Lemoigne Canyon Route

California, United States, North America

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Panamint Butte
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Lemoigne Canyon Route

Page Type:	Route
Lat/Lon:	36.43524°N / 117.35792°W
GPX File:	Download GPX » View Route on Map
Route Type:	Hiking
Difficulty:	Class 1
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General Information

This route is much longer--but much gentler and safer--than the "standard" western route from the Big Four Mine. I've done both routes as dayhikes, and this was definitely more enjoyable.

If you can drive all the way to the trailhead, it's a little over 9 miles hiking distance to the summit with about 3800' of elevation gain, with no extra elevation along the way.

I've attached a GPX that I recorded during my descent.

Almost entirely class 1, with a few spots of easy class 2.

I did this as a long day hike. But backpacking is certainly an option. Either way, you will likely have to pack in all the water you need.

Approach

The turnoff for the Lemoigne Canyon Road is along Highway 190 at 36.5385,-117.2141. This is 6.1 miles southwest of Stove Pipe Wells, and 3.1 miles north of the Emigrant Canyon Road. It could be tricky to find in the dark, as there is no sign along the highway.

A high clearance 4WD is required if you're to have any hope of reaching the trailhead at the end of the road. Without one, you may not get far from the pavement at all. The road features numerous washouts, and is often rocky.

From the highway, drive west then southwest about 4.2 miles. At this point, there's some space to park or camp. The road continues about 1.2 mile, dropping into the wash and getting rougher. It ends at a barrier. There's a little space to park and maybe even camp here. I slept in my vehicle here the night before and after my hike.

Route Description

The route begins at the trailhead (road closure) in Lemoigne Canyon. Hike up the canyon. There are two forks early on, both to your left, each of which gets some foot traffic. So keep an eye on the GPX or a map to stay on track.

As you wind your way up the canyon, the walking is mostly easy on sand and gravel. There's a tiny bit of easy class 2. Above that is a section where boulders and rocks have fallen from the canyon walls and cover the canyon floor. None of this presents any real challenge.

After several miles, the canyon opens up onto easy terrain. Walk cross-country to a ridge, then follow it up to the summit.

Be forewarned that after all the effort to get there, the views from this summit are somewhat obscured. There are higher peaks to the east and southeast. The summit area is fairly flat, not a pinnacle. So you can't look directly down on the surrounding terrain unless you walk around a bit. But you can see the Panamint Mountains, the south end of the Panamint Valley, and various ranges to the west.