Dayhiking the California County Highpoints
1998 - 2009

Last Updated: 6/6/09

I don't recall exactly how I started off doing county highpoints, but somewhere I picked up Gary Suttle's book, California County Summits and got hooked. Few of the peaks are as challenging as those I normally climb in the High Sierra, but they brought me to some beautiful places in the state I might not otherwise have visited. Further along the way I decided I ought to be able to dayhike all of them, which made me go back to reclimb Parsons Ridge a second time. My son Ryan began to join me in the last two years of this quest, and was along for the last four peaks in the northeast portion of the state. He's got about a dozen county summits under his belt at the moment, so it looks like I may be visiting most of these summits yet again. I can't think of a better reason to do so, as it brings a smile to my face to see the fire for mountaineering kindled in a young heart. In 2008 the Placer highpoint was found to not be Granite Chief as supposed for many years, but a "liner" on the Nevada border. This was visited in 2009. A special thanks to Matthew Holliman who would rather have been off climbing something more challenging, but nonetheless agreed to join me on a number of these outings.

DateCountyHighpoint
May 15, 1998MontereyJunipero Serra Peak
Jun 20, 1998El DoradoFreel Peak
Oct 10, 1998MaderaMt. Ritter
May 11, 2001ShastaMt. Lassen
May 12, 2001SiskiyouMt. Shasta
Aug 5, 2001TuolumneMt. Lyell
Aug 12, 2001Inyo/TulareMt. Whitney
Jul 19, 2002MonoWhite Mtn Peak
Aug 5, 2002San Luis Obispo, Kern, Ventura, Los AngelesCaliente Mtn, Sawmill Mtn, Mt. Pinos, Mt. San Antonio
Aug 6, 2002San BernardinoSan Gorgonio Mtn
Aug 7, 2002Riverside, San Diego, ImperialSan Jacinto Peak, Hot Springs Mtn, Blue Angels Peak
Aug 10, 2002OrangeSantiago Peak
Aug 16, 2002AlpineSonora Peak
Aug 21, 2002FresnoNorth Palisade
Nov 8, 2003Santa BarbaraBig Pine Mtn
Dec 14, 2003Solano, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa CruzMt. Vaca, Mt. Davidson, Long Ridge, Mt. Bielawski
Jan 13, 2004Santa Clara, StanislausCopernicus Peak, Mt. Stakes
Feb 10, 2004AlamedaDiscovery Peak
Feb 14, 2004Nevada, SierraMt. Lola, Mt. Lola North
Apr 4, 2004AmadorThunder Mtn
Mar 26, 2004Contra CostaMt. Diablo
Apr 30, 2004Marin, NapaEast Peak, Mt. St. Helena East
May 24, 2004San BenitoSan Benito Mtn
Jan 17, 2005San JoaquinMt. Boardman North
Jan 8, 2006Sacramento, Sutter, SonomaCarpenter Hill, South Butte, Cobb Mtn West Rim
Feb 3, 2006YoloLittle Blue Peak
Feb 10, 2006MercedLaveaga Peak
Feb 17, 2006KingsTable Mtn
Mar 18, 2006CalaverasCorral Ridge
Jun 20, 2006Mendocino, GlennAnthony Peak, Black Butte
Jun 21, 2006PlumasMt. Ingalls
Oct 5, 2006Lake/Colusa, TehamaSnow Mtn East, Brokeoff Mtn
Oct 6, 2006Trinity, Del NorteMt. Eddy, Bear Mtn
Oct 7, 2006HumboldtSalmon Mtn
Oct 20, 2006MariposaParsons Peak Ridge
Jun 19, 2007Yuba, ButteSugar Pine Peak, Lost Lake Ridge
Jun 20, 2007Lassen, ModocHat Mtn, Eagle Peak
May 13, 2009PlacerMt. Baldy West Rim