Station Peak is one of the more remote peaks of the White Mountains. With Rex's SUV we were hoping to get all the way to the base, but we had bikes if the road turned out to be too rough. From the main road we turned right towards the Crooked Creek Station (road 5S01). Past the station the road got much rougher. We made it a few miles down before it was too much for the Pilot. 

On the way.

A short distance after starting my bike decided it had had enough, and the rear wheel came loose. Luckily, we had the tools and strength to get it back where it belonged. Thankfully it was the last real problem I had with my (very old and cheap) bike that weekend. After riding downhill a few miles, we turned off and headed up (road 5S01B). Around the place this spur road ended, there was a small station with two guys working. They were doing something with the cattle grazing in the area.

Station Peak.

From here there was no road or trail, and it was too steep for the bikes, so we left them by a rock and walked the rest of the way. On the way up we went straight. It was a decent route, however our return route was better. On the way down we hiked to the col to the east of the summit then followed the reentrant back to the bikes. I think I would take this route up next time.

Large meadow where we left the bikes.

The summit was covered with flying ants or something like that. It was pretty bad when the breeze didn't blow. There was marginal cell service, and we were able to get a few spots out. Sadly, the bands were in terrible shape, and I barely got my contacts. We could see rain moving in, so we packed up quickly and got out. Back at the bikes we rode back to the road, then up the hill to the car. It is hard to bike at elevation. So hard.

 This peak is the easiest in the White Mountains, by far. The main road goes around the peak just below the summit. However, the only nearby parking is to the south, at the last switchback below the peak. We parked here.

Radio set up at the summit.

From the pullout, it was about a five minute walk up to the top. I was pretty out of breath despite spending the night at 8000 feet. I guess it takes more that eight hours to acclimate.

Pointing at tomorrow's goal, White Mountain Peak.

There was good cell service on top, and the bands were open. We shared a KX2 so we could eavesdrop on all the QSOs. It was a quick and easy activation.

Bristlecone Pines.

We didn't spend too long on top since we wanted to get another peak or two before heading to the end of the road. We were feeling good and hopeful, so we decided to try and get Station Peak next.

 KE6MT, N6RUN, and had decided to go to the White Mountains for some peakbagging and SOTA. In order to acclimate a little, we left after work on Thursday and drove through Yosemite to spend the night on top of Lookout Mountain. I was around 11:30pm when we arrived at the turn off from 395, and with Rex's SUV we quickly made it to the top. 

Trying a midnight activation.

It was a bit hard to see, but my guess is a sedan would've had a lot of trouble getting up to the summit. There were a few rough or sandy sections. We put up our tents, then quickly put up an antenna. Saurabh called CQ for a while, but only got two contacts. Since it was late, we went to bed after deciding to just get our contacts in the morning.

Sierra in the background.

In the morning I woke up first and got on the air. Since it was light across North America, it was easy to get contacts and I quickly got a dozen or so. As the other took their turns, I packed up and made breakfast. Once we all had our contacts and had finished packing up, we headed back down the hill and on to Bishop.

Despite a few trees, the views were excellent.

At the Great Basin Bakery, we met up with Adam K6ARK who was in town for his own trip. Properly fueled with tasty sandwiches, we headed into the White Mountains and our next summit, Peak 10920.

 This is one of three SOTA peaks in the Kaiser Wilderness above Huntington Lake. After some staring at a map, I decided the easiest approach was to drive up to Kaiser Pass, then follow the ridge. This is broadly what we did.

About to enter the wilderness.

The road gets pretty narrow and windy on the way up to the pass, so be prepared for that. There was plenty of parking at the pass, and even some bathrooms. Much cushier than I expected. Heading up the hill we passed a few campfire rings, then the sign marking the wilderness boundary. The slope here is pretty gentle, and it was a pleasant walk through a Sierra forest. On top of the first sub peak we headed down to the col.

Enjoying the view from the open areas.

On the way there we stayed high enough to avoid the marshy meadows. It was probably slightly longer, but having dry shoes made it worth it. The original plan was to get on the ridge and follow it to the summit, but the ridge looked pretty rough. We decided to stay a little below where we only had to walk through calf-high brush. Going was pretty easy, and there weren't any areas we had to fight through.

Huntington Lake.

After you pass around the last sub-peak, you can see the summit above you. This climb was the steepest of the day, but nothing terrible. From below it looks like there are some cliff bands, but the rocks are broken and it was easy to just walk to the summit. From the top the views to the north were excellent, there being a cliff on that side of the mountain. My Verizon phone had ok service, enough to put out some spots. AT&T had some, but not as good.

Making contacts with the new KH1.

The bands were not in good shape, but I managed to get enough on HF with only the KH1 whip. We called on 2m for a while, but there was a station hogging the calling frequency, so we didn't make many there. 

We retraced our steps, more or less, to get back to the car. We stayed a little lower on the ridge during the traverse, and it was just as easy as higher. It did mean, however, we had to cross the wet meadow. Luckily we were able to find enough solid ground to keep our feet dry. Back at the car we coasted down the hill to the general store at the marina to get some snacks and beverages, then back to the campground to relax by the lake.

This was the final peak I was able to do on my 2023 desert trip. The trailhead is in the aptly named town of Red Mountain, along 395. Turn north onto Trona Road, then an immediate right onto the dirt road with the big pullout. Google calls this Steamwells Road. I was only able to drive about a quarter mile down the road in a sedan, but real OHVs could get much farther.

Summit on the right.

Ridge near the summit.

Desert views.

Really from 1907?

Ridgecrest is a strangely named city. The name implies it is on top of a hill, but it is actually in a basin, near a dry lake bed. Nowhere near the crest of a ridge. This peak, however, is on the crest of the ridge south of town. I drove up 395 to the starting point for this unnamed peak. Boundry Road heads off to the east from the highway. I only had a sedan, so I was able to drive about half a mile up the sandy road. With a jeep or similar you could drive to the summit.

Decisions....

The hike is pretty straightforward. Just follow Boundary Road until you get to the summit. As simple as this sounds, however, I still managed to make some wrong turns. Some of the junctions are not signed, and didn't appear on the map I had. I did walk past some benches and art set up in the middle of the desert. Not sure if this is a rest area or a campground or something like that. I didn't stop. 

Some benches at a campsite?

Summit area with Ridgecrest below.

Watch out for the cholla.

This was the third peak of the Victorville Threesome I hiked. After Catholic Hill and Little Bell Mountain was Bell Mountain. This was the hardest of the three peaks. The trailhead for this peak is south of the summit. From Dale Evans Parkway head west on a dirt road. Google calls it Falchion Road, but I can't find this name on other maps. At the intersection with what Google calls Vega Road turn right and head north as far as you can. In a sedan I could get about a quarter mile down this final road. There was a nice place to turn around and park out of the way, so I decided to not risk getting stuck.

Bell Mountain from the trailhead.

Its a steep hike to the summit.

Looking back at the two other summits I did.

This peak is one of three that I call the Victorville Threesome, three peaks along the same ridge, more or less. Catholic Hill was the first I did this day, and the easiest. I parked near the corner of Sylvan and Roanoke Roads in Apple Valley. There is a paved and gated road that leads up to a big water tank on the side of the hill.

At the start of the hike.

Almost at the top.

Views of Apple Valley

This is not the most interesting summit I've done. It is, however, a short and easy hike. Drive up to the end of Lakeside Drive, and find a place to park in the neighborhood. At the end of the pavement, the dirt starts and it is a quarter mile up to the summit.

The summit is visible from the trailhead.

Views of the Jurupa Hills, and the San Gabriel Mountains.

After driving up Government Peak, I headed north on 395 to get this peak. Motorcross road goes towards this summit. It heads west across from Searles Station Cutoff road. Motorcross Road is paved, I suppose. There is pavement, but there are also potholes big enough to swallow a small car. In the Jeep I had, it was easy enough to go around, but a sedan might have a bit of trouble navigating the poor road.

View of the peak from the parking spot.

El Paso Peaks

This desert peak south of Ridgecrest is either really easy or a long slog, depending on your vehicle. I had a Jeep, so it was really easy. Don't follow Google Maps, it tried to take me down closed roads, and didn't know about roads that were easy to drive on. Someone on peakbagger posted a GPS track of the route described here, https://peakbagger.com/climber/ascent.aspx?aid=1133044, if you like pictures more.

From the south end of the small town of Red Mountain, head west on Osdick Road. This curves to the south and becomes Butte Ave. A short distance down Butte, turn right onto Randsburg Mojave Road. All of these roads are dirt, but would be passable in a sedan. 

Next, turn right onto R20, which is also called R16. From here the roads get rougher, and sedans may not be able to make it. Finally, turn north onto R85 or R83, depending on the map or sign, and follow that to the col below the summit. I parked at the col to get some walking in, but you could drive all the way to the summit.

Looking over at Fremont Peak

I had just climbed Frankish Peak, and the rental company had given me a Jeep, so I drove over to the desert to try it out on some dirt roads. My goal was Fremont Peak. This pointy mountain is easy to see as you drive 395, probably on your way to or from the Sierra. 

Looking up at the summit.

Looking at one of the many dry lake beds in the Mojave.

Summit area.

Enjoying desert views while I operate.

 Frankish Peak is one of those peaks that doesn't look too bad on the map. Real life, however, is different. The trailhead for this peak is easily accessible, a large dirt pullout on N Mountain Ave. This is across the street from what appears to be a large dam. Probably to prevent floods when it rains and snows in the mountains. From here there is an unmaintained trail that heads up the hill.

Steep and dry.

Enjoying views of the San Gabriel Mountains.

QRV!

 We had gone to Sequoia Kings Canyon National Parks for the weekend, and before heading home decided to grab an easy SOTA peak. The choice was the nearby Park Ridge. We packed up the campsite, then drove up to the Panoramic Point parking lot. 

What a nice view.

Another view from Panoramic Point.

General Grant tree, the third largest in the world!

 Some time recently Pleasanton Ridge regional park was expanded to include the southern part of Sunol Ridge. This is great news for peak baggers and SOTA enthusiasts - there is now a public trail to the summit. The trailhead is the Tyler Ranch Staging Area at the end of Foothill Road in Sunol. There is a large dirt lot with pit toilets.

Looking down at the new parking lot.

Partway up the steep section.

View as I approached the summit.

Looking over at Pleasanton Ridge on the way down.

Summit from the parking lot.

The trail is across the road from the picnic area. There is a crosswalk at the top of the hill. We crossed, then took the trail that leaves to the right. This briefly parallels the road before turning away and heading up the hill. As you climb onto the base of the ridge, there is an unmarked trail junction. Turn right here and start heading up the ridge.

Summit. If it had been warmer, the pole would have been a good antenna support.

This trail is obviously unmaintained, and it sort of just ends after a while. The brush is sparse enough that it is easy to find a path up. There are even some small cairns marking tricky sections. We had no trouble getting to the summit. It was quite breezy on top, so we found a sheltered area to get set up in. There was good cell service on top. On the bands, 15m was open to Europe, and AA6XA worked Ireland and Portugal. KN6REU worked F4WBN for the first time on 10m, so that was exciting for her.

Trying to make 2m contacts.

Brush on the way up.