Distance: 8.4 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 9065'
Elevation Gain: 2660'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.1
Round trip time: 4 hours
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: National Parks Fee or Pass at Charcoal Kilns
Difficulty: Moderate
I drove to Death Valley for a two day trip to climb Wildrose Peak (day one) and Telescope Peak (day two). I planned to camp at Mahogany Flat Campground (first-come, first-served) at ~8,100'. The most direct driving approach from the south gave me the ick: driving a lightly traveled road with temps over 100F and no cell service for the last 80 miles. The drive on Wildrose Road to the Charcoal Kilns was uneventful and the dirt road sections were in great shape. I was stopped on the way in by a large herd of wild burros. They were unafraid of the truck, even with the horn blaring. I had to get out and shoo them off them road, a 15 minute delay since they would not stay off the road. I arrived at 2:00 PM and checked out the kilns. A couple were undergoing restoration. The trail to Wildrose started behind the lowest kiln.
The trail was pleasant, winding through sparse pinyons and other pines on the way to the ridge. From the ridge, views opened up into Death Valley. A final set of steep switchbacks delivered me to the summit plateau. Wildrose Peak was not visible until the last quarter mile along the plateau. A large cairn was built on the summit. An ammo box held a bound register placed by the NPS. It had a friendly insert asking for photos of any interesting plant or animal encounters. Low clouds had built up in the afternoon casting everything in gray. Telescope Peak was mostly blocked by Rogers Peak. Only the very top was visible many miles behind it. I was alone on the mountain and didn't see anyone on the way back. The road up to Thorndike Camp was in a great shape and any vehicle should be able to make it that far. The final mile to Mahogany Camp had a few deep ruts where high clearance helped. I picked a camp site close to the Telescope trailhead. There was only one other party camped at Mahogany. Without cell/Internet access, I settled in for the night by watching a movie downloaded on Netflix.
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