I've been to Rabbit Peak from S22 (over Villager), but I'm thinking about starting down in the Coachella Valley in the Oasis area to do it my second time. Has anyone done it this route? If so, did you just leave your vehicle parked along the side of the road on Filmore Street near where Avenue 79 would be and head toward Rabbit as the Sierra Club's Desert Peak's Guide suggests? Any advice or tips on the route to Rabbit Peak from the Coachella Valley will be appreciated.

last time I did it that way, about 5 yrs ago, I drove down to the end of Filmore St., and there was a little house (trailer house maybe). Anyhow the people there seemed poor but friendly. I offered them $5 to watch my car, they would not take it, but they let me park off the road, and in their front yard. when I returned the next afternoon, I left a six pack of soda on their porch. They lived right where the road ends, on the left side, where the road ends and the citrus grove begins... again, it was 5 years ago. I started in the afternoon and packed up to the "bench" at about 3,200'. If you are real observant, you can find a trail at the toe of the ridge starting at about 1000-1100 ft, it goes up the ridge and it will be fairly easy to follow up to about the 3000' level, and then it becomes harder to find after that. hope that helps, it is in my opinion, the classic route on Rabbit.

edit: to add a little more, I've done Rabbit at least 5 times from the end of Fillmore. I used to drive through the lemon groves out to the edge of the desert, where the groves end, but it does not gain much ground, and I always wondered if my car would be there when I got back. I've done it as a dayhike twice from Filmore St., and backpack 3 times, and I prefer the backpack. The bench at 3200' is a great place to camp, it's the halfway point. Above that it's steep and unrelenting. The route above the bench used to be ducked somewhat. The only times the navigating got tricky was when the ridge flattens out near BM 6623, you have to be careful not to descend the wrong way on the return. I did not have a gps, so I had to be alert. Also, when you are exiting the bench back down to the ridge at around 2800' on the return, be careful there so you can go back down the trail. Also, the three mile approach across the desert to the toe of the east ridge, if you do it right, there used to be a well-ducked route across the desert, done with "white" rocks so you can see them better in the twilight. Always go WITH the grain of the mountain on Rabbit, if you keep cutting across the washes it will tire you out fast. The very first time I attempted Rabbit was from the east, using John Robinson's book. I did NOT find the trail between the 1000 and 3000 foot level, I kept cutting washes, I got a late 8 AM start, and I paid for it. Also, I underestimated the peak and ran out of water at 6000 ft. I was young and strong though and got out just fine, but it gave me a lot of respect for that mountain. I personally think Rabbit from filmore St is one of the best classic hikes, at least for mortals like myself. Perhaps today it would only take half a day for some, LOL Pardon my spelling and grammar, I never learned to type.

according to the HPS site that route is only open Nov-Dec?

Ze wrote:according to the HPS site that route is only open Nov-Dec?

There is a "voluntary bighorn closure" which has mystified me.

MoapaPk wrote:

Ze wrote:according to the HPS site that route is only open Nov-Dec?

There is a "voluntary bighorn closure" which has mystified me.

I've done Rabbit 10 times, five from filmore St., One from Clark Dry Lk., four from villager, on one of the Villager hikes I went all the way to Santa Rosa Mtn and HWY 74. Now before I sound like a stuffed shirt, keep in mind there are those who have hiked it triple that, so I'm honestly not trying to say I'm great, although I am pretty good (at least I used to be ) BUT, the ONLY time I saw bighorns was when I did it from Villager. BTW, the route from Clark Lk. is better in my opinion than the one from filmore st., because 1) you probably wont see anyone (always a risk on the Villager route) and 2) you park by the bottom of coyote Mtn., and to me, it's the safest parking. I always worried about break-ins when I parked on S-22. Anyway you cut it, there's no Tram on Rabbit, all routes are hard.

Doug: Thanks for the info. I'm not sure if I'll do it as a day hike or an overnighter. I might carry a lightweight sleeping bag and pad - just 3 extra pounds and I'll have a choice if I get tired.


Ze: I'm also of the understanding that's a voluntary closure - the Skyline Trail also has a sign on it about the closure.

good luck! Just be sure to get a very early start if you plan to dayhike, it is a very rough mountain, even if you "find the route" which I failed to do on my first attempt back in 1991. From the end of Filmore St., hike past the citrus groves to the edge of the desert, aiming for the toe of the east ridge. You might even have cell phone reception part of the way. Somewhere around "sea level" (LOL) you should begin to find the white ducks, (it really would be a shame if they are no longer there as someone really did us all a huge favor by doing all the work of setting them, it's remarkable how good it goes when you follow them) and when you do find the white ducks, follow them diligently for 3 miles to the base of the ridge, (elev around 1000' ft or so). theres a cosy campsite there at about 1000'. Just beyond, around elev. 1100, the trail begins on the northern edge of the base of the ridge, and it traverses low around to the other side, and follows the ridge up to about 2800' or so. John Robinsons book has a map, at least my older 1980s edition does, which shows this trail. (Finding the ducked route across the desert and then the trail up to 3000' is critical imo for making good time, and it also just mentally "feels good"). The last saddle or dip before the bench (saddle 2560-) is a great place to stash a quart of H2O for the return across the desert, because it's a neck or narrows which you are sure to pass again. At 3000' you reach a "bench" which has a lot of agave, and slightly higher @ 3200 is another campsite. It is just west of elev 3235'. Above this it's steep, class twoish, but it was ducked 5 years ago when I last did it. Stay on ridges as much as possible, the gullies are rougher. You will reach a large rock outcrop above 5000' and skirt this along the north side, and continue along to BM 6623 and then it's pretty flat to the summit rocks. It truly is a great challenging hike! Best of luck to you.

just a minor edit: from the bench campsite at about 3,200' go up the slope/ridge directly above the campsite; go directly west up the slope. It may be tempting to cross the gully and go up more directly on the east ridge, which at this point seems like 3 parallel ridges, but I never tried that. I remember finding the ducked route more or less, just above the campsite, it's a slope that narrows and merges (in a west, then SW direction) with the east ridge above 5000'. The large rock outcrop I mentioned is visible from the desert floor, it is about 5600' elev., and traverse this along it's northern base, ducking under oak trees and such. Also, if you are doing it right, it never gets brushy, but gaitors can keep sticks and grass out of your socks, but there's no real bush whacking. OK, I've said enough! but I have done it a few times so I know what I'm saying. LOL!

final edit: I looked at the online topo map on the SP "Rabbit Pk" page...the ridge I always went up starts at elev 3235' and goes west, it's the ridge just south of the intermittent stream (which I guarantee has no water) shown in section 36 on the SP Rabbit Pk. page topo map link. it starts off westerly, then turns southwesterly. It is in section 36, just below (south of) the intermittent stream. It's confusing, because from the map it appears that any of three ridges could be the east ridge!

Kathy, I added my pirate treasure map of Rabbit (I sketched it after the last time I did it 5 yrs ago) to my profile page. It may be too little too late unless you have one of those blackberry thingies since you maybe already there, but I dug it out today and took a photo of it and put it on SP. Now I gotta figure out how to add it to the Rabbit Pk page. Anyhow, it is a very accurate map of the route, it may look crude, but it's spot on.

Dougb wrote:Kathy, I added my pirate treasure map of Rabbit (I sketched it after the last time I did it 5 yrs ago) to my profile page. It may be too little too late unless you have one of those blackberry thingies since you maybe already there, but I dug it out today and took a photo of it and put it on SP. Now I gotta figure out how to add it to the Rabbit Pk page. Anyhow, it is a very accurate map of the route, it may look crude, but it's spot on.

Doug: Thank you for all of the great information and the map - I'll be using it all. I'm looking at giving it a try in two weeks.

When I work out in the Coachella Valley, I often find myself down in the Oasis area looking up at up at Rabbit but I've never been completely clear on what's the best way up from the Valley.

I think it'll be okay to park down on Filmore Street. There aren't a lot of people living out in that area and those who do are mostly good people who work on the farms, so I think it's pretty safe.

I'm not a fast hiker, so I'll probably go ahead and carry the sleeping bag and pad - I'd love to camp on top of Rabbit but not sure I'll end up doing that. The other time I did Rabbit, I went from S-22 to Villager, on to Rabbit, and then back to Villager the first day. Then it was an easy trek back out to S-22 the next morning. Anyway, I'll just look at my first trip as an exploratory trip to scope out the route and if I make it all the way up and back down that will be an added bonus.

Kathy

Cool. There's just something about that mountain, I can't put my finger on it, but it just draws me back. I remember getting John Robinsons book 20 years ago and that last hike, #100, it grabbed my imagination, more than any other hike I have ever done, and I went out there by myself and thrashed around all day and staggered out that night, half dead. I went back almost every year for about ten years after that, once continuing all the way to Lorenzens, Toro and Santa Rosa, probably the hardest thing I ever did. I really need to get back, I hope some day with my daughter, we can toil up the bunny slopes and bag the Big Rabbit. Please let us know if the "white ducks" along the desert floor are still there!

I wonder if those are Brutus and brothers trail ducks?

Rabbit peak still holds fascination for me as well. In the late 80's two friends and I hiked from Toro Peak along the Santa Rosa crest across Peak 6582 (Lorenzen's), Rabbit and Villager. I recall that trip as being one of the more remote and difficult hikes I've ever done. We spent three nights along the ridge, carried two gallons of water each. Lot's of bush whacking, tics, etc. On our last night we camped in the saddle below Villager. A storm came up and it rained and rained and rained. We descended to S22 in howling wind and rain. By the time we got back on the road to go back up to Santa Rosa to get my truck, it had snowed so much we couldn't get there. My truck was parked up there for six weeks until I finally got the dude (Rocky) that drove a snow cat to the peak to do maintenance work for the MCI tower to help me pull it out through the drifts. What a hoot that trip was!

And the thing is, I've always wanted to go back and do it again. Actually, I'd like to try to do Rabbit from the East or West one of these days.

Good luck Kathy. Can't wait to hear your TR when you get done!

mungeclimber wrote:I wonder if those are Brutus and brothers trail ducks?

I do not know who ducked those three miles from the citrus tree groves to the beginning of the trail, but whoever it was, they deserve a pat on the back. It's so cool, once you start finding them, and look for the next one and so on, it really makes those three miles go by fast. They are not down in the main wash, they are on the alluvial fan. Also, they are mainly comprised of white rocks, because whoever did it was well aware that the sun will be low in the sky when you are stumbling out!

Full Moon on January 30th - that sounds good to me for the "Big Bunny."

We followed those white rocks back to Villager from Rabbit - they were a great help because we were losing the daylight fast and they seemed to glow.

or perhaps a "hare" raising ascent, Lol. I have dayhiked C2C to the top, and also Rabbit from Filmore Rd., and I was more tired after Rabbit. I think it's because there's no tram on Rabbit, also, Rabbit is much rougher. Looking at the map it (Rabbit) appears to be a "no big deal" hike, but it is a very rugged mountain. C2C is trail all the way, a steep trail, but not thousands of feet of boulder hopping. I personally think Rabbit is at least as hard as C2C, if you do it from the Salton Sea side. I backpacked Rabbit from the Salton Sea at least three times, and lugged a few beers to share with friends at the campsite at 3,200', then do the peak and out on day two, and that is actually a very fun trip, dayhiking it is well, pretty tough to say the least, at least in my opinion.