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| Hiking | 8.02 Miles |
2,412 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.02 Miles | 5 Hrs 50 Mns | | 1.37 mph |
| 2,412 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Early morning hike at Skyline Regional Park. Wanted to do a trail and continue some of the “gridding” of the trails/roads in the area. I decided on the Chuckwalla. It would get some miles and get me to an ATV road I wanted to follow. Started a little before 7am.
I took the Turnbuckle and Granite Falls to get to the beginning of the Chuckwalla (1.52 miles). I then followed the Chuckwalla, going in a clockwise direction to reach the road that headed up the western slope of the ridgeline to the east of the trail (3.66 miles). There were more direct ways to reach this road, but I wanted to get a trail in and this route allowed me to get most of the Chuckwalla. The road goes about 1/3 of the way up the mountain before petering out. As I was hiking it, I noticed old power poles climbing the slope of the mountain and it became apparent that this road probably was involved in their installation and maintenance. The road stopped just short of the second pole. It took a little bit of scrambling, but I made it up to the second pole, only to discover that there was a third pole at the top of the ridgeline. I had always wanted to check out the ridgeline and since I was already 1/3 of the way there I figured why not. A couple of reasons would have steep slopes that were infested with chollas. Chollas were everywhere. I ended up staying mainly in a wash. The chollas weren’t that bad in the wash and the rocks provided a more stable surface to climb. I came up south of the pole, so I had to follow the ridgeline for a short distance to reach, what turned out to be the high point on the ridgeline. Looking around, it looked to the 4th or 5th tallest peak in the White Tank Mountains. It was definitely the tallest peak on the west side. The power line ended there, though there was an odd structure next to it that I couldn’t fathom. It looked like something that might have been used for mining, but I didn’t see any talings and there was a line going from the power pole to the top of the structure. 
I enjoyed the views for a bit and then gathered myself for the descent down. I had decided that I would follow the ridgeline down towards Mountain Wash Trail. I must say I am very disappointed with the animals in the area. I had expected (hoped) for a game trail or a use trail to help with the descent. No luck.  As I got closer to the park trails I did start to see a few cairns and a few tracks of previous hikers, but nothing that would constitute a trail. The best path is to stay on the ridge. Generally, it is better footing and a more controlled descent. I wish I had followed through with that thought.  As I got closer to the Mountain Wash Trail, I couldn’t resist the lure of the nearby trail just below me. Even going slowly, I couldn’t avoid a few slips and one of them had my hand come down on a cholla dropping. YOUCH! Needless to say I was very happy to make it back to a defined trail After my pace to the peak and along the ridgeline, I thought I was flying along the Mountain Wash back to the TH.
Pretty neat, off trail city hike. Seeing the odd structure on the summit made the hike. Seeing remnants of the past always make me wonder about the people who built em, and in this case, it’s purpose. I didn’t see anyone for most of the hike until I got back on the trails and then I encountered 2 hikers and 1 biker. No wildlife, but very unwelcomed cholla
1.52
3.66 |
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