Carrizo Mountain

Hiked: 4/21/2026
Distance: 12.1 miles round trip cross country, dirt road, and use trail
Summit Elevation: 2409'
Prominence: 1250'
Elevation Gain: 3043'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.4
Round trip time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 92 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Fossil Canyon Road
Difficulty: Strenuous

I took I-8 east to Imperial Highway (S2), then went north on Shell Canyon Road. The road turned to dirt and went by a shooting range. I missed the final turn that would have taken me to the 4WD parking area and ended up at the mouth of Fossil Canyon. It was close enough. I hiked about a quarter mile before reaching the 4WD parking area, then continued up the canyon. The geology was interesting: mud towers and shells embedded in the walls. The main route ascent gully looked loose, so I continued up the main canyon to the next gully that was narrow, but easy class 2 on solid boulders. A half mile later, I realized the gullies did not converge. I had to climb out of the one I was in and drop into the adjacent one. Descending loose scree tweaked my left knee, which has become a theme this year, and made me consider turning back. Carrizo was still a long way off, but I knew the cross country section was almost over. I climbed up one more steep gully, then spotted the dirt road that would guide me the rest of the way. Carrizo Mountain was not visible until I crested the final gully.

Memorial set up just off the road

First look at Carrizo Mountain
The southern face of Carrizo Mountain was marked by cliffs and badlands. Painful if not impossible for a direct assault. However, the road veered away from it, looping to ascend the more gentle east ridge. Road walking caused no discomfort, so I continued my quest. Once out of the gullies, the wind blew steadily at 20-25mph with stiff gusts. The road ended near the summit and a use trail took over. The summit had two benchmarks and great 360 views to the Salton Sea and Mexico. A couple of register were in a plastic jar, the oldest from 1998. There were entries as recent as the previous week. I spent about 20 minutes resting on the summit, then started down. I decided to take the standard route back and dropped down the loose gully I avoided on the way up. I'm not sure it was easier than my ascent route. I relaxed once I was back in the main canyon and coasted back to the truck.

Start of the use trail

Salton Sea to the north

Looking back on the way out

Palm Benchmark and Egg Mountain

Hiked: 4/14/2026
Distance: 1.5 miles round trip cross country
Summit Elevation: 1927'
Elevation Gain: 543'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.4
Round trip time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on South Indian Canyon Road
Difficulty: Easy

I pulled off South Indian Canyon Road on the way back from Sombrero, just before it merges with North Indian Canyon. A word of advice to anyone following: drive a little further up the road before stopping. You'll save yourself some extra legwork getting to the benchmark. There was no trail here, and no use trail either. Palm Benchmark was a full cross-country boulder hop from start to finish. I worked my way up a large wash, gained the ridge, then followed the ridge toward the summit, trading a little elevation as I went. The high point stayed hidden until you're practically on top of it, which kept things interesting.

The summit itself was an 8-foot boulder with a benchmark bolted to the top and a register tucked inside a rusted can. Wes Shelberg placed it in 1997, and the signature count was surprisingly healthy for a peak this far off the beaten path. The view back to Sombrero was outstanding. Since the terrain was the same in every direction, I picked the most direct line down a nearby gully. Nothing harder than Class 2, but count on boulder hopping the whole way.

Back at the truck, I drove over to Egg Mountain. The dirt road went to the summit. There were no markers, and there's little worth writing up, so I'll leave it at that. While I was in the area, I swung north toward the Mountain Palm Springs palm groves near Egg. Anza-Borrego has been rolling out pay stations at popular spots across the park, and this one had a $10 parking fee for day hikers and $25 for camping. I understand the camping charge. The day-use fee for a roadside pullout gave me pause, so I pointed the truck toward home.

Summit ahead

Great view of Sombrero

On top of Egg Mountain, Sombrero distant center, Palm Benchmark on the right

Sombrero Peak

Hiked: 4/14/2026 (x2)
Distance: 3.5 miles round trip on use trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 4229'
Elevation Gain: 2061'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.6
Round trip time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on South Indian Canyon Road
Difficulty: Moderate

This was my second summit of Sombrero Peak. It was #46 on the Sierra Club San Diego Peaks list, but that list may have been retired by the Sierra Club. There doesn't seem to be a reference to it on the Sierra Club site. It is also #80 on the Sierra Club DPS list. That one is certainly still active. In any case, Sombrero was a fun scramble, even through it took me an extra hour to complete it compared to 2018. I blame age. The weather was perfect, cool and sunny. I intended to pay closer attention to the use trail that started at the end of South Indian Canyon Road, but a half mile later, I realized I was ascending the wrong use trail and had to course correct. Most of the slopes around Sombrero were fairly uniform with large boulders and vegetation. While the use trail was easier, I still made steady progress when I wasn't on it. I found the use trail for the final bump.

On my first trip, in addition to the boulder high point, I climbed a boulder that had a benchmark on top. This time, I investigated three possible high points and confirmed the middle boulder juts slightly higher than the other two contenders. Since I was alone on the mountain, I took a couple of aerial shots. The register and a couple of summit signs were stowed on a flat boulder below the high point. Investiagting the summit boulders took about 15 minutes, then I spent another 15 minutes lounging in the sun. Heading down, I did a better job staying on the use trail on the lower half, but the track is kind of messy. Use at your own risk. Back at the truck, I reloaded the water to prepare for a couple of smaller peaks in the area.

Highest boulder on the summit

Second highest boulder with a benchmark

See also:
Sombrero Peak 2018

Mobius Arch Loop

Hiked: 4/6/2026
Distance: 0.7 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 4600'
Elevation Gain: 80'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.1
Round trip time: 25 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Mobius Loop parking lot
Difficulty: Easy

We started our second day in Lone Pine at the Museum of Western Film History. It had a large collection of props, costumes, cars, and other memorabilia. Then, we drove back down Movie Road to the Mobius Arch trail. There were half a dozen vehicles in the parking lot and several parties on the trail. I was surprised how short the loop was. The arch was popular and we had to wait our turn for photos. It did frame the Sierra in a cool way. On the way back, we met a chuckwalla that let me get pretty close before darting under a rock. On our way out, we stopped at the Shark's Fin. I wanted to scout it, but it looked beyond my climbing ability. We were on our way back to the OC by noon.

Leisa in the mobius