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Telescope Peak Trail - 4 members in 10 triplogs have rated this an average 4.5 ( 1 to 5 best )
10 triplogs
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Jul 09 2025
avatar

 Guides 59
 Routes 1,100
 Photos 1,191
 Triplogs 1,290

male
 Joined Jan 01 2023
 Arizona
Telescope Peak TrailDeath Valley, CA
Telescope Peak Trail
Death Valley, CA
Hiking avatar Jul 09 2025
pseudalpine • Triplogs 1,290
Hiking
Hiking
 
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Bennett Peak - Death Valley NP
Rogers Peak - Death Valley NP
Partners none no partners
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Bristlecone Pine
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Rogers Peak
  1 archive
Jun 14 2021
avatar

 Guides 99
 Routes 1,484
 Photos 16,072
 Triplogs 1,374

male
 Joined Jan 07 2017
 Fountain Hills,
Telescope Peak TrailDeath Valley, CA
Telescope Peak Trail
Death Valley, CA
Hiking avatar Jun 14 2021
DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374
Hiking13.70 Miles 3,665 AEG
Hiking13.70 Miles   6 Hrs   33 Mns   2.62 mph
3,665 ft AEG   1 Hour   19 Mns Break
 
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Rogers Peak - Death Valley NP
Partners none no partners
This was the second day of an out-of-state hiking trip. After hiking up to Mount Charleston Peak in Las Vegas, I spent the night in Vegas and then drove to the Mahogany Flat Campground for a zero-day car camp. It was a nice campground -- no water but there was a clean restroom -- and we basically had the place to ourselves.

We got up early and hiked up to Telescope Peak. It was a class 1 hike on an easy-to-follow trail. About half of the elevation gain came in the first couple of miles. The next couple of miles or so were relatively flat, and then there was more elevation in the final push to the summit. There were lots of switchbacks heading up to the summit, so the hike wasn't as difficult as it otherwise would have been.

There were great views at the summit -- we could look down on Badwater Basin to the east and see Mount Whitney off to the west.

On the way back I did an off-trail hike up to Rogers Peak. I could have walked down a service road back to the TH, but decided just to drop back down to the trail and take it back to the TH.

I really enjoyed this hike and recommend it to a fit hiker willing to brave driving through Death Valley.

The dirt road up to Mahogany Flat Campground was well graded and was in much better condition than what I was expecting. A sedan could make it to the charcoal kilns, and might be able to make the uphill drive to the campground; in any event, 4WD was not needed.
 Geology
 Geology [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Salt Pan  Sand Dune
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Summit Register Log  Telescope
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Badwater Basin - DVNP  Bennett Peak  Mount Whitney 14,505  Rogers Peak  Telescope Peak
_____________________
Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there
 
Oct 18 2019
avatar

 Guides 1
 Routes 226
 Photos 1,675
 Triplogs 1,867

65 male
 Joined Oct 17 2008
 Phoenix, AZ
Telescope Peak TrailDeath Valley, CA
Telescope Peak Trail
Death Valley, CA
Hiking avatar Oct 18 2019
rcorfman • Triplogs 1,867
Hiking12.53 Miles 3,365 AEG
Hiking12.53 Miles   5 Hrs   57 Mns   2.30 mph
3,365 ft AEG      30 Mns Break
 
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
After hiking nearby Wildrose Peak yesterday, I drove up to Mahogony Flats campground where I spent the night. It was cold once the sun went down so I had an early night and 12 hours sleep. :)

It wasn't quite quarter of seven when I started. I noticed three others had started about an hour earlier. It was cold this morning, probably mid 30s but I'm just guessing. I started off wearing my fleece and wind jacket, hoods up, and fleece liner gloves, eating a BoBo's bar. The trail starts off climbing which made it difficult to chew. Eventually I finished eating and stopped to remove the fleece and gloves, though I kept my hands in the wind jacket sleeves. Somewhere, it warmed up enough to take the hood off and free my hands.

After ascending to the saddle between Rogers and Bennett Peaks, the trail levels off for awhile before the steep switch backed ascent to the summit. The switch backs are tough, from 10K to 11K altitude, but graded well enough. Once at the top of the switchbacks, the trail levels off for a bit then makes the short climb to the top.

I caught the three just before the summit. They came from Chicago just to hike Telescope. They asked how long I took, 3 hours to their 4. I smoked them - their words.

The views from Telescope are amazing. Nothing is in the way and you can see the low spot at Badwater Basin and the high spot, Mt. Whitney too. Just beautiful.

It was very cold on the summit. My hands would freeze trying to take pictures and my legs were getting cold too. We all signed the summit register, took some pictures, and I headed down to the top of the switch backs to get out of the wind where I had some drink and some food before heading down to the trailhead.

This is a great trail. The tread is good and it's easy to follow. This made for a really nice day hike.
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Telescope Peak
_____________________
Go find a LonelyCache
 
Jun 21 2019
avatar

 Guides 73
 Routes 176
 Photos 10,174
 Triplogs 2,324

46 male
 Joined Sep 08 2006
 
Telescope Peak TrailDeath Valley, CA
Telescope Peak Trail
Death Valley, CA
Hiking avatar Jun 21 2019
Jim • Triplogs 2,324
Hiking14.00 Miles 3,082 AEG
Hiking14.00 Miles   9 Hrs      1.93 mph
3,082 ft AEG   1 Hour   45 Mns Break10 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Nice hike, much more enjoyable than Charleston's snow covered slopes. Calm today, but wind brought in haze. Much nicer the day after. Shame, as the view when clear is fantastic.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Bristlecone Pine
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light
_____________________
🍭
 
May 27 2018
avatar

 Guides 9
 Routes 33
 Photos 780
 Triplogs 4,634

44 male
 Joined Nov 25 2008
 Scottsdale, AZ
Telescope Peak TrailDeath Valley, CA
Telescope Peak Trail
Death Valley, CA
Hiking avatar May 27 2018
Booneman • Triplogs 4,634
Hiking13.60 Miles 3,458 AEG
Hiking13.60 Miles   4 Hrs   52 Mns   2.79 mph
3,458 ft AEG
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Over the past couple years I have missed opportunities to hike Telescope Peak from Shorty's well, due to weather and logistical issues. I wanted to get up there and see what the standard route was like and have a better "feel" for the big hike. I absolutely loved this trail! Everything about it was great..the distance and steady elevation gain, nice single track and an incredible 100-mile panorama. Hitting a national park high point is pretty cool too!
_____________________
 
May 19 2018
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 Guides 4
 Routes 491
 Photos 10,890
 Triplogs 1,257

55 male
 Joined Nov 20 2012
 Phoenix, AZ
Telescope Peak from Shorty's WellDeath Valley, CA
Telescope Peak from Shorty's Well
Death Valley, CA
Hiking avatar May 19 2018
BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257
Hiking21.90 Miles 11,753 AEG
Hiking21.90 Miles   16 Hrs   37 Mns   1.52 mph
11,753 ft AEG   2 Hrs   15 Mns Break
 
Linked   linked  
Telescope Peak Trail
Partners partners
slowandsteady
A few years ago I did Telescope Peak with @sbkelley and everything went off without a hitch. So I returned with Kathy to try this beast again so she could experience the route from Shorty’s Well. We arrived the day before and car camped then waking up early to start hiking at 3:30am from Shorty’s Well -253 below sea level.

Not much to see in the dark but this is the relatively boring part of the hike up the road into Hanaupah Canyon although we did have some nice views of sunrise. The road continues for about 8 miles and gains a gradual 3000 feet as the road gets into the tighter part of Hanaupah and eventually stops. From there it’s a canyon hike upstream to where Hanaupah Spring appears out of nowhere at about 9 miles. The spring has very good flow with plenty of pools to filter from. We stopped to filter water and took a nice break since this was the only water source for the day.

After the break the route leaves Hanaupah Canyon on the north side about ½ mile from where we stopped for water. The initial climb is very steep but gets slightly easier towards the top ascending 1500 feet in about a mile. There are also some intermittent use trails that can be found on the ascent that make the steep more manageable. Once on top we were on the main ridge line that we would follow up to the Telescope Peak trail. We took another break here before doing the next 1.5 miles of ridge hiking with much less AEG and probably the easiest part of the hike.

Eventually the ridge starts to go vertical again as we took another break at 6500 feet. At this point we started to get awesome views of Death Valley and the low point Badwater Basin. We also started to hit the thicker pine trees for shade although it wasn’t that hot this high up on the mountain. This section definitely had the nicest stands of forest on the route so we took more breaks.

After the last break it was on and up the most difficult part of the route. It gains 2500 feet to where we reached Telescope Peak Trail but the most challenging part is the final section which gains 1900 feet in just 1 mile. Also, there was loose scree and talus on the relentless climb that made the nice clear trail a welcoming sight. This one really hurt! We took a quick breather and then headed for Telescope Summit.

We passed three other hikers heading down trail but had the place to ourselves once on top. Really awesome 360 views with BadWater Basin over 11,000 feet below and the Sierras to the west although it was a bit hazy. Usually you can make out Mt Whitney but not today. We took about 35 minute much needed break to take in the views and recover.

All packed up we headed back down the trail towards Mahogany Flat. It’s 7 miles to the campground but it’s good downhill trail so after what we just climbed it felt like an easy stroll. We arrived a little before dark and our shuttle driver Scott had camp all setup! We enjoyed not having to hike anymore and relaxing in camp. Mahogany Flat is a nice campground but there are only 10 spots first come first serve and they fill up fast. However, it all worked out after a great day of hiking!

 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Dudleya

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water 4 out of 5 Hanaupah Spring Gallon + per minute Gallon + per minute
very good flow in Hanaupah Canyon a mile downstream from the spring. Appears to be reliable source
_____________________
  2 archives
May 21 2016
avatar

 Routes 67
 Photos 966
 Triplogs 694

51 female
 Joined Jan 05 2012
 Phoenix,AZ
Telescope Peak TrailDeath Valley, CA
Telescope Peak Trail
Death Valley, CA
Hiking avatar May 21 2016
slowandsteady • Triplogs 694
Hiking13.81 Miles 4,059 AEG
Hiking13.81 Miles
4,059 ft AEG
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
BiFrost
I drove the shuttle car from Shorty's Well up to Mahogany Flat Campground, with a brief stop at the Charcoal Kilns to be a tourist.
I started hiking at 9:30am. The trail is in excellent condition and I chugged along. It wasn’t long before I noticed Joe and John coming up to pass. I learned that if John asks if I know how far it is to the summit, I do not want to respond with “We are on switchback number five of 14.” That response is worthless. :)
I came across a patch of snow and took time to make a snowman. I arrived at the summit in time to watch the drone take off. When I hike I measure in Piestewa Peaks, and I know Angela counts Shaw Buttes. It was neat to learn Joe thinks in terms of Camelbacks and John thinks in Flat Irons. I’m pretty sure if I was on a hike and someone said “only two more Flat Irons and we are done” that I would sit and cry.
Soon Karl, Scott and Ken showed up and I heard their tale and I was glad I was the shuttle driver.
On the way down to Mahogany, Karl and I stopped at Bennett and Rogers Peak and we took the service road down from Rogers.
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Coke Ovens  Snowman
_____________________
  1 archive
May 21 2016
avatar

 Guides 264
 Routes 2,797
 Photos 14,494
 Triplogs 5,894

55 male
 Joined Nov 20 1996
 
Telescope Peak from Shorty's WellDeath Valley, CA
Telescope Peak from Shorty's Well
Death Valley, CA
Hiking avatar May 21 2016
joebartels • Triplogs 5,894
Hiking21.90 Miles 11,700 AEG
Hiking21.90 Miles   9 Hrs   54 Mns   2.51 mph
11,700 ft AEG   1 Hour   10 Mns Break14 LBS Pack
 
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Telescope Peak Trail
Partners partners
BiFrost
desert_boonie
JuanJaimeiii
sbkelley
jj sums the hike up well in his [ triplog ]
Thanks for driving, the caviar and the crackers too!

Scott deserves the lifetime award for persistent planning which included a thousand year flood, snow in May and scheduling conflicts.

Great to see the Good Humor Man, the Frosts and the dog sitter too!

On April 15th Carrie Underwood hiked Camelback. I made the poor choice of hitting Squaw Peak. Missed Carrie and something in my knee popped. Standing without falling over was a challenge. With Telescope on the horizon I modified RICE. Dropped rest, ice, compress and converted elevate to exercise. Dialed back to flat hikes I could manage with hiking poles. After four weeks got back to average on Squaw. A week ago I began to press it. Two days to go I felt a slight tear. Instead of worrying about it I vested my trust in the full moon. The hike went well and the moon was beautiful. Doo, bow bow, chick chicka chicka

Death Valley is very intriguing. The drive along Furnace Creek is a kaleidoscope of mineral hues. Mountains beside each other can be drastically different.
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Point

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water 4 out of 5 Hanaupah Spring Gallon + per minute Gallon + per minute
unbelievable, the creek was flowing very well
_____________________
- joe
 
Jul 04 2015
avatar

 Routes 11
 Photos 46
 Triplogs 49

54 male
 Joined Sep 15 2009
 Goodyear, AZ
Telescope Peak TrailDeath Valley, CA
Telescope Peak Trail
Death Valley, CA
Hiking avatar Jul 04 2015
mwiles • Triplogs 49
Hiking13.90 Miles 2,950 AEG
Hiking13.90 Miles   7 Hrs   42 Mns   2.16 mph
2,950 ft AEG   1 Hour   15 Mns Break20 LBS Pack
 
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Early morning cold temperatures and rain made this a tough hike to get started but ultimately paid off in the form of great hiking conditions. I arrived at the Mahogany Flat campground at 5:30 and began the walk to the top of Death Valley. The first 1/3 of the hike is pretty steep with teaser views of Badwater Basin all along the way. Soon the trail levels off and it's a walk along a relatively flat ridgeline for awhile with the occasional Bristlecone Pine and an abundance of wildflowers. Finally, the hike to the summit comes in the form of 14 punishing switchbacks. By the end of the switchbacks I had to stop at the end of each one and catch my breath at the 11000' elevation. The views are nothing short of spectacular for the entire hike. Being able to see the Sierra Nevadas, the Spring Mountains in Nevada and Badwater Basin all from the same spot is awesome.
_____________________
 
Aug 26 2012
avatar

 Guides 26
 Routes 21
 Photos 562
 Triplogs 1,393

female
 Joined Jan 04 2011
 Las Vegas, NV
Telescope Peak TrailDeath Valley, CA
Telescope Peak Trail
Death Valley, CA
Hiking avatar Aug 26 2012
autumnstars • Triplogs 1,393
Hiking13.84 Miles 3,771 AEG
Hiking13.84 Miles
3,771 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Drove up the day before to camp so we could get an early start. Good thing - the recent monsoon storms had completely washed out the road. It was difficult getting to the kilns with high clearance, normally accessible by passenger vehicle. We stayed just past the kilns at Thorndike since there was no way our vehicle was making it to Mahogany Flats. That added about 1 mile each way to the hike.

Fun hike with breath-taking views almost from the trailhead. The trail begins on the steep side slopes of Rogers Peak with sparse pinyon cover. Views down to Badwater open up immediately and continue until you round Rogers and head around the west side of Bennett Peak. Once west of Bennett, the views down into Panamint Valley take over. The trail works its way steadily up, but nothing terribly steep until the final summit push. Even the final push was really only difficult for us due to the elevation - someone more acclimatized would find it pretty easy. From the top, views extend from Badwater to Mt Whitney - highest and lowest in one sweep. Great way to spend the day!

Some isolated flowers, but most plants were done. Temperatures about 70 degrees - delightful considering the temperatures on the valley floor in the mid 110s. Saw a few birds, lizards, and chipmunks, but nothing too exciting. Saw one solo hiker from New York at the peak, and we chatted for a while. Saw only 2 others on the way back down. They seemed very unprepared for such a late start.
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
_____________________
"Let it ride / Let it roll / Let it go"
 
average hiking speed 2.26 mph

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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