Before headed home I wanted to attempt Diablo Peak. I say attempt because the road conditions for the park were last updated in October and there was just a big storm that passed through. Not sure what to expect, I turned off S-2 into June Wash and put Smoky into 4WD and set the odometer to 0.00. The directions said to go 2.0 miles up the wash and park. I thought it looked boring to walk so many miles in the open wash so continued to head up what I now know was not June Wash, but another unnamed wash that eventually dead ended – actually I started to think about how I may have to drive backward for a while until there is a spot to turn around. It was still damp from the rain.
End of the line
After a bit of wandering around it became obvious that I was not in June Wash. Did some zigzagging and in about a mile came to the main wash which goes all the way to the divide with Sandstone Canyon.
Looking toward Whale Peak 
Smoky is parked down there 
Still needed to be 2 washes over
All the usual cacti suspects were present in June Wash. This area is lower than Blair Valley and the ocotillo are starting to develop flowers.
At the top of June Wash the divide appears like a dam separating the watershed from Sandstone Canyon. It is here where the route goes up to Diablo Peak by whatever way a person wants to go. Not too many of the rocks are embedded in the hillside so one must be careful in choosing what to pull on or push off. The whole way up I kept thinking about how I am going to get back down. Fortunately from the top an easier line was visible that traversed the hillside at a more reasonable grade.
Start of climb on Diablo Peak looking west 
Looking east from divide
It took about 15 minutes to get up to the top and the payoff is another great view of the In-Ko-Pah, Coyote, and Fish Creek Mountains along with the Carrizo Badlands. In a previous trip, I went with a friend to explore Arroyo Tapiado and Arroyo Seco del Diablo taking the drop-off into Fish Creek to Split Mountain. From the vantage of Diablo Peak, it puts all these areas into perspective.
It was getting to be time to head back to the vehicle so as to make it before sunset.
Stats on the hike are here:
