Clark Mountain

Hiked: 5/7/2026
Distance: 4.2 miles round trip cross country and use trail
Summit Elevation: 7906'
Prominence: 4232'
Elevation Gain: 2535'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.0
Round trip time: 5 hours
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Clark Mountain Camp (picnic tables)
Difficulty: Moderate

Ben Baumann and I planned to meet up for Clark Mountain, the highest peak in the Mojave. With more than 4000' of prominence, it was visible 25 miles away on the drive up I-15. I exited Bailey Road, crossed under the interstate and turned on Clark Mountain Road. It was paved for a half mile or so before it turned to dirt. I went around a plant to where the road was gated. It was signed Public Access and not locked. I took the second left onto BLM NN120 and that went all the way to the camp with picnic tables. I recommend using a track for the drive in since there are so many criss-crossed roads. Ben had spent the night and was getting ready when I arrived. We talked about bringing a rope, but decided to leave it.

The path behind the picnic tables ended in the ascent gully. Ben spotted a use trail above the gully on the right and we followed for a while before dropping back into it. Further up, we exited on the left and made our way up to the cliff band that blocked further upward progress. Near the top, we looked around for the right place to climb. We spotted a long orange sling someone had left on the cliff tied to a bush. We thought that was the right way, but we quickly learned otherwise. The sling could not be reached from the ground. I went first and climbed a 20' class 4 section to a ledge. From there, I scrambled to the top of the cliff. Ben climbed up behind me. The cliff edge was about 2' wide with a 40' drop on one side and 100' drop on the other. It was clear we were off route and started down. Getting down was scary. Instead of trying to down climb where we came up, we dropped onto an exposed ledge with poor quality rock. We were able to use the sling on the top part of the ledge and that was enough to get us safely back on the ground.

Clark Mountain (left) from I-15

Reaching the cliff band

Wrong way!

Scary down climb using the orange sling
The correct route was only 80' downhill from where we backed off. A climbing rope had been tied around a tree above and reached the dirt. The class 3 was easier here, and the limestone was solid, though the formation was at a down sloping angle. I wrapped the rope around my left arm as a backup. Once I got to the tree, Ben followed. The route above was class 2 and marked with cairns. We dropped 100' before the final ascent. The 360 views over the jagged spines of Clark were fantastic. The original register book from 1995 was in good shape and full. We signed another register with more recent visitors. The benchmark was in good shape and I found one reference mark. We had planned to make the hike a loop and come down the less demanding west ridge. We expected more class 2 on the descent, but there were only a couple of places. The use trail on the west ridge was better defined and also marked with cairns. We stayed high on the ridge line and dropped off onto the road below where we started. A short hop up the road got us back. Clark turned out to be quite exciting, with added spice due to our initial bad route. Very fun mountain.

Correct route

Ben on the way up

Continuation above

Almost there

Register book from 1995

Looking back from the west ridge

Carrizo Mountain

Hiked: 4/21/2026
Distance: 12.1 miles round trip cross country, dirt road, and use trail
Summit Elevation: 2409'
Prominence: 1250'
Elevation Gain: 3043'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.4
Round trip time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 92 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Fossil Canyon Road
Difficulty: Strenuous

I took I-8 east to Imperial Highway (S2), then went north on Shell Canyon Road. The road turned to dirt and went by a shooting range. I missed the final turn that would have taken me to the 4WD parking area and ended up at the mouth of Fossil Canyon. It was close enough. I hiked about a quarter mile before reaching the 4WD parking area, then continued up the canyon. The geology was interesting: mud towers and shells embedded in the walls. The main route ascent gully looked loose, so I continued up the main canyon to the next gully that was narrow, but easy class 2 on solid boulders. A half mile later, I realized the gullies did not converge. I had to climb out of the one I was in and drop into the adjacent one. Descending loose scree tweaked my left knee, which has become a theme this year, and made me consider turning back. Carrizo was still a long way off, but I knew the cross country section was almost over. I climbed up one more steep gully, then spotted the dirt road that would guide me the rest of the way. Carrizo Mountain was not visible until I crested the final gully.

Memorial set up just off the road

First look at Carrizo Mountain
The southern face of Carrizo Mountain was marked by cliffs and badlands. Painful if not impossible for a direct assault. However, the road veered away from it, looping to ascend the more gentle east ridge. Road walking caused no discomfort, so I continued my quest. Once out of the gullies, the wind blew steadily at 20-25mph with stiff gusts. The road ended near the summit and a use trail took over. The summit had two benchmarks and great 360 views to the Salton Sea and Mexico. A couple of register were in a plastic jar, the oldest from 1998. There were entries as recent as the previous week. I spent about 20 minutes resting on the summit, then started down. I decided to take the standard route back and dropped down the loose gully I avoided on the way up. I'm not sure it was easier than my ascent route. I relaxed once I was back in the main canyon and coasted back to the truck.

Start of the use trail

Salton Sea to the north

Looking back on the way out

Palm Benchmark and Egg Mountain

Hiked: 4/14/2026
Distance: 1.5 miles round trip cross country
Summit Elevation: 1927'
Elevation Gain: 543'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.4
Round trip time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on South Indian Canyon Road
Difficulty: Easy

I pulled off South Indian Canyon Road on the way back from Sombrero, just before it merges with North Indian Canyon. A word of advice to anyone following: drive a little further up the road before stopping. You'll save yourself some extra legwork getting to the benchmark. There was no trail here, and no use trail either. Palm Benchmark was a full cross-country boulder hop from start to finish. I worked my way up a large wash, gained the ridge, then followed the ridge toward the summit, trading a little elevation as I went. The high point stayed hidden until you're practically on top of it, which kept things interesting.

The summit itself was an 8-foot boulder with a benchmark bolted to the top and a register tucked inside a rusted can. Wes Shelberg placed it in 1997, and the signature count was surprisingly healthy for a peak this far off the beaten path. The view back to Sombrero was outstanding. Since the terrain was the same in every direction, I picked the most direct line down a nearby gully. Nothing harder than Class 2, but count on boulder hopping the whole way.

Back at the truck, I drove over to Egg Mountain. The dirt road went to the summit. There were no markers, and there's little worth writing up, so I'll leave it at that. While I was in the area, I swung north toward the Mountain Palm Springs palm groves near Egg. Anza-Borrego has been rolling out pay stations at popular spots across the park, and this one had a $10 parking fee for day hikers and $25 for camping. I understand the camping charge. The day-use fee for a roadside pullout gave me pause, so I pointed the truck toward home.

Summit ahead

Great view of Sombrero

On top of Egg Mountain, Sombrero distant center, Palm Benchmark on the right