Hike #2 Carrizo Mountain

12.5 miles | +2100'

I've taken my Jeep up Carrizo Mountain for years but this was my first time hiking to the actual summit. It was interesting to read entries in the summit register dating back to 1979.

The United States Congress designated the Coyote Mountains Wilderness in 1994 with a total of 18,631 acres. All of this wilderness is located in California and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The fishhook-shaped Coyote Mountains cover about 40 percent of this austere Wilderness, a desert land of low ridges and washes capped by the forbidding Carrizo Badlands to the north. Carrizo Mountain and the striking Painted Gorge lie in a non-Wilderness corridor that punches in from the eastern boundary.

The highest point of the Coyote Mountains is Carrizo Mountain, at an elevation of 2,408 feet. An old mining road winds through Painted Gorge and up the hills to a turn-around a few hundred feet below the summit. A use-trail and some cross-country makes for an easy hike to the top. The mountains sit within the Yuha Desert Recreation Area, which features tracks for off-road vehicles. The badlands below the range extend many miles north and east, and are popular with the off-road crowd. A few venture into Painted Gorge and to the turn-around up high, but the road up high is narrow, steep and rocky with some very exposed sections demanding an experienced off-road driver.

This road serves as the natural route to the top. In Fall and Winter, this is an enjoyable hike, and especially when the gate is closed (Jan 1 to June 30), you will probably have the mountains to yourself. It's very remote, stark desert, and very peaceful. The mountains feature no significant brush other than ocotillo, barrel cactus, creosote and shrubs. Wildlife includes the Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, and as usual, snakes when warm. Summer is very hot: things heat up as early as March and stay warm even into October.

The entire area falls within the Yuha Desert Recreation Area, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park lies immediately to the north. You'll find unusual sandstone formations that are estimated to be six million years old, adding a touch of scenic character to the area. On the mountain ridges, you may be privileged to see a barefoot gecko or bighorn sheep.