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Whale Peak via Pictographs/Smugglers Canyon ?
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dsrt_dave Posts: 13
11/26/2020
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I am thinking of doing a backpacking trip up Whale Peak, but I was thinking parking at the Pictographs and hiking up Smugglers Canyon. Has anyone tried this route? Any thoughts on the difficulty and overall impression of this route? Any feedback is appreciated!
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Scooter Posts: 114
11/26/2020
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The main drainage you go up has a lot of boulders from the Smuggler side. No problem with a daypack. If you are going over night, I would take the trail coming off of Pinyon Mountain Road. Off of Pinyon Mountain Road the trail is only difficult for a very short distance
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Buford Posts: 467
11/27/2020
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I agree with what everyone else said. Whale Peak is probably the easiest of the "major" peaks in the park. The Smugglers route is about as easy as it gets for that kind of hike. Backpacking weight will make it tougher but still very doable.
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Links to my photos: ABDSP photos, Bighorn sheep photos, ABDSP time lapse video, Wildlife photos (mainly birds)
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rockhopper Posts: 672
12/2/2020
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I have only done the N/W "easy route". More sheltered with pinyon pines and vegetation. It's a real treasure in the park. I have always thought about doing the Southern route. Looks pretty rough and barren. Perfect for climbing on a cool day. BTW how did "Smugglers canyon" get it's name? I assume horse thieves?
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ziphius Posts: 911
12/2/2020
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Enjoyed the diversity of this route. http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/Forum/topic1515-whale-peak-overnight.aspx
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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deborah Posts: 115
12/5/2020
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This is really good info. I've been curious about that route as well.
I happened to be in the lower part of Smuggler Canyon last weekend. I parked off S2 at the Vallecito campground and hiked north up Smuggler Canyon to the Pictograph trail, and then scrambled up the small peak just south of the trail (elev. 3679). The views were really nice.
On the way back I took a slightly different route to the west. Lots of fun boulder hopping/scrambling. I had such a late start, I ended up hiking the last 20 minutes or so in the dark. But the moon was really bright, I barely needed my headlamp.
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