"Parked at the San Juan Parking Lot and took Bajada Trail to Alta Trail. On the ridgeline just right before the trail starts to have a huge drop in elevation on the western face, there is a very faint use trail. Some loose rock but nothing too bad. I happened to be caught in some light rain, enough to make the rocks slippery but overall not difficult at all. I'd argue there were some easy class 2 scrambles right before summitting. Afterwards as it was getting late I descended and went back from where I came to my car without finishing the entirety of Alta Trail. Total distance recorded was 7.5 miles" — easotelo1 • Jan 23, 2021

"After returning from Goat Hill, I drove down the road a little, hiked the rest of the way to the trailhead, then took the trail up to the east ridge. There was basically a use trail, and I followed it to the summit." — ZachTeich • May 29, 2018

"This was another ambitious, after work hike. One of the advantages of working with people on the east coast is that the end of the day for them is like 3pm for me. (That, and the fact that I get to make them jealous of the mild winters we have here, which I do, whenever I get the chance.) The trail was pretty well maintained and easy to follow and aside from an occasional mountain biker around the San Juan trailhead, I pretty much had the entire trail and mountain to myself. It was a bit on the warm side, so I made use of the few shady spots, took my time and kept myself hydrated. Once I reached the saddle, it was a rock-hopping good time moving along the ridge to the top, with the last 20 feet a low class 3 climb. At the top, I enjoyed an energy bar, took in the view and got to retrieve my lucky Joshua Tree Park cap that the wind blew off of me. After that, it was a simple retracing of my steps back to the Alta trail and back to my car. Nothing too spectacular about this trail, but enjoyable. Next time, I’ll hit the summit from the eastern end of the Alta Trail!" — lawrencebaker • Mar 30, 2017