5 SAN DIEGO AND IMPERIAL COUNTY RANGES GUIDE NO. 5.4

PICACHO PEAK 1920+ FEET CLASS 6

See important note at end of this guide! (2/13/19)

MILEAGE: 307 miles of paved road, 14.55 miles of excellent dirt

DRIVE/ROUTE A: From El Centro, CA drive approximately 55 miles E on California Interstate 8 to the

“Winterhaven Drive, Fourth Avenue” exit

(This exit is about 2 miles W of Yuma, AZ). Turn N over the

interstate to a stop sign at signed, paved County Road S24. Turn right on S24, following it 3.7 miles to where

it turns right (E) at Ross Road. Leave S24 here and continue straight (N) 0.7 miles to the end of pavement,

picking up an excellent dirt road that is followed 0.35 miles N then E to a spillway bridge just S of the All

American Canal. A sign here reads “Picacho State Recreation Area, 18 miles”. Cross the spillway bridge and

turn left, crossing a second bridge over the canal. Continue N approximately 13.4 miles to a signed fork at the

entrance to the Picacho Mine. Large tailings piles and chain link fences on the left (W) side of the road appear

as you near this fork. Bear right and drive 0.8 miles to a wide spot in the road at Little Picacho Wash. Park.

Any 2WD vehicle can make it to this spot.

NOTE: Because of the complex route description for "Little Picacho", this writeup is broken

down

into two segments, the hiking approach (Routes A & B) and the actual climb itself

(Same by either approach).

APPROACH/ROUTE A: From

the parking area walk 0.2 miles SW up Little Picacho Wash to a fork. Take

the right (W) branch, following it about 2.0 m

iles to a point 0.4 miles SSE of the peak. Climb NW to a saddle

at 1200+ feet elevation. Follow a good use trail N from here along the base of cliffs to the deep gully on

Picacho's W side. This gully

forms the division between the peak on the right and two sheer pinnacles on the

left. Follow the faint trail up this steep gully to a large notch.

CLIMB/ROUTES A & B: From the notch climb right, zigzagging

up ledges to the base of a sheer rock wall

above, where you'll turn left and follow a worn path to a 12 foot high, Class 4 step. A short wooden ladder

is found here. (As of 12/26/17 this ladder was cracked and

repaired with some webbing.) Once above this step

the next major obstacle

presents itself, a 3 foot wide jump-across that has turned back more than one climber!

Most people will probably want a rope here; a long drop into a dark slot if you miss. As a suggestion, fix and

leave one 45 meter rope here to secure the jump across and provide a top belay for the preceding 12 foot step move.

This way a large group can pass these obstacles quickly on both ascent and descent. A rock horn on one side of the

jump across and a large boulder on the other side are the only two natural anchors to protect this move. It is

also possible to climb down into the slot beneath the jump-across and work your way to the opposite side.

Once safely past this challenging barrier, follow ducked ledges to a 10 foot overhang. A

n aluminum ladder

here offers aid past the overhang. Because the ladder is somewhat unstable, the leader will probably want to

fix and leave a rope here for top belaying the group. There are two good belay anchor (bolted D-hangers)

available above the overhang. If you choose to do this overhang without using the ladder, it’s a high 5th Class

pitch. Above the overhang climb up then right around a point, heading SE past a shallow cave and on to the

false summit block. The false summit block can be tackled in two ways. First, it can be climbed on its N side

via an exposed 15 foot face of Class 4 rock. Once atop the block, three bolted D-hangers can be

found to secure and leave a rope for the 15 foot downclimb or rappel (and upclimb on the descent) on its S

side, after which it's just a hands-in-

PICACHO PEAK (CONTINUED)

5 SAN DIEGO AND IMPERIAL COUNTY RANGES GUIDE NO. 5.4

pocket stroll to the register. A pair of 5-step etriers come in handy on the S side of the false block to aid in its

re-ascent after returning from the peak. Alternately, the false summit can be bypassed on its E side by

descending 30 to 40 feet on awkward Class 4+ exposed rock to a worn path which is followed upward

through a distinctive window (hole through the rock). Once through the window, follow the path S to the

highpoint. A good belay spot just N of the false summit can be used to protect this downclimb on the E side.

DRIVE/ROUTE B: Follow DRIVE/ROUTE A directions to

the fork at the Picacho Mine entrance. Bear right

at the fork and drive 2.0 m

iles to a dirt road turnoff on the left (W). Turn left (W) here, passing a BLM

Limited Use Area sign and brown stake road marker A278. Drive 3.0 miles W on A278 to a fork just before

the road climbs steeply out of a wash. Bear left and drive 0.35 miles up a side wash to where progress is

barred by brush and rocks. Park. This drive is for high clearance vehicles only. 4WD, although not actually

required, would make it easier in some of the sandier spots.

APPROACH/ROUTE B: Picacho Peak is visible at a bearing of 155° from

the vehicle parking area. Hike 0.5

miles S

up the wash, then 0.25 miles SE towards the mountain, where you'll pick up a trail that leads to the

steep chute on Picacho’s W side. Follow this chute to the large notch separating Picacho from its lower

western neighbor. Follow the CLIMB/ROUTES A & B directions from this notch to the summit.

ROUND TRIP STATS/ROUTE A: 1500 feet elevation gain, 6 miles, 8 hours

ROUND TRIP STATS/ROUTE B: 1250 feet elevation gain, 2+ miles, 6 hours

SIDELINES

1. Picacho Peak is the most technically difficult ascent described in this guide book. It should not be

attem

pted by any

group weak in rock climbing skills or having inadequate equipment. Each climber should

have a seat harness with either one locking or two opposing carabiners and a Figure-8 rappel ring. In addition,

larger groups as a whole should have at least 4 each 9mm diameter (or larger) x 45 meter long ropes (3 can be

fixed as described above), 6 each slings of 12 foot long x 1" nylon webbing, 6 carabiners and 2 5-step etriers

(optional but handy). Climbing helmets, as always, are recommended.

2. Picacho Peak is commonly called "Little Picacho" among

DPS climbers.

This is to distinguish it from El

Picacho del Diablo in Baja California, which the same climbers routinely refer to as "Big Picacho". The issue

is further confused because there is a peak N of Picacho Peak named Little Picacho and another to the NE

named Little Picacho Peak. Actually, a historical search into the naming of this peak turns up some interesting

facts. In 1775, Father Pedro Font, a Spanish missionary named the peak La Campana, figuring that it looked

like a mission bell. Eight decades later, in 1858, Lieut. Joseph C. Ives sailed up the Colorado River above

Yuma in a steamship and, upon seeing the crag called it Chimney Peak. The

PICACHO PEAK (CONTINUED)

Mexican miners who came to the area in search of gold a few years later simply called it El Picacho, The

Peak.

5 SAN DIEGO AND IMPERIAL COUNTY RANGES GUIDE NO. 5.4

3. During the long Thanksgiving weekend of 1947, the Desert Peaks Section of the Sierra Club made its first

large group ascent of Picacho Peak. Under the leadership of Randall Henderson and Roy Gorin (Gorin of

Gorins Gully on El Picacho del Diablo in Baja) the DPS put 10 members on the summit, a feat unmatched up

to that time. The proud ascenders were Roy Gorin, Randall Henderson, William G. Johnson, A.D. Hamilton,

Jack Adams (age 12), Louis B. Mousley, Bradley and Roger Janetzky and Bill Yinger. A detailed account of

their expedition is found in the April 1948 issue of Desert Magazine. As would be expected, they took the

same climbing route that we use today.

Revised 2/13/19

PICACHO PEAK (AKA LITTLE PICACHO) UPDATE - Feb 2019: The DPS received a report about

worn-out and dangerous bolts on the false summit of DPS listed Picacho Peak located in Imperial County.

One bolt failed on a recent climb of the peak, and an adjoining bolt is loose. Climbers are urged to exercise

extreme caution and not take any undue risk when climbing the peak. Do not depend on these bolts to protect

you from a fall!