Page Type:
|
Mountain/Rock |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
|
35.10122°N / 115.86101°W |
County:
|
San Bernardino |
Activities:
|
Hiking, Scrambling |
Season:
|
Spring, Fall, Winter |
|
Elevation:
|
4252 ft / 1296 m |
|
Overview
Old Dad Mountain is in the Mojave Desert (National Preserve). It is #79 on the Sierra Club Desert Peak Section. It is fun scramble on limestone with gorgeous views from the top.
Getting There
These directions came from the Sierra Club Desert Peaks Section Peak Guide.
DRIVE: From Interstate 15 at Baker, CA. drive 19.5 miles S on the paved, signed Kelbaker Road to a dirt
crossroad signed "Aiken Mine, 7 miles" (For those driving the Kelbaker Road from Interstate 40, the Aiken
Mine crossroad is approximately 15 miles N of Kelso). Turn right (SW) and follow this good dirt road for 1.7
miles to a junction. Bear right and drive 2.5 miles (on a road which shows evidence of once being paved) to a
fork. Bear right, following the road for 1.0 mile in a wash to a fork, where you'll bear left. Drive 0.8 miles to
a fork and bear right, driving 0.5 miles to a road junction. Turn right (N) here and drive 0.5 miles to a fork at
the NPS Wilderness Area boundary, en route passing under high voltage power lines. Park.
Many people park just off South Powerline Road and hike from there. Driving up the wash would be difficult. There is a little deep sand the last mile of dirt road. 4x4 recommended, but may not be necessary.
Route
The main route goes up a wide wash east of the mountain. About two miles up the wash is a prominent gully that can be used to gain the ridge. Once you are inside the gully, the route is marked fairly well with cairns. The Sierra Club rates the hike as class 2, but I think there are a couple of class 3 moves on the main route. If you get off route (as I did), you usually cliff out or have to backtrack or make exposed class 3 moves to get back on track. There is a long north traverse about half way up to get around a cliff band. Once you reach the top ridge, it is a short walk to the summit. The summit is sort of pyramid shaped and sticks out the side of the mountain a short distance. Despite the cairns, I recommended bringing a GPS track for navigation. My round trip was 5.3 miles with 2000' of gain.
An intact benchmark is on the summit.
Red Tape
None.
When to Climb
Fall, winter, spring.
Camping
Unsure. I think you can camp anywhere in the Mojave without a permit, but please check before you go.
External Links