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Pinkham Canyon Road - 2 members in 3 triplogs have rated this an average 4 ( 1 to 5 best )
3 triplogs
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Jan 14 2025
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 Guides 99
 Routes 1,486
 Photos 16,077
 Triplogs 1,376

male
 Joined Jan 07 2017
 Fountain Hills,
Monument and Cottonwood - Joshua Tree NP, CA 
Monument and Cottonwood - Joshua Tree NP, CA
 
Hiking avatar Jan 14 2025
DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,376
Hiking9.77 Miles 3,052 AEG
Hiking9.77 Miles   7 Hrs   44 Mns   1.49 mph
3,052 ft AEG   1 Hour   10 Mns Break
 
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1st trip
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Pinkham Canyon Road
Joshua Tree National Park Trails
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Route Scout Route Recorded  on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX
This was a hike to two P1K peaks in the Joshua Tree National Park:
1) Monument Mountain (elevation of 4,834 feet and prominence of 1,114 feet)
2) Cottonwood Mountains High Point (elevation of 4,493 feet and prominence of 1,153 feet)

My parking spot was on Pinkham Canyon Road, about 4.5 miles or so from the Cottonwood Spring Visitor Center. There was a sign at the start of the drive saying "4WD only", and I thought that it was an easy drive for a 4WD vehicle. The road was sandy in places and you needed high clearance in some other places.

From my parking spot I headed north toward Monument Mountain, which is in the Hexie Mountains. There is no trail, although I picked up a use trail in places. This was an interesting hike with a bit of scrambling and some nice views on the way. It was crazy windy at the summit -- I had a hard time standing up, so I didn't tarry there too long. I located the benchmark and one reference mark, but headed back down before finding the other reference mark.

After descending earI crossed Pinkham Canyon Road and headed south towards the Cottonwood Mountains HP. I did not enjoy this portion of the hike as much as the hike to Monument Mountain. The hike didn't have much personality -- it was basically just going up some steep slopes.

It was a very windy day out there, with strong Santa Ana winds coming out of the NE. There were nice views of San Jacinto Peak and Mount San Gorgonio, although it was strange not seeing snow atop either peak this time of year. I think that this is the first time in recorded history to not see snow there this time of year.
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Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there
  1 archive
Mar 19 2016
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 Guides 11
 Routes 2
 Photos 3,776
 Triplogs 334

48 male
 Joined Jun 09 2009
 Mesa, AZ
Pinkham Canyon RoadInland, CA
Pinkham Canyon Road
Inland, CA
4x4 Trip avatar Mar 19 2016
cw50must • Triplogs 334
4x4 Trip30.00 Miles
4x4 Trip30.00 Miles
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1st trip
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This was our first journey into Joshua Tree National Park. I always enjoy a national park that has some back country roads to explore. We first checked in at the Cottonwood Visitors Center and then Journey out on Pinkham Canyon Rd. Very scenic, not too difficult as far as a 4x4 trail goes. Spring is a good time as there are lots of wildflowers to see. We only ran across 2 others out there, a couple and there dog in a Jeep (YJ) and a group of springbreakers in a Subaru Crosstrek. We completed pinkham canyon and decided on the BLM road back to the park, makes a nice loop. Next time I would like to check out Thermal Canyon too. I did not need to air down for this, but have trouble in the sandy areas, it may not be a bad idea.

https://youtube.com ... uFr0

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wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Substantial
quite a few in areas
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Feb 20 2010
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 Guides 6
 Routes 183
 Photos 5,612
 Triplogs 1,647

male
 Joined Mar 12 2004
 Scottsdale, AZ
Joshua Tree National Park TrailsInland, CA
Joshua Tree National Park Trails
Inland, CA
Car Camping avatar Feb 20 2010
John9L • Triplogs 1,647
Car Camping
Car Camping2 Days         
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Pinkham Canyon Road
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Here is a high level trip report for the Joshua Tree Jeep Run. We had seven modified rigs with a variety of builds.

We arrived at the park around 2pm on Friday afternoon and set up camp at the Cottonwood Campground. We then headed out to run the Pinkham Canyon Road. We made a loop that took us back to our camp. It was very easy going with a few optional rocks to play on.

On Saturday, we headed into the heart of the park. We made our way to Jumbo Rocks campground and took a bunch of pics. From there we headed to the Geology Tour road. It was a very easy graded road. We made the loop and then had some lunch. After lunch, we headed over to the Berdoo Canyon trail. The trail was easy going that lead into a beautiful canyon. We did some exploring and gradually made our way to Indio. We gassed up there and were back to camp around dusk.

The next morning we had some breakfast and headed home. Joshua Tree is a beautiful national park. I would love to go back to see the rest of the park!
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  1 archive
average hiking speed 1.49 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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