I was in Twin Falls for a family gathering. My wife gave me a hall pass to run out Sunday morning and do some hiking. Over the past few years, I have been intrigued by a very pointed peak to the southeast of Jackpot. I did some research and realized this was what locals refer to as Cactus Pete Peak. The peak is unnamed on the topo, but the less impressive and shorter peak next to it (Tijuana John Peak) is named... go figure!

This area has had a lot of rain in May and June and it showed. Even the improved Trout Creek Road I used for the approach had been washed out in many places. The positive impact, was that this usually arid area was green!

As I drove down the road and neared the peak, I was surprised that the landscape contained a nice juniper forest. You can't really tell that from the highway.

I arrived at the point where I planned to start the hike. I thought I might be able to follow the 4WD road a ways and shorten the hike. However, the crossing was steep, muddy, and deep... not gonna happen!

I parked and started walking from the main road. About 1/2 a mile in the road crossed another creek and was washed out again, so I definitely would have been stopped here anyway. Glad I didn't risk the first crossing.

At the second crossing the road entered the juniper forest. It was cool, the ground wet from last night's rain, and there were just a few clouds in the sky. I followed the road a bit further, but it was heading north and I wanted to go straight for the peaks. Therefore I gained a ridge between drainages and followed it toward the peaks.

Once I came out of the trees, I was met with a flower-filled meadow and the peaks in view. Cactus Pete Peak was impressively steep and right in my face. I hiked to it's base and then found an old road that led to the saddle between the two peaks. It was hot and muggy now, so my sweat was full on. When I reached the saddle, I let my stuff dry on a rock while I took photos and ate a snack.

I then turned and ascended Tijuana John Peak. The terrain was easy, with some occasional rocky areas. The interesting part was that the grass was knee deep in places. I felt like I was walking through grasslands in the Midwest, not on a peak in the Nevada desert!

I eventually reached the top and then looked over at Cactus Pete Peak. Most peaks only look steep from a few angles, but have a less steep slope on other sides. Not Cactus Pete Peak, it is steep on all sides. I decided the north face of the peak worked as well as any, so I descended Tijuana John, then headed back to the saddle and then up the north side of the peak.

It was mostly just walking on grassy slopes, but eventually I encountered rock that required some easy class 3 scrambling. Then I was on top enjoying the great views the summit offers.

This area might not always be this impressive, but on this day, it was beautiful and Cactus Pete Peak is an impressive little mountain no matter if the area is greened up or not.

There are numerous ways to get to the start of the hike along Trout Creek Road. You can access a road (signed Delaplain) about 2.25 miles south of Jackpot on US93. Just generally follow this road southeast toward the peaks (you can clearly see them).

The other option is to take the road signed "San Jacinto Ranch", which starts further south of Jackpot (approximately 7.7 miles south). You can take this due east until it meets Trout Creek Road.

I parked on Trout Creek Road at around 5500', almost directly west of Tijuana John Peak, where a 4WD road is shown leaving to the east and immediately crossing Trout Creek. There is a building shown on the topo and you can see it out on the flats near the parking area.

I followed the left branch of the road to approximately 5800', where it banks left. I ascended the ridge straight ahead from that spot to the base of Cactus Pete Peak, then eventually regained a road that took me to the saddle between the 2 peaks.

On the way out, I followed the drainage just south of my ridge used for ascent until I reached the road again, then followed the road out.