The hike follows the road past "The Squeeze", follows an impressive canyon with some boulders.
Heads over a saddle and loops back partially on the "Whale peak trail".

How to get here:
On Hwy 2 after mile 21 and directly after the Anza Borrego Park sign (from the direction of Borrego Springs) head left on a dirt road. Turn right into Pinyon Mountain Valley.
The road is sandy but easy to drive for the first part.
Past a small camp site the road is filled with some small boulders, this is where you want some ground clearance.
Once in the Pinyon Mnt valley, the road gets more interesting, narrow and deep.
Park at the GPS point "park" this is at a crossroad.
2014-2016 our Subaru Forester didn't have any problems driving up the trail head. But conditions may/will change.

This is the shortest and easiest way to climb Whale Peak. If can you make it to the trail head, "Park 1" or "Park 2" by car that is.

"Park 1" the most obvious and best marked trail.
"Park 2" a slightly shorter route but less marked if at all and slightly more difficult.
"Park 3" most cars will be able to get up to this point.

Head East at the sign Pinyon mountain valley. Follow this dirt road in a high clearance 4x4 to one of the trail heads, or as far as you can make it.

A good variation is Park at the turn-off to "Park 1" and hike up to "Park 1", on the way back hike to "Park 2" and head back along the road.

This is one way to go up Whale mountain. Probably the longest.
Follow the signs Pictograph Trail, and park at the Pictograph parking.

Start the hike along the Pictograph Trail, after about 0.7 mile turn left (North) into another canyon, follow the wash up.
After another mile turn right (North/East) into a small canyon with boulders.
There are some boulders in the wash, look before you hike, find a way around them.
Not too difficult but you need some experience scrambling up and down boulders.

You can follow this canyon all the way up (easier) or turn right out of the canyon, just before you hit the larger boulders.
This is a bit of a scramble, up the steeper canyon wall. Plenty of rocks, so take your time finding the right route.

A short climb up to the peak, the path is normally well marked with rock cairns.
In case you wondered, if you are in the right place, there is a new Whale Peak sign close actual to the peak.

The good part, stretches of the hike are on a fairly good hiking trail, especially on the return trip.
And it's a lot easier coming down on the boulders than going up.

Visit the stunning Domelands canyons and wind caves. This hike takes you to a less visited part.

At the parking, hike North up an old jeep trail.
Turn right into the first larger canyon on the right, going east.

After about 2500 feet, you end up at a canyon rather steep below.
There should be a trail on a mud hill, that leads easily into the canyon.

The canyon alone is worth the trip, really stunning.
There are only minor obstacles in the canyon wash.
Watch for the wind caves on the left (top) of the mountain.

Follow the canyon until you enter a short stretch of mud hills on the right (East). Go up the small wash for a short while and take the mud hill ridge and follow it up to the end.

Wind cave rocks are suddenly visible, explore.

You can go back and make it a 4 hour return hike, or you can pick up the canyon below (North).
A nice canyon that crosses the shell layer, large blocks filled with Oyster shells are everywhere.

Eventually the wash meets the main canyon/wash, at this fork turn left (South/West).
Follow the canyon/wash back.

Warning:
The Carrizo Impact Area has been in use until 1959. it is an closed off of area with unexploded ordnance. Sometimes buried deep in the sand.
The hike is well outside the impact area.
On point "Fork", the most northern part of the hike you are within 4000 feet, as the crow flies (but the wash winds, so I expect an hour from the restricted area).
Make sure you don't head further North.

An adventurous hike in the Domelands area. Hike clockwise.

Start hiking up the old dirt road, heading uphill, a bit of a workout at the start.

If you keep on going, you should more or less end up in the main wash of the Andrade Canyon.
A you would enter the Andrade canyon, head East along the mountain and turn North/West in an Andrade fork down.

A small fork and a narrow drainage lead out of the canyon.
Over a ridge, head down steeply in the wash below, a nice wide wash, but first encounters a dry fall and next a huge tunnel.
The tunnel is a dead end for a safe hike, so head back and enter a wash further East at point "Wash 2".
Eventually ending downstream of the tunnel. At point "Fork 3" head back South and find the first opportunity to hike further East.
At this point ("Out") head over the ridge East and find a way to get into "Wash 3", rather steep, but the sand makes it not too difficult.

At "Fork 4", turn South and immediately turn East again in a very narrow drainage.
Heading South/East will lead to the edge of the shell reef, keep along the edge of the reef and a trail that vanishes soon.
Keep heading East and go down the canyon wash below at point "Wash 5". Now turn upstream (West).
Follow this interesting canyon all the way up to the end.
At the end just follow the footsteps up a mud hill trail leading out of the canyon.
Keep heading West, following an interesting drainage all the way until you complete the loop.

The terrain: mud hills, sand hills, sandstone and a couple of feet, thick shell layer (angled).

Warning:
This is a long hike, you need a GPS to find your way, and to hike back in case you can't make it any further.
This route may be impossible to hike, when walls tumble down, things get rearranged after rain.

The Carrizo Impact Area has been in use until 1959. it is a closed off area with unexploded ordnance. Sometimes buried deep in the sand.
Don't head any further North.

A loop around Clark dry lake and Little Clark dry lake.
An area well suited for cross country hiking, the hike can be shorted to any length.
The lake has an abandoned dirt runway, remains of radio telescopes, spend ammunition from the time it was a military practice area.
After a sufficient amount of rain, the sand dunes surrounding the lake are a place to find wild flowers. Generally the Clark dry lake area is drier than Coyote canyon.

After rain the lake may not longer be completely dry, but it takes many inches of rainfall to fill up the lake. Most of the time it turns into a mudflat.