Cady Peak

Hiked: 4/3/2026
Distance: 6.5 miles round trip cross country
Summit Elevation: 4630'
Prominence: 2430'
Elevation Gain: 2061'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.6
Round trip time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on BLM Road MT8685
Difficulty: Moderate

The desert heat wave finally broke, opening a window to bag Cady Peak before summer. I'd been working a stretch of peaks near I-15 and I-40, and this one was north of I-40 about 45 minutes east of Barstow. The P2K status made it attractive. I took the Hector exit, then Pisgah Crater Road under the interstate heading north. Past a power station, I stopped at a railroad crossing for a passing train, then continued north on the power line road about five miles (BLM MT8685) and parked at the mouth of a wide wash. The road was in decent shape. High clearance recommended for the last two miles.

The wash was the approach. After a couple of miles it narrowed, leading to a few dry falls. The final half mile was steep, loose, and thoroughly unpleasant. The desolate terrain showed almost no signs of life, vegetation nearly absent, even the hardiest cacti sparse. I stayed in the wash until I was directly below the summit, then scrambled straight up. On top: a wooden pole, a benchmark, and two reference marks. No register. I meant to bring one but was out of booklets. The 360° views were solid. I'd hauled the drone up, but the summit wind made flying a non-starter.

The descent was somewhat eventful. I tried angling toward a small saddle at the upper end of the wash, thinking it might beat reversing straight down. It didn't. A side-hill traverse to the saddle ran me into cliffs that pushed me back west. At one point I slipped on a slab and slid about six feet, landing on both feet in the sand. That one could have gone differently. Once clear of the steep stuff, it was an easy coast back through open desert.

Cady from I-40

Dry fall

Steep

Pisgah Crater

Hiked: 4/3/2026
Distance: 0.5 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 2543'
Elevation Gain: 150'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.1
Round trip time: 15 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Pisgah Crater
Difficulty: Easy

Pisgah was a bonus after Cady Peak, but I wrote the report on it first. The large black crater was visible south of I-40 about 45 minutes north of Barstow. I took the Hector exit, then Pisgah Road, an unmaintained asphalt road that ended near the top of the crater. The road was sedan friendly with no serious potholes. From the parking area, it was a short hike to the top of the crater. The center of the crater had a depression and unfortunately, some graffiti on the rocks. There were no markers along the crater rim. I continued down the other side to make a loop around the rim and was back at the truck in 15 minutes. On the other side of the parking area were some caves. I was hesitant to venture in alone since I didn't mention this side trip in the plan I left for my wife. It was low effort and low reward, but worth a quick stop while in the neighborhood.

Low point along the rim

One of several caves on the other side of parking lot

Crafts Peak

Hiked: 3/20/2026
Distance: 5.1 miles round trip cross country and dirt road
Summit Elevation: 8365'
Elevation Gain: 1675'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.3
Round trip time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: $20 Citation at Highway 18 Lake View Point turnout
Difficulty: Moderate

With an early heatwave still raging, I headed back to the Big Bear area for Crafts (HPS #53). I followed Jason Park's firebreak route from a turnout at Lake View Point. The overlook was closed, but there was a large turnout before you get to the entrance gate and I thought I could park there. A no parking sign was in front of the gate, I thought to discourage blocking the gate, but apparently it applied to the entire turnout. When I got back, I had a San Bernardino County Sheriff's citation for $20 glued to my windshield. The glue residue was worse than the fine. I crossed the highway and started up an open firebreak leading to a communication tower. The firebreak continued behind the tower, wide and indistinct. It followed the ridge line, going over point 8095, then dropped a hundred feet to a saddle where it intersected the road. I took the road the rest of the way. A short use trail to the summit was cut through the brush. I hadn't seen anyone all day, but saw a middle aged man and his son, maybe 5 or 6, half way up the use trail. I followed behind, arriving a couple of minutes after they did. The summit had a metal pin, a wooden sign, and several full registers. I offered to take a photo of the father/son duo and got them with the sign. The kid was noticeably tired and uncomfortable with the red ants around the summit. Views in all directions were quite nice. Crafts may be the best location to see both Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake. On the way down, I missed the exit from the road to the firebreak and had to backtrack. The rest of the descent was uneventful, until I saw the citation on my truck. If I were to attempt this route again, I'd park out of sight on the gated dirt road below it or another dirt road nearby.

Parked at the turnout, a poor idea

First of two triangle markers on the firebreak

Thin use trail to the summit

Summit marker

Butler Peak and Big Bear Lake

Lake Arrowhead

Butler Peak

Hiked: 3/13/2026
Distance: 10.1 miles round trip on dirt road
Summit Elevation: 8531'
Elevation Gain: 1570'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.2
Round trip time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Forest Road 2N13 gate
Difficulty: Moderate

I drove up to Big Bear for Butler Peak (HPS #46). March had been warm so I expected only lingering snow. Since Butler was a dirt road hike, I didn't even bring microspikes as a precaution. It was a cool 36F when I started at the gate to Forest Road 2N13, which is closed in the winter. The gain was minimal as I walked past Gray's Peak. Sheets of snow still coated the northern facing slopes and started to spill into the road. Sections of the road were completely covered. The snow was hard packed, but careful steps and low angles made it easy. I crossed a couple of streams that would be dry in the summer. I saw footprints in the snow, but didn't know if they were fresh or days old. The turn for Butler Peak Road was just below Hanna Rocks, a boulder playground I had climbed in 2022. The Butler lookout tower sat on top of an impressive rock spire. When I got the base, I met two women who had been in front of me leaving the footprints. The short trail for the final 100' to the tower was completely covered in snow. The entire north face was covered in 3-4' of hard packed snow that had been through several freeze-thaw cycles. After taking a few steps, both women turned back, not wanting to chance a fall. I was determined to make a go of it, heading toward the far end of short ridge. I clung to boulders and whatever vegetation poked through the drifts. Without traction, it got more dangerous the higher I went. A slip would have led to a long slide into the rocks below. I worked myself back to the spine of boulders below the tower. I spotted a metal pole that marked the trail and the base of the tower, but the 50' between me and the tower was steep packed snow. I squeezed myself into the randkluft, a 2' gap between the snow field and the rock and moved slowly toward the tower. I had to stretch to get over the last drift. The tower was officialy closed, but the steps were open. I climbed up to take in expansive views of San Gorgonio, the San Gabriels, and Arrowhead Lake. It was an exciting finish to an otherwise unremarkable road hike. It was spicy getting down, but I was able to backtrack without incident. It was the sketchiest thing I'd done in a while. Butler marked the completion of the fifty highest peaks on the HPS list.

Perfect cat print

Snow covered slope below the tower

Looking back at the dangerous part

San Gorgonio

Keller Peak

Hanna Rocks