Peak 1,654ft P300
Peak 2,315ft
Peak 2,766ft P300

Dec 23, 2022
Etymology
Story Photos / Slideshow Maps: 1 2 GPX Profile

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While the family slept at our AirBnB in La Quinta, I snuck out to do a few easy peaks in the early morning hours before joining them for less taxing pursuits the rest of the day.

Peak 1,654ft

This is the northwesternmost summit in the Indio Hills, a small range whose summits I've been collecting the past few days. Unlike the other summits, Peak 1,654ft does not appear to be part of the Coachella Valley Preserve. The sandy and rocky terrain is criss-crossed with OHV tracks, some shown on the maps, others not. One can drive to the top of the summit, but I stopped 1/4mi short of the top when the road became a little too sketchy for my taste. It follows the edge of a ridge that drops off to the right in steep badlands terrain. Several vehicles can be seen far below that were brought to their demise, either on purpose or by accident. High-clearance and 4WD needed to get to where I parked. It took less than 10min to hike to the flat, open summit with views southwest to San Jacinto, and northwest to the Little San Bernardino Mtns, where I headed next.

Peak 2,315ft - Peak 2,766ft

This was the more interesting outing of the two, a couple of low elevation summits in the Little San Bernardino Mtns, just inside Joshua Tree NP. The Colorado River Aqueduct runs through tunnels along the base of the range and one must first cross the Dept of Water Resources property to reach the park. I drove to the end of Prospect Rd in an old, rural development to reach a fence at the aqueduct boundary. Signs on the fence are not welcoming, but they look old and the area is only lightly patrolled, if at all. At the end of a spur road where I parked, a large hole has been cut in the fence to allow easy access. I hiked up East Wide Canyon wash, climbing first Peak 2,315ft, then the other, in succession. Both summits had the remains of survey poles used to make spot elevation measurements, neither had registers. I left one on the higher Peak 2,766ft. Views aren't great due to the low elevation of both, surrounded on most sides by higher summits in the range. The lower summit has a good view of San Jacinto to the southwest along with the Coachella Valley and the Indio Hills. I spent just over two hours on the 4mi effort with about 1,500ft of gain. The terrain was all class 2, fairly easy, but sometimes steep and a bit loose.

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