Trip report
Feb 20, 2021 — The terrain of the San Rafael Reef is pretty amazing, the tilted landscape always a bit disorienting. This lovely route visits the rim of the reef, getting to two different high points. It's really the first time I've been to the top of the Reef, and the views are fantastic. Access to the trailhead is fine for any vehicle.
Our group started out along the Wildhorse Window trail/route. It's pretty clear, cairns marking the route for much of the way. It's also a pretty popular spot, the destination being an impressive hole in the ceiling. After checking out the feature, we backtracked a short stretch and climbed out of Wildhorse Window's drainage on the east side of the canyon, fun Class 3 bringing us to the slickrock above. We continued generally northwest, our first goal being to reach Peak 6180. The terrain was overall easy to navigate, a couple of Class 2/2+ moves (and Class 3 if you don't do a good job of looking around) over ledges or boulders. Please avoid stepping on the plentiful cryptobiotic soil.
We took in the views from the summit for a bit before debating for a while if we wanted to go for Peak 6100, another peak just to the west. A major drainage separated the two peaks, meaning we'd need to descend all the way into Wildhorse Canyon to the south before reascending. After a lot of indecision, we decided to go for it. However, our route made pretty much no sense at all, so I removed it from my attached map and included a dotted line outlining a "probable" option. I say this because we didn't go this way, but based on the terrain we encountered overall, it seems like it would be a perfectly fine option. At least along the way we went, we had to zig-zag a bit to avoid ledges, but ultimately I can't imagine there aren't numerous ways down from Peak 6180. Choose your own adventure, I suppose.
Once within Wildhorse Canyon below, we continued toward its head, passing around some short narrows before locating a reasonable-looking Class 2 route up the tilted slope. We followed the slope on interesting terrain, more Class 2/2+ route-finding around boulders and ledges, but mostly the slickrock and dirt slope made for a nice ascent with little difficulty. We enjoyed the views from this peak (though they weren't much different than Peak 6180) before returning the way we came. The hike down Wildhorse Canyon was nice, the tall walls and sandy drainage giving way to a short section of narrows before we found our way back to the Wildhorse Window Trailhead.