Got back from some weekend hiking. Hotter than blazes out there.

Where? This doesn't look like any of our native horned lizards:

http://www.californiaherps.com/identification/lizardsid/phrynosoma.id.html

>>1066519

Laguna Mountains, specifically.

>>1066519
>>1066520

Looked up more pics, definitely a coast horned lizard. Might be a juvenile.

File: 1280px-Coast_Horned_Lizard_(Phrynosoma_coronatum)_(4849639213).jpg (203KB, 1280x978px) Image search: [Google]

203KB, 1280x978px

>>1066521

File: horned lizard 2.jpg (155KB, 1600x1200px) Image search: [Google]

155KB, 1600x1200px

>>1066522

File: 1200px-Horned_lizard_032507_kdh.jpg (348KB, 1200x900px) Image search: [Google]

348KB, 1200x900px

>>1066521

Yeah it was a little guy, very young.

Took a liking to it. Be great to own one.

File: pcoronatumccdsm507[1].jpg (180KB, 900x602px) Image search: [Google]

180KB, 900x602px

Yeah, seconding P. blainvilli - the juveniles in species like this tend to be less colorful than adults so ID by pattern and such can be tough. I don't have any keys on hand for Phrynosoma but that range map linked above seems to check out for the Laguna mountains easily enough