Chuckwalla Mountain

Chuckwalla Mountains BLM, CA Colorado Desert (Western Sonoran Desert)

Trip stats

Distance
3.1 mi
Net Gain
1,600 ft
Time
2-4 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 2
Route
Out/Back
Peaks
1

Ratings out of 10

Effort
2.8/10
Personality
4/10
Beauty
5/10
Solitude
4.7/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

  1. Chuckwalla Mountain
    3,446′ elevation · 1,406′ prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

33.441810, -115.180000

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Trip report

Apr 11, 2020 — The main dirt road south of the Chuckwalla Mountains (Bradshaw Trail) is in good shape, except for the first few miles if coming in from the west, where low clearance may have some difficulty. The turnoff coordinates to get to Chuckwalla Peak are located at 33.42607, -115.1676, and this road was a little worse, but still passable by mid-clearance. We were able to make it to the trailhead, but other cars may have to add a little extra distance. The trailhead was located at a junction of two roads, and the route headed right up the center of them, following a faint road and then continuing to the obvious ridgeline ahead. I really enjoyed this ridge. I thought it was some fun Class 2 scrambling and a section a few hundred feet from the summit required some minor route-finding to locate a Class 2+ move. Despite breaking my thumb on the descent, I was happy with this short and sweet route.

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Photos

16 photos

  1. From where we parked, we continued along an old road (not drivable).
  2. The road led to an obvious ridge.
  3. We stayed just to the right of the ridge crest at first to avoid excessive rock-hopping.
  4. Along the ridge crest, Chuckwalla Mountain visible ahead on the right.
  5. Working our way up the sloping ridge.
  6. Looking back along the ridge.
  7. Chuckwalla Mountain ahead.
  8. Approaching some fun Class 2.
  9. Chuckwalla Mountain ahead.
  10. Lorenzo ascending the Class 2.
  11. Short Class 2+ section a couple hundred feet from the summit.
  12. Chuckwalla Mountain summit ahead.
  13. Chuckwalla Mountain, view southeast.

Photo 1 of 1

Hire me or show some love!

Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

GPX track

Chuckwalla Mountain GPX route and driving track

The complete GPX track is available to download, so you can load the route straight into your navigation app or device. The trip report, route info, photos and planning details stay free.