Sombrero Peak

Hiked: 1/5/2018
Distance: 3.5 miles round trip on use trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 4229'
Prominence: 329'
Elevation Gain: 2011'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.60
Round trip time: 3 hours
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on South Indian Canyon Road
Difficulty: Moderate

I headed back to the desert for Sombrero Peak (SDC #46) and False Sombrero (SDC #63). The trailhead for Sombrero starts at the end of South Indian Canyon Road. The first 2.5 miles of Indian Canyon Road has some large rocks and the road is sandy in places, 4x4 recommended. After the fork, both North and South Indian Canyon Roads are smooth to the end. Sombrero is a short, stiff hike, gaining more than 1000'/mile. At the trailhead, I headed up a gully following a use trail that faded in and out. The use trail stayed slightly above the gully on the left side. I made a point of not starting too fast and focusing on good route finding. A good path goes a long way to preserving energy which is easily lost on the jagged slopes with huge boulders. After clearing the first ridge, there was a short level section before the second steep section started. Although the terrain was rough, the cactus and vegetation were spread out enough that it wasn't a constant problem. On the second slope, I was surprised to find the use trail again after losing it several times. With significant effort, I cleared the second ridge and got my first look at the summit, a bump several hundred above. I picked up the use trail once again and followed it up as it weaved through a giant boulder maze. Some class 2 was required to get over several obstacles, leading to the summit area where two granite boulders made arguments for the high point. The first one was a class 1 walk up that appeared to be higher by inches. I took several photos from the first boulder, taking in awesome views of McCain Valley, and the Sawtooth, Laguna, and In-Ko-Pah mountains. The floor of Indian Valley looked impossibly far below. From the top of the first boulder, I thought I spotted a benchmark on the second boulder so I turned my attention there.

Dawn of the desert

Sombrero and False Sombrero from the road fork

Trailhead

Looking back about half way up

Sombrero Peak

Summit view

McCain Valley

Sawtooth Mountains almost lost in the background

The second possible high point was a tall block with no easy access. The first two visible routes included a negative angle chute with an extra 20' of exposure, and a chimney that was closed off at the top. Before looking on the other sides, I made an attempt on the chimney, getting myself wedged inside. The following move was to transition to the face on the right where thin holds were available. It was awkward and risky so I decided to back down and check out the rest of the boulder for better possibilities. On the other side, I found a much nicer ~12' class 5 crack. I used hand jams to ascend the crack, not getting much assistance from my hiking boots. It was an unexpected thrill. On top, I looked around for a register that wasn't there. I didn't find a register anywhere on the summit. I was very happy to find a benchmark, but it wasn't placed by the USGS. It was from the Division of Beaches and Parks in 1958. Getting down was easier than coming up, using hand jams and gravity. I had done my standard due diligence on Sombrero, but wondered why nobody mentioned this summit block or benchmark. I went back and read dozens of trip reports from every possible source and the only one that mentioned this block and climbed it was someone going by "BMS 914" on 3/16/2013. I still think the first boulder was slightly higher, but the benchmark was a nice find for extra credit. I had a lingering adrenaline buzz when I got back to the truck and drove the short distance to False Sombrero.

The second possible summit

Easiest way up was this crack

Sombrero benchmark on the second summit block

Looking back at the rest of the summit, the highest point probably the boulder on the left

The hard way up

Awesome view from the second summit block

I found this weird pole and chain on the way down,
a few hundred feet below the summit