Diablo Benchmark

Hiked: 5/11/2018
Distance: 9.5 miles round trip cross country
Summit Elevation: 2440'
Elevation Gain: 1362'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.08
Round trip time: 4 hours
Recommended water: 88 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at S2 turnout
Difficulty: Moderate

Diablo BM is #83 on the Sierra Club San Diego Peaks List. It is usually hiked from scenic Sandstone Canyon, but I chose to take a longer route from west, leaving from the side of the road on the Great Southern Overland Stage Route (highway S2). I parked close to the starting point for Stage BM just after sunrise. The general plan was to follow June Wash until I got near, then take a more direct line.

I went north into June Wash where the open desert terrain was easy. It started out wide and sandy, then went through a cholla garden. After several miles, it started to narrow and went through a second cholla section, more dense than the first. Navigation was still easy but there were plenty of hazards on the ground. Mud walls began to rise up on both sides. As Diablo got closer, I saw the ground was very broken around it and a direct line did not look possible. Both east and west ridges looked like good approaches. Since June Wash was heading to the west side, I looked for a way to reach the west ridge. I picked a narrow side wash, 10' across in some places, and followed it up. I made it to a ridge south of the main west ridge and it wasn't clear that it connected. I continued on until I saw that a knife edge did connect. There was one place I had to use my hands to scramble up a low crumbly wall. The final part was a breeze. On top of Diablo was a cairn and three register books. I signed the newest one, only a month old, and admired the washes and broken ground from above. The benchmark was placed by the California Dept of Beaches and Parks. I decided to take a slightly different way back, heading due west toward Peak 2195. I dropped into the gully below Peak 2195 and went south from there until it connected to June Wash. I ended up on the other side of a mud wall from where I made my approach but eventually merged back on my original track. I tried to take enough video to make a hyperlapse of the major sections. While I missed out on Sandstone Canyon, I was glad I took the long route to Diablo. It was drizzling on the coast, but perfect blue skies in the desert.

First cholla garden

Mud walls

Second cholla garden

Side wash to the ridge

Knife edge to the main ridge

Summit

Diablo Hyperlapse Ride Along from Keith Winston on Vimeo.