Red Mountain

Red Mountain is a unique and interesting peak for a multitude of reasons. This extinct volcano with its namesake red clay pigment was the site of the Kelly, one of the most successful silver mines in the country, which yielded about 20 million dollars worth of ore from 1920 to 1947. It has a colorful history, described in the summit history. The area is popular with both hikers and offroaders and the summit is littered with tanks and remains of weather balloons that were once launched from there. While you are there, look for the graffiti-engraved rocks at the summit carved by the original USGS surveyors at the turn of the century. The summit yields views of the grand expanse of the high desert.

The drive to route 1 requires a high clearance vehicle. The parking location on our map is what we usually use and can be reached by the average driver; a more skilled driver, preferably with a 4WD vehicle. can continue another half mile. The route meanders between formations, past a tarn, then up a ridge to the peak. Route 2 steeply ascends an adjacent peak that can be mistaken for Red and traverses ridges to the summit. Route 3, reached by equally bad road, follows a series of ridges from the northeast before joining the other routes.