In which my opinion of Anza-Borrego State Park changed.
My limited previous experiences with that state park have been from the Salton Sea side. That (accidentally-formed) lake has a certain odor, shall we say. A few years previous I'd tried to camp in the Badlands area and heavy wind gusts broke my tent poles.
However, the side with the peak in question seems to be a bit better, like Joshua Tree but with some green vegetation. And, a meadow.
Getting up at an ungoshly hour to make it there at 7am, I joined a large group for the scramble to the top. That was via an offtrail route up Smuggler's Canyon, with the return along a more distinct use trail. It was only Class 2, but it was boulder after boulder after boulder. The peak has good views and there's a sign and a register.
Named apparently by a park ranger due to it looking like a whale (OK), it's one of several HPS peaks in the area. It's also a range highpoint (the Vallecito Mountains).
After, we went partway up Ghost Mountain to the ruins of a 1930s/1940s homestead that belonged to writer Marshal South and his family. Unfortunately we didn't go to the top but it was an enjoyable trip nonetheless.
1/31/26 UPDATE: I did it again, this time with a Sierra Club group instead. We used the use trail in Smuggler's Canyon to go up and down; on the previous trip we'd gone up cross-country and returned on the use trail. Another difference is a steep bypass with loose dirt. I think that was to avoid an area with 6' rocks, and while I definitely know we came down it, I think we went up that way too. Before I'd avoided the 6' rock by using a series of steps on the right side as you're descending and I would have preferred to do that again rather than the loose dirt. That said, it was a fine outing and I've included a summit video and some other pics.
Afterwards I was considering hiking or biking Cuyamaca Peak via what I believe to be a paved road, coming back by headlamp. The road starts at the Cuyamuaca Rancho State Park, and the lady at the entrance gate didn't seem too enthused by my plan; I got the idea they like to roll up the sidewalks early. There appears to be no legal parking along the road, I probably would have got to the top too late to get good pics, and there's the trailhead for another peak directly opposite. So, I decided to save my $10 parking fee for another trip.
I continue to be impressed with Anza-Borrego, or at least the Whale Peak section of it. Frankly, it makes a lot of the L.A. area seem monotonous. It also reminds me of various other areas; part of the road near Lake Cuyamaca reminded me of part of the drive into South Park, CO. Other parts of the area remind me of southwest Oregon, parts Malibu.
LATER UPDATE: Well, that didn't last. The Sierra Club group turned out to be backstabbers. More on that later. In the meantime, I strongly suggest you avoid them. Details on request.
