Location: Riverside County, about 8 miles south-southwest of Palm Desert, 130 miles from Los Angeles

Maps

Auto Club: Riverside County

Forest Service: San Bernardino National Forest

USGS Topo: Rancho Mirage 7½, Toro Peak 7½

HPS: Route(s), waypoints and explanation of usage (Older version)

Distance: 3 miles round trip road and cross-country

Gain: 1000'

Time: 2 1/2 hours round trip

Rating: Class 1, easy

Navigation: Moderate

Leader Rating: "I", normal conditions

Route: All cross-country over steep desert terrain

Original: Al Campbell, January 1975

DRIVING ROUTE 1

• Take I-10 or SR 60 east to SR 79 in Beaumont. Take exit south to SR 79.
• Go south on SR 79, which becomes a four-lane road for 8.1 miles to the Ramona Expressway. Turn left(east).
• Go east on the Ramona Expressway for 8.8 miles until it ends at SR 74 (Florida Avenue). Turn left (east) on SR 74.
• Go east on SR 74 to Mountain Center, approximately 14.7 miles.
• Continue east on SR 74 for about 20.5 miles to Palm Canyon Drive. Turn left (north). Note your odometer and go as follows:
• At 1.3 miles, turn right (east) on Pinyon Drive.
• At1.5 miles, turn left (north) on Jereboa Drive.
• At 2.3 miles, a turn-around with a narrow dirt road continuing on. 2WD vehicles should park here.
• 4WD vehicles can drive another 0.7 mile on a jeep road, keeping right at a fork, to its end. Park here.

HIKING ROUTE 1

• From the parking area (4240'), note the large boulder visible on the skyline at the top of a gully. Hike north-northeast toward this shallow gully.
• Hike up the gully, following a ducked route, and heading generally toward the boulder.
• Go left around the large boulder and up the shallow gully behind it.
• The summit is a rocky outcrop on the left, about 100 yards northeast of the large boulder, with a conspicuous dead tree on it. For an easy route to the summit, go to the top of the gully and look for ducks on the south side of the summit. Follow a ducked route which curves around the east side of the summit to the northeast side. If you do not find the gully immediately behind the large boulder, but instead stay in the larger main gully, the summit will be on your right.