Location: San Diego County, about 17 miles east-southeast of Julian, 156 miles from Los Angeles

Maps

Auto Club: San Diego County

Forest Service: Cleveland National Forest

USGS Topo: Whale Peak 7½

HPS (updated): National Geographic Topo!

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

Distance: 8 miles round trip cross-country

Gain: 2300'

Time: 6-7 hours round trip

Rating: Class 2, moderate to strenuous

Navigation: Difficult

Original: Southern Courtney and Brent Washburne, April 1991

DRIVING ROUTE 1

• Take I-15 south to Temecula.
• Go southeast on SR 79 about 38 miles to Warner Springs.
• Continue 3 miles on SR 79 to the intersection with S2 on the left. Turn left.
• Go southeast on S2 about 17 miles to SR 78 (Scissors Crossing).
• Jog 1/3 mile west on SR 78 (right) and continue on S2 for 6.0 miles to a dirt road on the left (east) signed "Blair Valley". This is just before mile marker 23. Note your odometer and go as follows:
• At 0.1 mile, a fork. Go right. (Do not take the hard right turn to the restroom.)
• At 1.4 miles, fork signed "Pictographs". Keep right.
• At 2.6 miles, fork. Keep right.
• At 3.0 miles, fork signed "Pictographs". Keep left.
• At 3.3 miles, fork signed "Pictographs". Keep left.
• At 3.9 miles, Mortreros, an ancient Indian Village. Keep straight.
• At 4.0 miles, fork signed "Pictographs". Keep right.
• At 5.3 miles the road ends at a turn-around. Park here.

HIKING ROUTE 1

• From the parking area (3120'), hike east along a trail about ¾ mile to the pictographs.
• Turn left (north) and hike a second mile up the wide draw (labeled "Smuggler Canyon" on the topo) around to the end of the ridge descending from Whale Peak.
• Then go east-northeast into a canyon that descends from the mountain. (The canyon isn't evident against a hillside of rocks, but the wash out of the canyon is evident.)
• Ascend the canyon ¾ mile to about 4300' and find ducks on a big rock on the right side of the canyon. There are some class 2+ dry falls in the gully above about 3800', easier to descend than to ascend.
• Climb steeply southeast up the side draw above the rocks to the flat area at 5000' where you intercept the trail for Route 2. (It is perhaps easier, though a bit longer, to continue NE up to the top of the gully to intercept the trail for Route 2.)

ALTERNATE ROUTE

There are other possible routes to the summit starting from the "pictographs" including from the south of the summit.