Hike Funeral Mountains Wilderness High Point Funeral Mountains Wilderness BLM, CA

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This hike heads up to the high point of the BLM-designated Funeral Mountains Wilderness. There are many options to gain this summit, but Marko and I based our route on Bob Burd's. I added additional dotted lines marking likely easier routes, but you're likely to encounter at least one Class 3 move whatever way you decide to approach the peak. I definitely don't recommend approaching via our descent (we went clockwise on the attached map), because the descent is a 600-foot scree slope.

We parked at the Slabby Acres campsite and headed north toward the farthest finger leading down from Funeral Mountains Wilderness High Point (FMWHP). We avoided some craggy stuff at its base and were able to gain the ridge using a steep slope. Once on the ridge, it's obvious the direction to go because there aren't any other off-shoots. However, about halfway up the peak we encountered some rocky terrain that lasted a few hundred feet. It included some fun scrambling with at least two Class 3 sections. At the end of the rocky section is where you'll see as ascent gully that I labeled "Likely Easier" on the map. We liked the ridge overall, but it's probably not the most efficient way up FMWHP. As we continued along the ridge, we came across another Class 3 section and then a steep push to the false summit. It looks more daunting from below, but ultimately ended up being a Class 2 slope. We continued on very mellow terrain from the false summit to the true summit. A bit of Class 2 up the slope to the summit area followed by more Class 2 along a short ridge led to the high point of FMWHP. We took in the views of the high Sierra in the distance and Pyramid Peak to the northwest.

We briefly considered heading back the way we came, but previous trip reports seem to show going down the east side on a crap-ton of scree being a viable option. Some Class 2/2+ down-climbing on loose crap brought us to a somewhat eroded social trail. This took us directly down the scree slope and into a drainage. The Class 2 boulder-hoppy drainage led us into the open desert and back to the trailhead.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)

Peaks on hike

Elevation

Prominence

Funeral Mountains Wilderness High Point

5320 ft

1320 rise

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Pyramid Peak on the left, Funeral Mountains Wilderness High Point right.

The ridge we ascended it just above Marko's head.

Entering a drainage to the right of the ridge before we started ascending. The ridge initially looked craggy, so we just bypassed it.

On the ridge. We came up from the left in this photo.

Along the Class 2 ridgeline.

Looking back.

False summit of FMWHP visible center.

View back along the ridge, Pyramid Peak visible top right.

Approaching the Class 2/3 stuff.

Class 3 section of ridgeline.

One of the few Class 3 moves.

Looking back at our progress along the ridge. You can see the Class 2/3 stuff in the center. You can also see the gully on the right I labeled "Likely Easier" in blue on my attached map.

Another Class 3 move.

The terrain mellows out for a bit before the slope begins to steepen again.

Class 2/3.

View back at the last Class 3 move.

Push to the false summit (we kept to the right of the crest and it was straightforward).

View back just before the Class 2 to the false summit of FMWHP.

Class 2 stuff to the false summit.

View from the false summit toward the ridge that I labeled "Probably easier" in blue on my attached map.

False summit, view toward the true summit.

View back toward the false summit (left). Pyramid Peak visible top right.

Class 2 to the true summit.

View east from the summit. We'd be descending in the center.

Class 2+ descent from the summit.

Scree slope.

After the scree slope, some Class 2 boulder-hopping the rest of the way down.

Looking back up our descent drainage.

Looking back toward the descent drainage (center). It looks like an unlikely route from below. And honestly I would never recommend ascending this way.

View back.

Heading through the desert back to the trailhead.

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!