Lawson Peak & Gaskill Peak

Lawson Peak and Gaskill Peak sit close enough together out past Japatul Valley in the Cleveland National Forest that the two are almost always climbed as one day out. The approach follows the rutted, sun-exposed Carveacre Road for a couple of miles, gaining elevation steadily before the real climbing starts.

Lawson's summit block is the highlight of the first half: a steep, bouldery push through brush leads to a narrow rock chimney, just wide enough to squeeze through, that pops out onto the flat granite summit platform. It's a tight, hands-on scramble, more fun than intimidating, with a clear view back over the ridge toward Gaskill and out over the San Diego backcountry.

From Lawson, Wisecarver Road continues north to Gaskill Peak's own rocky, boulder-strewn high point — the taller of the two neighboring summits. Gaskill's top is a wide jumble of granite boulders with 360-degree views out over the Laguna Mountains, distant reservoirs, and range after range of chaparral-covered hills fading into haze. A quieter, less technical summit than Lawson's chimney scramble, but every bit as scenic.

Two solid summits, two very different kinds of terrain, and a proper full day out in San Diego's harder-edged corner of the county.