Eagle Mountain (Shoshone) : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

Overview

As desert peaks go, this is one of the finest. You get alotta bang for your buck. It's easy and fun, and can easily be linked up with other peaks in the area, such as Jubilee Mountain, Stewart Point, Corkscrew Peak, Kingston Peak, Death Valley Buttes, Clark Mountain, or many others, for a rewarding day of desert peakbagging.

When traveling through the Amargosa Valley of California/Nevada, Eagle Mountain, or Eagle Mountain #2 as it's also known, stands out as an impressive island in the middle of a vast sea of flat desert. This solemn peak stands alone, without a neighbor for several miles. For this reason, the summit views are extraordinary, giving one the feeling that one is much higher than actuality.

Despite Eagle Mountain's proximity to Death Valley National Park and Las Vegas, the mountain is infrequently climbed. Who knows why - the peak is easily accessible, being right off of a paved highway, easy, gaining only 1800 feet in about 2 1/2 miles, and fun, boasting a rather interesting and nicely exposed class 3 summit ridge.

Although a number of potential routes exist, the easiest appears to be a class 3 route from the west. This route is described on the route page.

Summit Panorama

Panorama from the summit of Eagle Mountain (courtesy of Branch Whitney)

Getting There

Eagle Mountain is easily reached by any passenger vehicle.

From Shoshone, California:
Head north on highway 127 about 16 miles, looking for a faint dirt road heading off to the north just as the highway starts to angle to the northwest. Turn onto the dirt road and follow it 1/4 mile or so to a small dirt parking area. Eagle Mountain is immediately east. If you miss it, you are irreparably blind - there are no other mountains nearby.

From Death Valley NP:
2 options exist -
1) From Furnace Creek, take highway 190 to Death Valley Junction, then turn onto highway 127 and follow it south to the west side of Eagle Mountain (can't be missed - remember, it's the only mountain in the middle of the huge Amargosa Valley). Look for the aforementioned dirt road turn-off;
2) From Badwater, head south for many miles and ultimately exit the park, crossing Salsberry and Jubilee passes, on highway 178. When you reach the junction with highway 127 (just north of Shoshone), turn left and head north to the aforementioned dirt road turn-off.