Hike Villager Peak Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA

Mar 22, 2015 — Villager Peak is a somewhat popular hike in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park because it's a significant undertaking to a peak with a decent trail for its entirety, not super common way out in the desert. It's also a jumping off point for folks interested in hiking to Rabbit Peak. I have updated this trip report in 2023 with better photos and understanding of the desert, but back in 2015 this hike was a serious endeavor to me. I remember spending a week or two leading up to this hike exploring the area and getting used to hiking in this sort of terrain. Even if you don't go all the way to Rabbit Peak, Villager Peak is a worthwhile objective, which is why I didn't remove this page from my site despite my newer Rabbit Peak trip report using this route as the start.

I started out from a small dirt parking lot, and there's initially not a clearly defined trail through the desert. It seems that everyone eventually gets funneled into the proper trail within the first half mile, and this trail took me to the southern ridgeline of Villager Peak. A clearly-defined trail switchbacked up the first hundred feet of steep ascent to gain the crest above, where the grade cooled off a little bit and more gradually ascended at a consistent and pleasant pace.

There are a few flatter portions, but overall I found the hike to be a steady incline with a couple of steeper portions mixed in. It was also nice to note the changes in desert vegetation as I ascended thousands of feet. About halfway to the peak, the west face of the ridgeline shifted in character, becoming an eroded and gorgeous cliff that paralleled the trail. I thought these were the best views of the day, especially looking down at the desert floor far below. At about 4600' the trail became a little harder to follow since the ridge crest creeped into Class 2 terrain. Going the wrong way results in harder scrambling, so I recommend making sure you're paying attention in keeping to the trail. Past the Class 2 portion the route eased up a bit, becoming a hilly slope that led to the summit of Villager Peak. I returned the same way.