Thursday, May 8, 2025

Ralston Peak

Hiked: 5/7/2025
Distance: 2 miles round trip on use trail
Summit Elevation: 4559'
Elevation Gain: 810'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.6
Round trip time: 1 hour
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on shoulder of Lone Pine Canyon Road
Difficulty: Easy

Ralston Peak is a prominent bump not far from Mormon Rocks. It was the second short hike of the day. I parked on the shoulder of Lone Pine Canyon Road and crossed over to start. There were two ridge options. A direct, very steep ridge that led more directly to the summit, and a longer east ridge. I opted for the longer ridge since it looked more open. Brush was light and generally avoidable. The bottom half of the mountain had a lot of poodle dog bush and it was hard to completely avoid. Early on, I found three metal poles with no apparent purpose. A good use trail appeared on the ridge and went all the way to the top. At the false summit, I found a metal triangle marker. The summit had another triangle marker, but no benchmark. There was a register inside three painted cans. Based on the busy register, the peak was far more popular than I would have guessed. The summit had very nice views of the Mormon Rocks and I-15 stretching to the horizon in two directions.

Ralston Peak, summit not visible



Metal triangle with summit in background


Metal triangle on summit


Looking south

Mormon Rocks

San Andreas Rift Zone


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