrambling, but after the last few hikes, it would be nice to have a maintained trail I could trot down or simply hike while I get into my zen state. Scrambling can be mentally and physically tiresome, if done all the time.
We have it all down here in San Diego.