San Ysidro East Peak, San Diego County, California, Elevation = 5386 ft.

In the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Looking northwest at the summit area of San Ysidro East peak after a long climb up the ridge. This shot is from about point S8 on the map below. Photo on February 21, 2015. As noted below the point 5386 ft. is not the true highpoint which is a block about 500 ft. to the east. This peak is on the San Diego Peaks List and has a prominence of about 166 ft.
The above topo shows our route up the ridge from west of Panorama Point. We parked at the Group Campsite area which gets you close to the ridge. There is an $8.00 day use fee unless you have a senior pass. Another option is to park at the Visitors Center which is free and hike north across the desert to the ridge. The above map is at a normal scale and has a UTM grid using NAD27. Start the hike going up to the ridge line to point S1. There is a use trail going along the ridge for a half mile or so. At point S2 there is a large cairn at 2000 ft. Continue on, turning northwest at S3. From here there is more rock and agave to work around. From S4 to S8 you will be climbing steadily and heading mostly due west. At about S8 you will see the summit area to the northwest. You can stay somewhat under the ridgeline until you get to the final slopes. The spot elevation is to the west and is NOT the highest point. There are two big boulders of about equal height to the east and the register is below the easterly block. This is the first one you will reach and is at point S11. This is one of the harder hikes in the Park and is about 6.6 miles round-trip with a gain of 4500 ft. It took us 5 1/4 hours to reach the top and 3 1/2 hours to get down. Take plenty of water if the temperature is above 70 degrees. I recommend at least 3 quarts. 2/15 RLC The above route is available as a gpx file: SanYsidroE.gpx
We came upon this ram grazing on ocotillo leaves on the lower portion of the trail. He was not afraid and posed for a great photo. Photo by Shelley Rogers on February 27, 2015.