Hike Sawtooth Mountains High Point and Red Top via Moonlight Canyon Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA

Jan 25, 2026 — The Sawtooth Mountains are a compact desert range on the fringe of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, within the BLM Sawtooth Mountains Wilderness, and situated east of the higher Laguna Mountains. Two peaks within the range receive decent attention, the Sawtooth Mountains High Point and Red Top, but due to their remoteness I knew it was unlikely I’d see anyone out there. The unnamed granite-covered Peak 3760 along the ridgeline piqued my interest as well, so I wanted to find a way to work it into my day.

The most common approach seems to be from McCain Valley Road to the south. That would have been a really long drive for me, and also I’d already recently been to that area for Sombrero Peak, so I was eyeing routes from the north instead. Another option was to take Indian Gorge Road from the east, but I don’t think my vehicle could have made the drive. Finally, I settled on starting my hike from within Agua Caliente County Park, known for its geothermally heated springs and camping amenities. I fantasized about soaking in the springs after the hike, too.

The Sawtooth Mountains were formed as a really neat and rugged-looking semicircle that hugs an expansive flat called the Inner Pasture. I wanted very much to hike within this feature just based on how it appears on a topo map, and while approaching from the north would add some hiking mileage, it would grant me this wish, and also allow me to naturally create a loop of my three peaks. I wondered why it wasn’t a more popular approach choice, but didn’t think too hard about it.

I found out that the park opens for day use at a much later hour than I would have liked, and it closed much earlier than was ideal for my intended outing. I could have purchased a campsite so I was immune to the timing restrictions, but I stubbornly decided not to.

I set out along the Moonlight Canyon Trail, the featured trail hike of Agua Caliente County Park. The trail itself forms a loop, first ascending past the source of the natural springs and then up to a saddle before dropping into Moonlight Canyon proper. I didn’t know the official trail doesn’t lead upcanyon, so I ignored a “This is not the way to Moonlight Canyon Trail” sign and headed in my intended southerly direction. Obviously the sign is meant for the casual hiker looking to do the loop, but I wasn’t going into the lower reaches of the canyon today. I scrambled up a Class 3 dryfall shortly after the sign.

I worked my way up the sandy wash, wildflowers blooming on hills covered in green on either side. Many footprints indicated that many people hike this way, but it was also clear that most folks turn back upon reaching the saddle at the head of Moonlight Canyon. Below I could see the Inner Pasture, an expanse of ocotillo and sandy ground surrounded by granitic features. I took a faint social trail down from the saddle and headed southwest through the Inner Pasture for a couple of miles. My hiking progress was quick through this mostly open stretch. I was funneled into a narrower section that continued into the mouth of the major drainage separating Sawtooth Mountains High Point from Red Top. I’d follow this drainage to its terminus at the saddle of the two peaks.

However, as the Inner Pasture narrowed at around 2600′, large granitic boulder began materializing and brush creeped in. I was still very far from the saddle, so concern for my progress being slowed this early on was valid. Pretty quickly I was forced onto Class 2/2+ bouldery obstacles, and I chose to pull a few Class 3 moves just to avoid the thickening brush. I slowly began to realize the drainage would not improve for some time, and it was clear that there was a water source higher up that would likely make the brush even worse.

I eventually decided to leave the watercourse at around the 3000′ contour, and I wish I’d done so sooner. While there was still plenty of brush and the side-hilling slope angle was sometimes tedious, it was much better than the drainage proper. I gained elevation more quickly and was less disheartened, eventually making it to the saddle. From the saddle I could see below that if I had approached from the south (via McCain Valley Road) I would have avoided that whole brushy drainage. I certainly wouldn’t be returning the same way. Even if I decided I didn’t have time to tack on Peak 3760 later, I told myself I would drop south from the saddle and wrap all the way around the Inner Basin instead. Fortunately, I didn’t need to do this. Ultimately, despite this bit of unpleasantness, I still think my loop route worked splendidly and I’d recommend it.

First up was Sawtooth Mountains High Point. Its eastern side was a steep sandy slope covered in boulders, but I was able to find sections that wrapped around the obstacles much of the time. Along the way was a large outcropping that I wrapped around on the left. A final slope led to the summit block, a Class 3+ crack with great holds.

I backtracked to the saddle and started up to Red Top. I found this peak to be slightly more difficult because many boulders were unavoidable. An initial steep, broad gully led me to a flatter, sandy area. Hints of a social trail and sporadic stacked cairns helped me find the path of least resistance. Then, a bunch more-boulder hopping got me to the summit, a short Class 3 rock formation.

I observed my intended traverse from Red Top over to Peak 3760, which actually looked pretty reasonable from here. The only real concern I had was getting down along the northern ridge of Red Top, since the topo map slope angle was severe and the boulders massive. With daylight hours slipping by, I began moving extra quickly and probably made some route-finding errors in the process. I sort of hung below on the east side of the ridge, but I would recommend finding your own way through the maze of boulders since I found the descent from Red Top to be much more difficult than the ascent. It’s likely you’ll find an easier route if you look for one. In fact, I reached a cliff that forced me farther west toward the ridgeline, so it’s possible staying high from the start would be a good idea.

After getting past the most significant drop off Red Top, the boulders cleared up a bit and the terrain became much more navigable. I was able to make better time to the base of Peak 3760. However, the boulder-hopping obstacles heading up to its summit were more significant due to their massive size, compared to either Sawtooth Mountains High Point or Red Top. On both my ascent and descent I definitely pulled a few Class 3 moves, likely unavoidable in one spot or another.

While Peak 3760’s summit itself was not memorable, I really enjoyed the quite physical traverse from Red Top. I started back down from Peak 3760, my goal being the wide drainage to the north. My initial few hundred feet of descent had some absolutely massive boulders that I had to crawl through, drop off, and climb, certainly more Class 3. I pulled a few Class 4 moves, but they’re likely all avoidable with better route-finding.

Fortunately, the house-sized boulders became human-sized again and I could make some actual progress down to the desert floor. Farther down, I found staying within the drainage worked sometimes, but the western side had fewer boulders. The route down was pretty tedious, but I was no longer concerned about timing. I completed the loop in under 6.5 hours, a speed that was creeping into being an uncomfortable pace. I even managed to get back to the trailhead with enough time to use the Agua Caliente County Park’s coin-operated showers.