|
|
|
** Use at Your Own Risk **
26F |
Lost Horse Mountain |
5313'
|
Location: Riverside County, about 12 miles southwest of Twentynine Palms, 142 miles from Los Angeles
Maps
| Auto Club | Riverside County |
| Park Service | Joshua Tree National Park |
| USGS Topo | Keys View 7½ |
| Official HPS Maps | TPO file - Save to your computer then open with National Geographic TOPO! |
| Viewable JPG file - Approximately 1.1 megs | |
| GPX file or Google Earth KML file to download to GPS units and other map software (How to use GPX and KML files) | |
| Routes as shown on CalTopo using the above files (How to use CalTopo) |
ROUTE 1
(National Park Service Entrance Fee)- Distance: 5 miles round trip on road and cross-country
- Gain: 900' total, 800' out plus 100' on return
- Time: 2.5 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, easy
- Navigation: Easy
Original: Warren E. von Pertz, March 1968
DRIVING ROUTE 1
- Take I-10 east past Banning to the intersection with SR 62.
- Go north on SR 62 to Park Road in the town of Joshua Tree with a sign "Joshua Tree National Park". Turn right.
- Drive 16 miles on this road to the intersection with the Keys View Road. Turn right.
- Continue 2.5 miles farther to the Lost Horse Mine Road on the left. Turn left.
- Drive this road southeast, 1.0 mile to its end at a parking lot at a locked gate. Park here.
HIKING ROUTE 1
- From the parking area (4,580'), pass the gate and hike east up a wash about 100' to a sign "Trail".
- Turn left and follow the trail, actually an old road, to where it goes up a gully below the Lost Horse Mine building, and comes out on a saddle south-southeast of the mine.
- Here, leave the road and go up the ridge to the right (southwest) to the summit.
ROUTE 2
From Ryan Mountain(National Park Service Entrance Fee)
- Distance: 4 miles one way
- Gain: 1300'
- Time: 3 hours one way
- Rating: Class 1, moderate
- Navigation: Moderate
- Leader Rating: "I", normal conditions
Original: Sandy Burnside, Southern Courtney, and Byron Prinzmetal, November 2002
DRIVING ROUTE 2
- See directions for Ryan Mountain.
HIKING ROUTE 2
- From the top of Ryan Mountain (see Ryan Mountain guide), follow the ridge south and then southwest over bump 5280'.
- Continue south to bump 5194'.
- From bump 5194', hike down the steep ridge south to the California Riding and Hiking Trail.
- Turn left (southeast) and hike up this trail for about 0.6 mile until the trail turns east at saddle 4550'. You will see a wash on your right (south). There is also a wooden sign here.
- Turn right (south) and follow the wash south till it ends.
- Continue south up a slope. You will see an old pipeline.
- Follow the pipeline south down into a gully and then up to Lost Horse Mine.
- From the mine, walk south to the Lost Horse Mine Trail, turn left (east) and proceed as in Route 1.
- Either return the way you came or walk out to the Lost Horse parking lot (requires a car shuttle).
ROUTE 3
(National Park Service Entrance Fee)- Distance: 5 miles round trip, cross-country
- Gain: 900' total, 700' out plus 200' on return
- Time: 4 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, moderate
- Navigation: Moderate
Original: Peter Doggett, December 2007
DRIVING ROUTE 1
- Take I-10 east past Banning to the intersection with SR 62.
- Go north on SR 62 to Park Road in the town of Joshua Tree with a sign "Joshua Tree National Park". Turn right.
- Drive 16 miles on this road to the intersection with the Keys View Road. Turn right.
- Continue 4.3 miles (1.8 miles past the Lost Horse Mine Road) to a parking turnout on the left.
- DPark here. Room for 3 to 4 vehicles.
HIKING ROUTE 1
- From the parking area (4850'), walk back down the paved road for about 1/4 mile.
- Leave the road on the right and proceed east for 0.9 miles to a shallow saddle at 4760'.
- From this shallow saddle, drop down 60' to a wash at 4700'.
- In the wash, turn right and proceed 100 meters to a large gully.
- Go east up this gully to a plateau at 5000' that is about 0.5 miles west of the summit.
- Continue east for 0.4 miles to the summit plateau at 5280'.
- Turn right (SE) and proceed about 50 meters to the summit.
Note: One can avoid the saddle at 4760' by walking around the southern bump. This will only save about 20' of elevation gain and will result in an extra 1/4 mile of hiking distance.
NOTES
The restored buildings of the Lost Horse Mine add a point of interest to this hike. The old stamp mill is fenced off due to an accident in the early 1990's.
The region consists of open desert terrain, so many cross-country routes are possible. The peak has been climbed from Malapai Hill on the east and also by following the pipeline that connects Ryan Campground on the north with the Lost Horse Mine.
History of Summit Signature
Climbing Archives
Please report any corrections or changes to the Mountain Records Chair.