Finding Mt Defiance

April 2026: at 81 am no longer able to get to Mt. Defiance to assess conditions (last climbed it December 2020), so decided to describe the path I used to climb Mt. Defiance and conditions experienced.

I always liked to begin from Frog Creek. Frog Creek itself is open, and usually dry, but often a thin barrier of brush must be pushed through to enter from the nearest South Boundary Trail entry point (that can be avoided by circling to the north, or by leaving South Boundary Trail before it crosses Chalone Creek). About 150 ft from the Frog Creek - Chalone Creek junction, a cairn on the left atop a short steep embankment marks the starting point. Ascend straight up the slope, through open grass and oak trees, for about 600 ft looking for a game trail heading right with a more contouring ascent. I once had dead brush piled around a tree to help find the place where I should be looking for the game trail, but likely its no longer there. (If taking the 'Variation' starting point, look for a metal pig trap to the right of the trail then start climbing the steep slope to the left of that - eventually you want to find the game trail, which can be trickier coming from this direction.) Follow the ascending game trail under oaks for about 0.4 mile til you circle left to reach a grassy saddle. Make a short descent to the bottom of a gully, looking to continue upward in the same direction heading for a tall pine tree, then continuing further upslope and circling left to reach 'Brushy Gully' where the ascent lessens. Back in the day there were enough broken branches that one could wend through the gully without needing to push through brush, not in a straight line but by following open areas. Likely much has grown back since I was last there, so expect this to be the brushiest part of the hike. After 0.2 miles of Brushy Gully, which is most easily exited by circling to the left, you reach the start of 'Rocky Ridge'. This is a 0.1 mile long steep ascent (250 vertical feet), made easier by zigzagging horizontally, until the slope abruptly lessens at its top. At this point a path should be apparent through the surrounding brush, circling around to the left for 0.25 miles before circling right and heading more directly toward Mt. Defiance. Along these sections look for cairns in the open spaces and gaps in the brush to guide you (breaking a few branches along the way yourself, to help keep the route clear). About 150 vertical feet below the summit brush largely disappears and I've taken several routes through this open area. Instead of heading directly for the summit, which has a brush belt below it, it's easiest to head to the right looking for a prominent pine tree on the ridgeline above the Frog Creek drainage. Head for that tree, from there move directly upslope to the summit along the ridgeline. Do not forget to look for the summit register, which hopefully is still there.

Alternate return: Follow my Hike #2 descent, first following the ridgeline south 0.15 miles to reach a rocky outcrop, which gives a nice view of Frog Creek and beyond, then leaving ridge to descend 0.2 miles to reach an old encampment, with a small dam for water catchment (the top 250 ft will be brushy, then open) From there, climb up to meet your entry route.

Cautions: It's easy (I've done it and have followed others starting to do it) on the descent to think you've reached the top of Rocky Ridge before you actually have, so start descending more abruptly at the wrong place - with consequent problems! On the ascent, be sure to note what the top of Rocky Ridge, the end of that steep ascent, looks like! Another tricky descent spot is open area just below summit - note its exit from brush, its route and cairns when ascending. Of course, best way to keep from wandering off route is having GPS with GPX route loaded on hike.