Distance: 2.4 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 5880'
Elevation Gain: 540'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.43
Round trip time: 1 hour
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Sunrise Highway (S1)
Difficulty: Easy
The agenda was to bag San Diego Sierra Club peaks along Sunrise Highway. There are several short, easy hikes in this area and Garnet Peak (#9) was up first. I tried to time it so that I was on the summit at sunrise. I would have been on top before sunrise except I drove past the trailhead in the dark. It is a small turnout on the north side of the road. Once I parked, it was light enough to start without a headlamp. The trail is a dirt road to start, narrowing to a single track before ending at a nice summit area overlooking the Anza-Borrego desert. The view from the summit is definitely worth the minimal effort, explaining the nearly full register books jammed into the standard pair of red cans. I poked around for a benchmark without luck. I didn't really feel like resting after such a short ascent, so after taking some pictures, I headed back.
Trail start
Garnet Peak ahead
Orangey sky at the summit
Desert view
Glowing mountains
Looking into the Storm Canyon drainage
Good morning, Anza-Borrego
Radiance
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