Distance: 5 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 1984' (Spangler), 2128' (Ramona)
Elevation Gain: 1227'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.0
Round trip time: 2 hours
Recommended water: 20 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Bassett Way
Difficulty: Easy
I drove to Ramona for some cardio training on smallish peaks. First up was Spangler Peak and Ramona Benchmark, sitting at opposite ends of a ridge in Simon County Park. I parked on Bassett Way in a rural neighborhood with access to the trail. The main trail was a dirt road, but I tried a more direct trail on the Spangler side. It went straight up to the ridge. I turned toward Spangler, going up and down two false summits. At the saddle below Spangler, I went up through tall grass. It might have been easier to stay on the abandoned road. The last 100' required some light bushwhacking and the 15' summit boulders were class 2. I signed the register left by Larry Edmonds and noted the people that had signed. I wanted to push myself a little, so I took a short break then starting jogging down. I tried to jog most of the downhills if possible. When I got back on the ridge, I hiked to Ramona Benchmark at the other end, maybe 2 miles from Spangler. There were double benches at the Ramona high point, back to back with decent views. I only took a water break on Ramona, then jogged down the road most of the way back. I was pleased to finish in under two hours (1:57). Not bad considering the open country and short scramble on the Spangler summit. I had plenty of time to pick up one more nearby peak, Stone Mountain.
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