Warren Point and Eureka Peak

Hiked: 4/23/2021
Distance: 5.5 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 5106' (Warren), 5518' (Eureka)
Elevation Gain: 1078'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.8
Round trip time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 36 oz.
Parking/Fees: $30 National Parks Fee (1 car good for 1 week)
Difficulty: Easy

This was a Joshua Tree HPS roundup. I aimed for three peaks on the day: Warren Point, Eureka Peak and Queen Mountain. The starting point for Warren (HPS #270) is the Black Rock Campground Visitor Center. The park was crowded and I got the last parking spot. The trail to Warren (NPS signs call it Warren Peak) starts behind the visitor center going south. The trail is wide and sandy like walking on the beach. There were a dozen parties coming and going, though not all of them were bagging Warren. Newer metal signs marked trail junctions along with some wooden posts. I was about half a mile from Warren before I could positively identify it. I wasn't sure the trail went all the way to the top but it did. The summit had a benchmark and reference mark. It also had a tin can stuffed with full registers. Summit views were nice with San Jacinto looming large, snow still packing the north facing gullies. I considered leaving the trail to take a ridge shortcut on the way back, but didn't. Might have added some spice.

From the visitor center, I started the long dirt road drive to the Eureka (HPS #234) trailhead. If I drive between trailheads, I usually make a separate report, but Eureka didn't deserve it's own report. I knew Eureka was short but hadn't really done much research. The roads were in good shape and I didn't need 4x4 or high clearance at any point. From the trailhead, it is only 0.2 miles to the summit, it's really a drive up. It took five minutes to walk to the summit with no pack. No marks and no register. Views were similar to Warren Point but better.

Eureka from the parking turnaround, Gorgonio behind

San Jacinto