PRAISES FOR THE AUTHOR’S DESERT BOOKS Your books open the doors to show visitors (and employees) how to safely and respectfully journey into the amazing landscapes of Death Valley. Having worked in many other national parks, I have seldom seen other books that so single-handedly establish the culture of the backcountry. Your passion for this place is inspiring. This is a superb book that provides a large amount of exceptionally useful information about Death Valley. The author writes with true passion for his subject clearly borne of extensive, first-hand experience. I have read it from cover to cover, and it is probably the best hiking book I have ever read. You have inspired many hikers, walkers, readers and loafers with your poetry about the desert. Your words travel across each page and form trails to new and exciting adventures. So many people love and appreciate what you have written. A must-have book for any desert rat. This book covers an incredible amount of information and detail that will serve me for years to come and many more visits. I can’t tell you how much Hiking Death Valley has meant to my fam- ily...it was really the impetus to get up numerous washes and into canyons that we otherwise probably wouldn’t have pursued. Your books truly amaze me. Your books sit on my shelf, but not for very long because I keep thumbing through them trying to figure out my next adventure. If you are considering going to one of the areas on which he has writ- ten a guide book, do yourself a huge favor and get any of his books. All others will pale in comparison. TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 1 About this Book 3 1. Geography and Climate 7 Boundary 7 Topography 7 Legacy 8 Conservancy 10 Human Developments 10 Climate 11 2. Natural History 13 Geology 13 Botany 17 Wildlife 22 3. Cultural History 27 Native American History 27 Mining History 32 4. Safety Tips, Regulations, and Ethics 37 Backcountry Driving 37 Hiking and Climbing Tips 39 Desert Hazards 45 Regulations 47 Wilderness Ethics 50 5. Northern Mojave Desert 51 Nopah Range 57 Pahrump Peak 59 Noon Peak 63 Kingston Range and Avawatz Mountains 67 Kingston Peak 69 Avawatz Peak 73 Grapevine Mountains 77 Mount Palmer 79 Thimble Peak 85 Death Valley Buttes 89 Funeral Mountains 93 Chloride Cliff 95 vii viii Table of Contents Nevares Peak 101 Pyramid Peak 105 Black Mountains 109 Red Cathedral 111 Mount Perry 115 Coffin Peak 119 Ashford Peak 123 Desert Hound Peak 127 Last Chance Range 133 Last Chance Mountain 135 Lead Peak 139 Ubehebe Peak 143 Cottonwood Mountains 147 Tin Mountain 149 White Top Mountain 153 Leaning Rock 157 Lost Burro Peak 161 Hunter Mountain 165 Towne Peak 169 Panamint Mountains 173 Wildrose Peak 175 Telescope Peak 179 Sentinel Peak 187 Slims Peak 193 Porter Peak 197 Striped Butte 201 Needle Peak 205 Owlshead Mountains 209 Con Peak 211 Spring Peak 215 Owl Peak 219 6. Eastern Mojave Desert 223 Castle Mountains and Piute Range 229 Hart Peak 231 Ute Peak 235 Woods Mountains and Hackberry Mountain 239 Woods Mountain 241 Hackberry Mountain and Guitar Mountain 245 New York Mountains 251 Castle Peaks 253 New York Peak 257 Pinto Mountain 261 Mid Hills 265 Eagle Rocks 267 Table of Contents ix Table Mountain 271 Providence Mountains 275 Barber Peak 277 Fountain Peak 281 Providence Peak 285 Granite Mountains 289 Silver Peak 291 Granite Mountain 295 Clark Mountain Range 301 Alaska Hill 303 Clark Mountain 307 Ivanpah Mountains 311 Kokoweef Peak 313 Striped Mountain 317 Kessler Peak 321 Cima Dome 325 Teutonia Peak 327 Cima Dome 331 Mount Hephestus 335 Cowhole Mountains 339 Little Cowhole Mountain 341 Cowhole Mountain 345 Sacramento Mountains and Chemehuevi Mountains 349 Eagle Peak 351 Chemehuevi Peak 355 Stepladder and Old Woman Mountains 359 Stepladder Mountain 361 Old Woman Mountain 365 Old Woman Statue 369 Marble Mountains 373 Castle Peak 375 Marble Peak 379 Cady Mountains 383 Cady Peak 385 Sleeping Beauty 389 7. Southern Mojave Desert 393 Ord Mountains 399 West Ord Mountain 401 East Ord Mountain 405 San Bernardino Mountains 409 Bighorn Mountain 411 Chaparrosa Peak 415 Little San Bernardino Mountains 419 Warren Peak 421 x Table of Contents Eureka Peak 425 Quail Mountain 429 Inspiration Peak 435 Ryan Mountain 439 Lost Horse Mountain 443 Wonderland of Rocks 447 Keys Peak 449 Queen Mountain 453 Joshua Mountain 457 Hexie Mountains 461 Malapai Hill 463 Lela Peak 467 Monument Mountain 471 Pinto Mountains 475 Twentynine Palms Mountain 477 Pinto Mountain 481 Sheep Hole Mountains 485 Sheep Hole Mountain 487 Stifle Peak 491 8. Western Mojave Desert 495 Coso Range 501 Silver Mountain 503 Jurassic Peak and Scattered Bone Peak 507 Argus Range 511 Ophir Mountain and Darwin Peak 513 Zinc Hill 517 Lookout Mountain 521 Mine Peak 525 Slate Range 529 Slate Point and Empasse Peak 531 Searles Peak 535 El Paso Mountains 539 El Paso Peaks 541 Black Mountain 545 Lava Mountains and Fremont Peak Range 549 Klinker Mountain 551 Red Mountain 555 Fremont Peak 559 Bibliography 563 Summary Table of Climbs 569 Index 573 NEW YORK PEAK New York Peak, the highest point in this range, is reached by a scenic hike up Carruthers Canyon. This enchanting place is an artfully sculpted landscape of granite boulders, cliffs, outcrops, and pinnacles parading before an audience of oak and conifers. A beat-up road climbs through the lower canyon to a little mine sprinkled with blue-green minerals. The roadless upper canyon wanders into a handsome conifer forest. The rocky summit block itself, reached by a Class-3 scramble, overlooks some of the finest views in the desert. General Information Jurisdiction: Mojave National Preserve Road status: Roadless upper canyon; 4WD road in lower canyon The climb: 2.5 mi, 2,120 ft up, 210 ft down one way/strenuous Main attractions: Forested canyon, spectacular monzonite formations USGS 7.5' topo maps: Pinto Valley, Ivanpah Maps: pp. 259*, 227 Location and Access The most scenic of the four canyons that lead up to New York Peak, in the range’s southern quarter, is Carruthers Canyon. From the Nipton Road exit on Interstate 15, drive the Nipton Road east 3.5 miles and turn right on the Ivanpah Road. Drive 24.1 miles (11.9 miles paved, then graded) south to the signed New York Mountains Road on the right. Follow it 5.6 miles west and turn right on the Carruthers Canyon Road. It enters the canyon about 0.4 mile further, a peaceful wide meadow funneled between steep monzonite slopes peppered with conifers. Ignore the side roads, which are all on the left and dead- end at campsites. In 1.6 miles, the road crosses the overgrown canyon wash. On the opposite side, 200 yards further, it curves left and passes by the first of a few forested campsites on the right side. From there on the road seriously deteriorates. Park and continue on foot. Route Description Carruthers Canyon is a rare treat. Most of it is a beautiful field of Cretaceous quartz monzonite fashioned by erosion into countless hoodoos. The lower road passes by Easter Island Rock, a slender monolith that rests on a contact point so narrow that it seems to violate the laws of gravity. About 150 yards past it, a spectacular wonderland 257 258 New York Mountains of rounded monoliths spills out below the road. Foot Rock is 100 yards further—a giant bare foot seen from the bottom, toes wiggling in the air. The pale sculptures are enhanced by the greens of the chaparral— manzanita, hollyleaf redberry, desert mountain lilac, silktassel, and scrub oak. In late spring, mound and grizzly bear cactus, globemallow, penstemon, and many annuals bloom brightly all over. After 0.4 mile, the road splits inconspicuously. The main road (left) continues steeply up the narrowing canyon. Great inclines of reddish monzonite rise hundreds of feet, diced into jointed fins, bulging boul- ders, and obese pinnacles. Up on the high rims loom even more formi- dable monuments. The road ends past a pointed mountain shaped like a Chinese hat, at the main tailing of the Giant Ledge Mine. This copper and gold deposit, likely discovered in the 1860s, was exploited mostly in the 1900s, when a few workings were dug in a copper-rich quartz ledge. If it was prosperous, it was not for long—it has been mostly idle ever since. Bornite, chalcopyrite, galena, scheelite, and huebnerite still sparkle on the slender tailings. Between two shallow pits, a rock face is coated with a saturated palette of azurite and malachite. Past the mine, the upper canyon is filled with trees. Progress gets gradually slower—dodging pines, circling around boulders, and bush- whacking when all else fails. Not far up, the wash describes a long arc along the base of an awesome slickrock wall, a swollen nose of pol- ished monzonite that soars over the canyon’s west side. In the sum- mertime, hawks often circle overhead; hummingbirds buzz by, drawn by the Indian paintbrush. In early spring or after a rainstorm, a little water flows over the wash’s bumpy bedrock. From the slickrock wall the peak is only half a mile away as the crow flies, but nearly 1,400 feet up, and hard work across the thickly forested upper drainage. When bushwhacking near the wash gets too tedious, follow the north slope instead a little above the wash. This very steep, lopsided stretch ends at North New York Peak. The rest is New York Peak Dist.(mi) Elev.(ft) First forested campsite 0.0 5,620 Fork in road (go left) 0.4 5,700 Giant Ledge Mine (tunnel) 1.15 6,100 Slickrock wall (start) 1.35 ~6,160 North New York Peak 2.3 7,463 New York Peak ~2.5 7,532 New York Peak 259 0 6 L ive yn C Unpaved road (2WD) 4WD-HC road Live Oak Mine Oak Hiking trail N Cross-country route anyon ne C 0.5 mile sto ey K Contour interval = 80 feet 00 Keystone 64 0 White-fir 0 Spring 0 0 8 0 6 grove 6 Queen Mine 0 0 2 6788 ft 7 C a 64 North rr 00 ut he New York rs Peak 6000 Sagamore Cany 7463 ft on New York Slickrock wall Peak 0 0 8 7532 ft 6 West group Giant 5892 ft Ledge Chinese Hat Mine 7077 ft 0 East 40 6 C group an 00 y 6 8 0 6 o 0 n 0 Camp 6735 ft Wonderland of rocks 000 6 Foot Rock 0 0 68 Easter 0 5 0 Island 6 S Rock 3012 ft Carruthers Canyon Road 0 0 0 6 To New York Mtns Road (1.35 mi) 260 New York Mountains Wonderland of quartz monzonite on the way to New York Peak across a gentle saddle to the base of New York Peak.