Class 2 6.8 miles 2100 gain 3-5 hrs Out + Back Feb 9, 2020
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Brown Peak GPX Track

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Brown Peak looks pretty boring from all angles while driving past it, but my perception of the peak changed completely once we were working up its west face. It's very colorful, despite how it might appear in the photos below due to poor overcast lighting. I should note that there are two routes up the peak: this one coming from the west, which requires a bit of driving on a dirt road in good shape, but reduces the amount of walking time through flat desert; or the eastern approach, which has easier car access and I haven't done, but honestly doesn't seem as interesting of a route. To access the trailhead, turn off at here (36.2099079, -116.3893925) from the main paved road. Any car can likely make it.

From a small pull-out, we slogged through the gully-rutted desert, our first milestone being a gap to the right of a dark lump ahead, where we ascended to a low saddle and got a nice view of the whole route to come. Brown Peak was looking pretty nice perched on top of yellow cliff bands. We dropped east off the low saddle and side-hilled down into the major wash below. After only a couple hundred feet of wash walking as we headed east, we noted the wash led to a dryfall. Instead, we left the wash and headed up a slope that would bypass the drainage completely, leading us instead steeply up and around the east side of a small and cliffy peak (Class 2). We found ourselves at a small saddle northwest of Brown Peak. The views south were really stunning, the colorful cliff bands coming down from the ridgeline above unique.

We continued generally east along the ridge, picking our way around Class 2 obstacles, but mostly just sticking to the high point of the slope. A few hundred feet from the summit, we encountered some steep and loose scrambling (Class 2+) that got us up the dark cliffs surrounding Brown Peak. A short walk on the mostly flat summit of Brown Peak led to the high point.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Brown Peak
4947 ft
1684 rise

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Heading east through the desert. We headed to the right of the black bump above Kurt's head.
Heading east through the desert. We headed to the right of the black bump above Kurt's head.
Brown Peak, center. We headed up to the low saddle ahead.
Brown Peak, center. We headed up to the low saddle ahead.
Past the low saddle, we side-hilled a bit to get down into the drainage seen center, below.
Past the low saddle, we side-hilled a bit to get down into the drainage seen center, below.
Heading up the drainage for a short time toward the colorful cliff bands ahead. We left the drainage on the left a bit before reaching a dryfall.
Heading up the drainage for a short time toward the colorful cliff bands ahead. We left the drainage on the left a bit before reaching a dryfall.
After leaving the drainage, we headed up this slope toward the cliffy outcrop above.
After leaving the drainage, we headed up this slope toward the cliffy outcrop above.
View back down into the drainage. You can also see the low saddle we descended from earlier to get into the drainage, above Kurt.
View back down into the drainage. You can also see the low saddle we descended from earlier to get into the drainage, above Kurt.
Class 2 as we wrap around the east side of small and cliffy peak, out goal the saddle ahead.
Class 2 as we wrap around the east side of small and cliffy peak, out goal the saddle ahead.
View back as we wrap around the base of the small and cliffy peak. Brown Peak is visible top left.
View back as we wrap around the base of the small and cliffy peak. Brown Peak is visible top left.
At the saddle northwest of Brown Peak, headed generally east on colorful terrain.
At the saddle northwest of Brown Peak, headed generally east on colorful terrain.
View back down toward the saddle we asended from.
View back down toward the saddle we asended from.
Brown Peak ahead.
Brown Peak ahead.
View back, the drainage we started in visible in the center.
View back, the drainage we started in visible in the center.
Class 2+ below the summit area of Brown Peak on loose terrain.
Class 2+ below the summit area of Brown Peak on loose terrain.
View back down the Class 2+ section, the rim above the colorful cliff band visible on the left. The drainage we started in is visible on the right.
View back down the Class 2+ section, the rim above the colorful cliff band visible on the left. The drainage we started in is visible on the right.
Just above the Class 2+, we headed across the mostly flat summit area.
Just above the Class 2+, we headed across the mostly flat summit area.
Brown Peak summit, view east toward the standard route coming from the east rather than the west.
Brown Peak summit, view east toward the standard route coming from the east rather than the west.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!