Ridgecrest is a strangely named city. The name implies it is on top of a hill, but it is actually in a basin, near a dry lake bed. Nowhere near the crest of a ridge. This peak, however, is on the crest of the ridge south of town. I drove up 395 to the starting point for this unnamed peak. Boundry Road heads off to the east from the highway. I only had a sedan, so I was able to drive about half a mile up the sandy road. With a jeep or similar you could drive to the summit.
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| Decisions.... |
The hike is pretty straightforward. Just follow Boundary Road until you get to the summit. As simple as this sounds, however, I still managed to make some wrong turns. Some of the junctions are not signed, and didn't appear on the map I had. I did walk past some benches and art set up in the middle of the desert. Not sure if this is a rest area or a campground or something like that. I didn't stop.
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| Some benches at a campsite? |
The relief is fairly low in this area, and there are a lot of small hills that look like they could be the summit. You have to walk past a few, and over the sides of some. The highest point is pretty rocky, and there is a turn around area for vehicles. Like most places in the desert, there is plenty of space. I found a nice rock to sit on off to the side of the road, and put up my antenna.
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| Summit area with Ridgecrest below. |
I had a nice view of Ridgecrest as I operated, and very good cell service. The bands were decent, and I had no problems getting my contacts. Not sure if there are many hams in Ridgecrest, but it would be a good place to get them on 2m. Once I was done, I packed up and retraced my steps back to the car. This time, however, I did a better job following Boundary Road, and had a slightly shorter hike back.
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| Watch out for the cholla. |
Trailhead: As far along Boundary Road as you want to or can drive.
Route: Walk along Boundary Road until you get to the summit. There are plenty of other OHV trails if you want to make a loop or get some variety.
Red Tape: None. If driving, follow the signs about where you can and can't drive.
Video: Coming Soon!
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