Hiked: 11/23/2024
Distance: 3.4 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 1894' (dry fall)
Elevation Gain: 1050'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.8
Round trip time: 2 hours
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: $35 National Parks Fee or National Parks Pass on Daylight Pass Road
Difficulty: Easy
Mosaic Canyon is near Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley. It was very popular and we had to park in overflow parking along the road. At the start, the canyon was wide and there were multiple trails. After a mile or so, it narrows and there were a number of small dry falls (3'-10') that we clambered up. A couple of them created bottlenecks as inexperienced hikers or those without proper footwear struggled going up or down. At 1.3 miles, there was a boulder pile that turned more than half around. The boulder pile required slightly greater skill but had good holds. We continued up over another half dozen small dry falls as the number of hikers dwindled. The trail ended at a 25' dry fall. Looking at satellite views later, it looked like there was a use trail that bypassed the first fall and allowed you continue a little further, but we were not aware of it at the time.
Hiked: 11/23/2024
Distance: 4 miles round trip on use trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 2725' (East Butte), 3026' (West Butte)
Elevation Gain: 1525'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.2
Round trip time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: $35 National Parks Fee or National Parks Pass on Daylight Pass Road
Difficulty: Moderate (exposed scramble)
Our first hike of the day was to Death Valley Buttes. These are two small mountains just off Daylight Pass Road. You can park along the road by the lower East Butte to save some distance, but we parked at an official NPS parking lot with a restroom. We started toward the lower Butte, and found a gully to gain the ridge line. Once on the ridge, there was a clear use trail to the East Butte. While steep at the end, it was all class 1 and there were enough rocks that it wasn't a slip and slide. We didn't find any marks and there was no register on the East Butte. Leisa hadn't hiked in a while, so she decided to wait for me back at the truck while I climbed the West Butte.
Death Valley Buttes from the parking lot
The lower East Butte
West Butte from the East Butte
Shout out to Adam Walker for great beta on the ledge and route to the West Butte. I descended to the saddle between the Buttes, continuing along a good use trail. When I got near the top of the ridge, it got tricky. There were a couple of class 3 sections before I got to the crux: an exposed ledge 2' wide with a severe drop on one side. Once I passed the ledge, I went up about 20', then had to drop to a gully on the right to continue. I wasn't sure about the drop, but I spotted a large cairn in the gully that was helpful. The top of that gully was a little loose, but it was the last of the class 3. Once I was back on top of the ridge, it was an easy walk to the summit. I found two reference marks, but not the official benchmark. Also, no register. The views were incredible, with Corkscrew and Thimble to the north, Mesquite Dunes to the west and the full expanse of Death Valley spread out to the south. I took my time getting down. The exposure on the ledge was more obvious coming back. I had to turn and face the rock once to clear the lower class 3 sections. Then, it was an easy descent on the trail. I found the Buttes exhilarating. Short and sweet with stunning views. Highly recommended.
Hiked: 11/23/2024
Distance: Drive up
Summit Elevation: 713'
Elevation Gain: 0'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.0
Round trip time: 10 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: $35 National Parks Fee or National Parks Annual Pass
Difficulty: Easy
Quick walk to the overlook on our way into the park. It has iconic views of Golden Canyon and Manly Beacon. We took a few photos, then continued to our hotel at Furnace Creek. Leisa and I had been here before, but we were visiting with our daughter, Shelby, and her boyfriend, Nick.
Hiked: 11/18/2024
Distance: 2.8 miles round trip on dirt road and trail
Summit Elevation: 5609'
Elevation Gain: 1518'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.5
Round trip time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at turnount on Angeles Forest Highway
Difficulty: Easy
After the Mount Emma loop, I drove a few miles to a turnout on Angeles Forest Highway to hike Cole Point (HPS #222). The topo lists it as Cole BM. It is about half way between Mount Emma and Pacifico Mountain. It started on a dirt service road that led to an electrical tower. Before reaching the tower, a use trail snaked up the ridge toward Cole. The ridge was quite steep and the approach looked like a miniature version of Iron Mountain from Allison Saddle. Fortunately, the use trail was grassy and the ground was soft, making traction a non-issue. I took my time going up and enjoyed the calf burn. I had cell reception as long as the tower was in view, only losing it at the very top. Cole had another triangle marker and a register, but no benchmark I could find. Wide firebreaks led to adjacent peaks and it looked like the firebreak went all the way to Pacifico.
Hiked: 11/18/2024
Distance: 5.3 miles round trip on trail and dirt road
Summit Elevation: 5275' (Emma), 5061' (Old Emma)
Elevation Gain: 1850'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.5
Round trip time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Recommended water: 24 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at turnount on Mount Emma Road
Difficulty: Easy
Emma (HPS #254) and Old Emma (HPS #274) are frequently climbed mountains south of Palmdale. The official signed Mount Emma trail starts from a turnout on Mount Emma Road. The road was paved, but somewhat isolated with little traffic. I parked the turnout and followed the good trail up to Mount Emma where I found a triangle marker, register, and benchmark. Emma had nice views of the northern San Gabriels. The temp was about 45F, but the wind made it cold blowing steady at 20-25mph. I put my hood up and followed the wide, rolling, dirt road that connects to Old Emma. It's about 1.5 miles between the Emmas, with Peak 5080 in between. Old Emma had a summit cairn, but no register. Instead, beer and soda cans adorned the cairn, along with an old shoe and random bits of trash. Old Emma appears to be a popular party destination. I took a break behind a juniper tree on the north side of the summit to get out of the wind and looked down on the Little Rock Reservoir. I took a use trail down the ridge back to the road, then hiked 1.5 miles along the road to the truck. Eight cars passed me in that one. A black Nissan truck took interest and pulled over at a turnout a few hundred feet in front of me. After waiting about 30 seconds, it pulled back on the road and left. It was either a good samaritan who saw I was not in distress, or a serial killer who decided I was either not a lone female or not an easy target. I'll never know which.
Hiked: 11/8/2024
Distance: 1.5 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 5415'
Elevation Gain: 580'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.4
Round trip time: 1 hour
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at turnount on ACH
Difficulty: Easy
Mount Sally (HPS #244) was my third HPS peak and fifth total of the day. Padding stats with these easy HPS peaks. I took the trail that starts on the north side where the ridge meets the road. The first 200' are steep, then the ridge mellows out. There was quite a bit of dead poodledog along the trail, but most of it easy to avoid. There was a recent register on top with many entries. Views were pretty good since it is in the center of the front range like Mount Vetter. Quick up and down, then into the traffic jam back to Orange County.
