My feet over Clevenger Canyon in Bloom

Peak 1755
Elevation: 1,755′
Total Mileage: 4.4

Trailhead Map (33.08537, -116.92236)

Things have been a little busy since my last hike. If I do one peak a month, it’s going to take me years to finish this. Once again, I had to dust off the cobwebs as I parked at the trailhead and made my way up the trail.

San Pasqual Valley has a special place for me. I’ve been visiting the Wild Animal Park (now Safari Park) for years, love to spend some time at Orfila Winery, pass ostriches on the way in, and have considered moving to the area. Sometimes I take this highway into Ramona and the scent of orange blossoms blankets the valley.

This time, I needed to get a hike in. Any hike with a peak. I chose something near the house so I could get a relatively late start. I was tired from a long week of working and wanted to sleep in a bit.

The day was overcast, but I knew the sun would threaten to join me. The trailhead was a little noisy, as it is adjacent to the 79 freeway as it ascends into northwestern Ramona. There was also a helicopter that was crop-dusting the citrus groves below.

Sunrise Over Anza-Borrego

Bonny Benchmark
Elevation: 4,574′

White Benchmark
Elevation: 5,326′

The Thimble
Elevation: 5,779′

Ysidro Benchmark
Elevation: 6,147′

Total Mileage: 7.96

Trailhead Map (33.210596, -116.49509)

It’s amazing the difference that weather can make on a hike. About a month and a half ago, I attempted this same hike. The weather was cold, but the wind, combined with some icy precipitation and some snowy patches made the trip very challenging. Therefore, I decided to pull the plug and turn around, only completing half the peaks that I had wanted to on that day.

This time, it was still cold (26F on the way to the trailhead), but the winds were calm and the sky was devoid of any clouds. This would make all the difference in the world.

Bench in Daley Ranch

Daley Ranch
3024 La Honda Drive
Escondido, CA 92027
(760) 839-4680
Agency: City of Escondido
Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Free to public.

Today I had the intent to finally tackle another peak, since it’s been almost month since my last epic adventure in Anza-Borrego. It was sort of an impulse hike. I tend to keep some of the local peaks in my head as last-minute hikes in case I get a free moment. These hikes are typically fairly easy on well-maintained trails that are frequently visited by locals.

In this case, I wanted to hike Burnt Mountain in Daley Ranch. Burnt Mountain is on the Ranch’s official trail maps, but a trail is not shown to the peak. Thinking that I would either find a small use trail or simply bushwhack to the summit, I quickly packed my car up this morning and drove to the trailhead. I had seen reports of other peakbaggers summiting this peak over the last decade, so I figured there must be a way up.

Their video compression leaves a little to be desired, but it is a good introduction to the world of desert wildflowers we have here at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. From March, 2010.

Villager Peak from Rabbit Peak

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
200 Palm Canyon Dr
Borrego Springs, CA 92004
760-767-5311
anzaborrego@parks.ca.gov
Agency: California State Parks

Other Links:
The Anza-Borrego Foundation
The Anza-Borrego Natural History Organization

Encompassing 600,000 acres, Anza-Borrego Desert SP is one third of San Diego County. While mostly desert, there are a few places in the higher elevations that have some pine trees and have seasonal snowfall. A large draw for visitors is the annual spring wildflower bloom, which is especially powerful after a wet winter. There is also an extensive trail system for OHV, as well as a great variety of hiking trail of all difficulties. The area is so large that driving long distances is necessary to see the popular locales within the park, such as Fonts Point or Borrego Palm Canyon.

Ocotillo on the way to Villager Peak

Every year around this time, people start wanting to know if the wildflowers in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park have started blooming yet. After all, much of the park is about a 2-hour drive from most of the county and people want to know if the drive for a day-trip will be fruitful.

From what I understand, the bloom is about to be upon us. We are expecting some more rain in the park on Saturday, but the weather report indicated that Sunday, February 28th will be beautiful.

The bloom is starting right now, with a great amount in the coming week or so and should last in various forms until April. Reserve your lodging as soon as possible, since March tends to be the park’s busiest month.

The website that I always check is the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association (ABDNHA). They regularly update their observations of the wildflower bloom situation and include recent pictures and descriptions, as well as current locations of blooming flowers.

Another resource is the Wildflower Telephone Hotline at 760-767-4684.

If you head out there, be prepared for wide weather and temperature fluctuations, lots of wind, bring plenty of water, and make sure your vehicle is sufficiently fueled, for the service stations can be few and far between.

I am not sure if I am going to be able to get out there for the peak of the blooming, but I hope you do.

Update 02/25/2010: The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park page updated their information about the Wildflowers and included a map. Scroll to the bottom and click on the PDF, or you can get it below:

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Wildflower Map (PDF – 1.71MB)