Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Enjoy a telescopic panorama from the 11,000-foot summit of Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park.

Telescope Peak, the highest peak on the Panamint Range overlooking Death Valley from the west, was christened in the late 18th Century by an explorer who thought the view from the top was so far-reaching it was as if he were looking through a telescope. On the clearest days, it's easy to confirm that impression. The otherworldly view includes the glaring salt pan of Death Valley, only 10 miles away but 11,000 feet lower, and the serrated ridgeline of the Sierra Nevada, up to 100 miles away and as much as 3000 feet higher. On both of my treks to Telescope Peak, I've seen the distant blue silhouette of the San Bernardino Mountains, 150 miles away.

The easiest way to bag Telescope Peak is by way of the trail rising from Mahogany Flat, a small and remote (no reservations and free of charge) camping area near the western boundary of Death Valley National Park. The five-hour driving approach from San Diego to the campground is by way of Interstate 15, Highway 395, thence the lonely road past Searles Dry Lake and through the forlorn mining-company town of Trona. On the final approach to Mahogany Flat, the road becomes unpaved and possibly rough, depending on the incidence of gully-washing storms and the recency of grading.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The Telescope Peak Trail consists of a two-part, stairstep climb of about 3000 feet in all, with a long, nearly flat segment in between the climbs. The trail measures seven miles one way, definitely a full-day's worth of hiking for the round trip. The flat portion of trail at the top of the first long ascent traverses spacious Arcane Meadows, which is coated with a low growth of sagebrush and small shrubs, not grass. You get a spacious view of the Sierra crest to the west, and later on (looking east) you're treated to a jaw-dropping panorama of the lowest and hottest part of Death Valley. Last Memorial Day weekend, when temperatures were reaching 120 degrees in Death Valley itself, we hikers were basking in 75-degree air on the trail and even cooler air at the summit.

The second and final big ascent takes you on switchbacks through a thin band of coniferous trees, just high enough in elevation to snag enough moisture from passing storms, and just low enough to survive bitter winter temperatures. Some of these conifers are bristlecone pines, noted for their hardiness and longevity. In the White Mountains to the north, one living bristlecone pine has been age-dated (by counting tree rings) at 4766 years.

Bring all the water you'll need for the long hike and also for your stay at Mahogany Flat. By December, perhaps, winter snows will block road access into the area -- so either go soon, or wait until May, after the spring thaw.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Top Websites To Buy Instagram Likes + Bonus Tip!

Telescope Peak, the highest peak on the Panamint Range overlooking Death Valley from the west, was christened in the late 18th Century by an explorer who thought the view from the top was so far-reaching it was as if he were looking through a telescope. On the clearest days, it's easy to confirm that impression. The otherworldly view includes the glaring salt pan of Death Valley, only 10 miles away but 11,000 feet lower, and the serrated ridgeline of the Sierra Nevada, up to 100 miles away and as much as 3000 feet higher. On both of my treks to Telescope Peak, I've seen the distant blue silhouette of the San Bernardino Mountains, 150 miles away.

The easiest way to bag Telescope Peak is by way of the trail rising from Mahogany Flat, a small and remote (no reservations and free of charge) camping area near the western boundary of Death Valley National Park. The five-hour driving approach from San Diego to the campground is by way of Interstate 15, Highway 395, thence the lonely road past Searles Dry Lake and through the forlorn mining-company town of Trona. On the final approach to Mahogany Flat, the road becomes unpaved and possibly rough, depending on the incidence of gully-washing storms and the recency of grading.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The Telescope Peak Trail consists of a two-part, stairstep climb of about 3000 feet in all, with a long, nearly flat segment in between the climbs. The trail measures seven miles one way, definitely a full-day's worth of hiking for the round trip. The flat portion of trail at the top of the first long ascent traverses spacious Arcane Meadows, which is coated with a low growth of sagebrush and small shrubs, not grass. You get a spacious view of the Sierra crest to the west, and later on (looking east) you're treated to a jaw-dropping panorama of the lowest and hottest part of Death Valley. Last Memorial Day weekend, when temperatures were reaching 120 degrees in Death Valley itself, we hikers were basking in 75-degree air on the trail and even cooler air at the summit.

The second and final big ascent takes you on switchbacks through a thin band of coniferous trees, just high enough in elevation to snag enough moisture from passing storms, and just low enough to survive bitter winter temperatures. Some of these conifers are bristlecone pines, noted for their hardiness and longevity. In the White Mountains to the north, one living bristlecone pine has been age-dated (by counting tree rings) at 4766 years.

Bring all the water you'll need for the long hike and also for your stay at Mahogany Flat. By December, perhaps, winter snows will block road access into the area -- so either go soon, or wait until May, after the spring thaw.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Half Hour Late lives up to their name at the Template

Deadhead-inflected band right at home in Ocean Beach
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.