Approach
See the getting there section on the
main page for driving directions. Drive your vehicle as close as you can to the peak staying on the east side of the peak, park here.
Route Description
Hiking Crystal Peak is a class 2 hike to a fun and challenging class 3 scramble to the summit. Although the peak looks approachable from several steeper angles than mentioned I would not recommend taking these, the white volcanic rock the peak is composed of is very brittle and crumbles in your hands.
Round Trip Distance : 3 mi
Elevation Gain : 900 ft
Begin making your way along the east side of the peak until you reach the ridge of junipers that heads westward. Hike up through the junipers staying close to the peak until you reach the top of the ridge. From the top of the ridge you will see
this. Make your way up the peak starting on the center left of the photo heading upwards. Continue to the center right towards the top and then back to the left until you are at the top of the rocks in the photo. This isn’t the summit, drop down a little bit and then hike 20 feet upwards to another high point. Once again drop down a little bit and head up, this is the
summit.
Essential Gear
Bring plenty of water as there are no water sources and in the summer it gets hot.