After driving up Government Peak, I headed north on 395 to get this peak. Motorcross road goes towards this summit. It heads west across from Searles Station Cutoff road. Motorcross Road is paved, I suppose. There is pavement, but there are also potholes big enough to swallow a small car. In the Jeep I had, it was easy enough to go around, but a sedan might have a bit of trouble navigating the poor road.
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| View of the peak from the parking spot. |
The road doesn't really get rougher, but there is less asphalt as you get farther along. At the turnoff for Laurel Mountain there are lots of signs warning you not to get too close to the government stuff on top. Probably something to do with the base at China Lake just to the north, but I am curious what the golf ball is for. The rough road then climbs up to a sub-peak with a bunch of towers. This is where I parked, as the road gets significantly rougher past here. It was only three quarters of a mile or so to the summit from here.
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| El Paso Peaks |
I walked along the road to the base of the peak. There is a relatively steep climb that looks like dirt bikes have driven up and down. Probably fun on one of those. Up on the summit ridge is was a quick walk over to the high point. The wind had died down a bit from earlier, so it was pleasant to sit on the summit and operate. The cell service was good. It was getting to be lunch time, so I didn't linger too long. Back at the car I drove down the hill to find some food in Ridgecrest.
Trailhead: Subpeak with all the towers.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: From the towers, follow the road to below the summit, then follow the motorcycle trail to the summit ridge, then cross country to the top.
Red Tape: None.
Video: Coming Soon!
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