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| Hiking | 1.84 Miles |
479 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.84 Miles | 1 Hour 59 Mns | | 1.62 mph |
| 479 ft AEG | 51 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | The sole intent on this, my first visit to the park, was to get up to the highest point and return. Just to say I did it. It is not a pretty place. A few small palo verdes and mesquite trees and lots of brittlebush, bursage, creosote and other low-lying plants on a brown, dirt floor. There is a small mountain range on the north end, very rocky and steep, with a few faint, lightly traveled trails and no signage. The route selection to the summit is up to the hiker. The rocky summit rises about 365' above the desert floor. As far as I know it has no name. The elevation, on my GPS and Cal topo, is 1,826.
To start, I walked S back from the parking lot and rec area to the park entrance on Wescott Dr, across the street from North Canyon HS, and found a trail going NE toward some residences. It quickly turned N, crossing through the disc golf course with its baskets and concrete tee pads. Along the east end of the park stretches a quarry with a turquoise pond in a far corner, all fenced off. From there, it was W, up to a small saddle with a sealed shaft mine. The summit "trail" was straight up 100 feet. I saw a guy in an orange vest sitting on top and figured there was an easier way down the other side. No way was I coming down this trail again to the saddle. Tumble city.
Looking up, I thought it might take 30 minutes to reach the summit so steep was it and filled with loose rock and boulders. I was surprised to reach the top in only 7 minutes from the saddle. The view, though expansive, was nothing to write home about. Homes, the high school, Lookout Mountain to the S and the busy 101-North just below. Saw no one else up high. Shot some photos and headed down. But how? A faint trail headed off toward the little range's other peaks but nothing down. It was 5 o'clock. I couldn't screw around too long looking for a route.
I finally gave up on trails and began bushwhacking down a steep SW face over boulders and loose rock. I could see a clear trail below, one I was sure would lead back to the parking lot. Lucky not to slip and fall, I reached that trail in a tortured 37 minutes. From there it was an easy walk back through the disc golf course where a half dozen or so were slinging frisbees toward the baskets. Doubt I will try this summit again. Good for locals looking for exercise. But, for me, just not worth the effort. |
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