Distance: 1.9 miles round trip on use trail
Summit Elevation: 1719'
Prominence: Unknown
Elevation Gain: 900'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.72
Round trip time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Lake Wohlford Road
Difficulty: Easy
Tombstone is small peak just north of Escondido, CA, and one of three small peaks near Bottle Peak. I was on my way to Poway to pick up a phone I had lost the previous weekend, and wanted to climb something along the way. Like my trip to Bottle Peak, this was a quick side trip without time to grab the other nearby small peaks. Tombstone Peak only received a USGS name in 2010.
You can park in a small turnout on the northwest side (left) of Lake Wohlford Road, about half a mile up the road heading toward Lake Wohlford. The use trail starts a little further up on the other side through a hole in the fence, and cuts back in the opposite direction of the road. It is a steep climb most of the way, with parts of the trail looking like a drainage ditch, then it levels out a little toward the end. The use trail goes to within about 50' of the summit block, and some light bushwhacking will get you the rest of the way. The easiest way to climb the 25' summit block is a class 3 route from the southwest side. I started up an easy crack at the bottom, then a flake on the right helped me get to the top of the second crack, and it was an easy scramble from there. The top only has room for one person at a time which worked out fine since I was solo today. There are good views of Dixon Lake, Lake Wohlford, Bottle Peak, and Escondido. When I got to the top, I realized I had left my camera at the bottom with my pack, so I climbed down and up a second time to get some photos from the summit. Unlike the other nearby peaks, the Tombstone summit was free of graffiti. It was a short, but fun packed hike!
Start of the use trail, turnout on the right
Use trail or drainage ditch?
The southwest face of the summit block
On my way up
Looking down the ascent route from the summit, you can see my pack on the rock at the base
Escondido
A fallen cross at the bottom of the south side of the summit
The fallen cross
Dixon Lake on the way down
I wonder if there is a tombstone up there somewhere.
ReplyDeleteDerek,
DeleteThere might be, but I would guess the name is based on the big summit block. Hey, I thought about your restaurant when I was driving through Escondido. Let me know when it opens so I can drop by when I am there.