Cross Mountain
LENGTH 7.6 miles round trip TRAIL HEAD elevation 4540’Southern Sierra, Highway 14, Lone Tree Canyon
Road, detailed description in Exploring the Southern Sierra: East SideELEVATION 5203’FUN FACTS This interesting and strenuous east face cross-country summit
climb can also be accessed from the south ridge via motorcycle.
This hike is perfect workout for fall, winter, and spring
(too hot in summer). This gem is one of the first in the spring to display fields
of lupine, owl’s clover, poppies, fiddle neck, phacilia, coreopsis, blue dicks,
and filaree. Cross Mountain’s colorful rhyolite lava slopes also offers rock
climbing opportunities.
Our route left the trail head and climbed northwest to the
ridge that led to an optional climb of ChuckwallaMountain, then descended southwest and
ascended up a canyon wash to a pastel pink splotch backed by dark spires on CrossMountain.
From there it is an interesting climb up the east face to the southwest ridge
of the summit. The summit displayed views of CachePeak, ButterbredtPeak, JawboneCanyon, Telescope Peak (Death Valley) and the Wind Farms.