Distance: 6.7 miles round trip on dirt road
Summit Elevation: 6309'
Prominence: 3249'
Elevation Gain: 2200'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.8
Round trip time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 72 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Pipeline Road (OM6640)
Difficulty: Moderate
Ord Mountain is a P3K desert peak southeast of Barstow, CA. By leaving in the wee hours of the morning, I was able to get there from south Orange County in two and a half hours. High clearance suggested for portions of dirt Pipeline Road. There was a lot of construction on Pipeline road, though there was no activity on the day I was there. Crews were installing a huge (30"+) gas pipeline along the side of the road. I can't imagine where that gas is going, maybe the Marine base at Twenty Nine Palms. I parked at the junction of Pipeline Road and Ord Mountain Road. The dirt road goes all the way to the top. The weather was cool for mid-June, allowing the luxury of hitting two desert peaks before summer (East Ord was also on the menu).
The terrain around Ord was grassland. Low, brown grass, that looks like it can just survive the harsh climate. Black chunks of rock jutted from the ground, appearing volcanic from a distance. The road wends around the outcrops with moderately steep sections. About a mile up the road, I walked around a locked gate. There were no fences or signs, it was meant to keep vehicles out. There was nothing notable along the road and I didn't see the summit until I was within a half mile. A clean helipad sits just below the top. Communication towers and large solar panels cover most of the summit. There were two trailers by the solar panels and the hum of fans made me think they were air conditioned. Not sure. There were no vehicles around so no people. I located the benchmark south of the solar panels. The high point was about 30' away on a pile of boulders, but there was no register. I enjoyed the mile high views and got a good look at East Ord. It wasn't exciting, but I came for the prominence. The trip back was uneventful.
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