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** Use at Your Own Risk **
01L |
Backus Peak |
6651'
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Location: Kern County, about 43 miles north of Mojave, 140 miles from Los Angeles
Maps
| Auto Club | Kern County |
| Forest Service | Sequoia National Forest |
| USGS Topo | Owens Peak 7½ |
| Official HPS Maps | TPO file - Save to your computer then open with National Geographic TOPO! |
| Viewable JPG file - Approximately 1.4 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) |
Nearby Peaks: Russell Peak (Russell Peak can be hiked from Backus Peak.)
ROUTE 1
- Distance: 7.5 miles round trip on road and cross-country
- Gain: 2900'
- Time: 4-5 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, moderate
- Navigation: Moderate route finding
- Access: Do not park past the Wilderness boundary signs
Original: Byron Prinzmetal, April 1999
DRIVING ROUTE 1
- Take SR 14 north to Mojave.
- Continue north on SR 14 to the intersection with SR 178 (Freeman Junction).
- Go west on SR 178 2.4 miles to a dirt road on the north side of the highway. Park here. Unlimited parking space. If you are coming from the west, it is 6 miles from Walker Pass summit to the parking location. There is a call box numbered 178-858 on the south side of SR 178 opposite the turnoff.
HIKING ROUTE 1
- From the parking area walk north on the dirt road approximately 1 mile to where you are south-southeast of bump 5123'.
- Leave the road and walk northeast crossing several gullies aiming for just north of bump 5389'+ that is on the ridge that descends southeast from Backus Peak. Be sure to note the location where you left the road in relationship to bump 5389' for your return. You can also walk both up and down the prominent gully which starts at the parking area to the slope that leads up to bump 5389'. The gully runs generally north-south and parallels the road on the east.
- When you obtain this ridge turn northwest and walk up the ridge to the summit. Note the summit register is on the most northern bump.
ROUTE 2
- Distance: 8 miles round trip on trail and rocky cross-country
- Gain: 3700'
- Time: 8 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 2, strenuous
- Navigation: Moderate route finding
- Access: Do not park past the Wilderness boundary signs.
Original: Byron Prinzmetal, April 1999
DRIVING ROUTE 2
- Take SR 14 north to Mojave.
- Continue north on SR 14 to the intersection with SR 178 (Freeman Junction).
- Go west on SR 178 4.7 miles to a dirt road on the north side of the highway. Park here. Unlimited parking space. If you are coming from the west, it is 3.7 miles from Walker Pass summit to the parking location.
Note: You will save several miles of hiking if you leave a car at the parking spot for Route 1.
HIKING ROUTE 2
- From Russell Peak hike southeast along the ridge passing over bump 6515'.
- Continue along the ridge staying to the south side of bumps 6661' and 6582'.
- Continue past bump 6582' up the ridge to Backus Peak.
The ridge from Russell to Backus is only 2 miles long, but plan for it to take at least three hours due to route finding and rocky cross-country travel. There is 900' of gain and loss along this ridge. You should not traverse any of the bumps on the north side. All rock outcrops should be skirted to the south. There is a faint use trail developing and one should look for it.
Note: The route can be hiked in reverse from Backus to Russell. This direction is recommended by some hikers. There is quite a bit of scree on Russell which would make a fast easy descent. The footing up Backus is good and would be easier to hike up. The route from Backus to Russell would add 500' of gain.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS
All car travel is prohibited beyond the Wilderness marker on the dirt road.
Along the ridge from Russell Peak to Backus Peak there are many cliffs and pinnacles. You can avoid all of these areas by generally staying to their south. If you find you are entering areas that require rock climbing skills, backtrack and find a better route.
Learn more about Backus Peak.
Please report any corrections or changes to the Mountain Records Chair.