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Distance: 2 miles (out-and-back)
Hiking Time: 1.5 hours (round trip)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 500'/500'
Difficulty: Moderate
If there's any interest, feel free to meet up with me for this short hike. This will be an early bird special, since it'll be in the 90's out there. So I'll be at the Pinyon Mountain Road entrance around 6:30AM.
DIRECTIONS
At 7.8 miles north of the campground along Hwy S2, turn right onto Pinyon Mountain Road. Stay right at the fork in 0.1 mile, and continue up a gentle incline on the eastward trending, sandy road. A short stretch of protruding rocks is encountered in about 4 miles. At 5.7 miles, the road tops a watershed divide at 3980 feet in elevation in the middle of a broad saddle. Find a place to park anywhere in the saddle area near the dirt intersection.
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From the road summit simply go cross country up the ridge to the north and west, aiming for the high point. The south facing slopes are bald, but scattered growths of pinyon pine and nolina (a yucca look-alike that is nicknamed bear grass) are found on the summit and north facing slopes.
The summit view includes Whale Peak to the south, which blocks more distance views in that direction. Facing east, though, you take in a sweeping vista of the San Ysidro and Santa Rosa Mountains, Borrego Valley, Borrego Badlands, and the Salton Sea.
