Bucket List Hike Pinto Mountain, CA

Hike distance: 12.25 miles

Elevation gain: 2,519 feet

Prominence: 1253 ft

TrailsNH Hiking Difficulty Calculator: 248 - Very Strenuous

Click here for a review of prominence and its role in mountain topography

Click here to navigate to the TrailsNH website for an description of their hiking difficulty scale.

Quote for the Hike

“Mountains are earth’s undecaying monuments.” Nathaniel Hawthorne

Since we started hiking in this area, I've added 3 summits to my bucket list:

1. San Jacinto

2. San Gorgonio

3. Pinto Mountain

In November 2019, we reached the summit of San Jacinto; click the hyperlink above to visit that blog. I aimed to kick off the 2020 hiking season with excitement, so we tackled Pinto Mountain less than a month after both of us arrived in Palm Desert.

During Feb 2019 as we drove into Joshua Tree National Park from the south entrance I was drawn to Turkey Flats and Pinto Mountain and how prominent they were from the main road. Here's the picture that sparked my intense interest in this hike.

I started looking into the hike and discovered descriptions that included similar statements like:

• NOTE: Route finding for Pinto Mountain is extremely difficult and requires real off-trail navigation skills. Please use EXTRA caution and research before attempting this hike. This is an EXTREMELY strenuous cross country route to Pinto Mountain. Route finding skills, map, and compass are necessary to reach the summit. There is no official trail and many hikers find themselves making several attempts before reaching the summit.

• CAUTION:  Be prepared with GPS track and a good topo map - there is a lightly used trail on ridge but it's essential to have route-finding skills.

However, I felt we had significantly improved our hiking and route tracking abilities over the past year and were prepared to safely accomplish the summit climb.

The trailhead is situated on Pinto Basin Rd, which is the primary road from the southern entrance of JTNP. We began our journey by traversing Turkey Flats. Turkey Flats is essentially an extension of Pinto Mt., consisting of rock, gravel, and sand (alluvium) that has eroded from the slopes and canyons ahead of us. I've used an arrow to highlight Pinto, as it is nestled among the other mountain peaks in this part of the range. Our destination was the ridge indicated by the yellow arrow.

Without significant winter rains, the brush looks beaten down by the summer heat.

We are currently 1.25 miles into the hike on the Pinto Dunes, situated midway between the trailhead and the base of Pinto Mountain. These dunes aren't conventional; rather, they consist of a thin layer of fine sand atop an elevated ridge.

This sand-covered ridge delineates the boundary between two opposing faults that have been gradually separated over millions of years. The activity of these faults has resulted in the elevation of the Pinto and Hexie mountain ranges on either side. While we've shared several images of the Pinto Mountains in front of us, this picture features the Hexie range behind Dave, located on the opposite side of the basin.

Once we hiking the final 1.5 miles across the flats, we arrived at the alluvial fan at the ridge's base and started our ascent, a hike of over 3 miles to the summit with an elevation gain of more than 2,300 feet. This image captures the vast, empty stretch of the Turkey Flats.

This was our perspective looking up the ravine. While our initial plan was to follow the ridge, we opted for a lower path through the gully just beneath it. I've circles a white rock formation that we noticed at the beginning of our hike. Its significance will be discussed later.

The first section of the ravine provided some fun boulder hopping, but as we continued our hike, we encountered more difficulties. As the ravine became narrower, the boulders grew significantly larger.

At several points, we needed to scale rock walls over 10 feet high, but luckily, we always discovered reliable hand and foot holds.

Approximately 30 minutes after entering the ravine, we encountered the 'white rock formation' we had spotted earlier. This rock wall, over 50 feet tall and nearly vertical, forced us to make a crucial decision about proceeding with the hike. We had to choose between finding a way up or around this barrier or retracing our steps a significant distance to find an easier climb out of the ravine. Although the picture suggests the hillside to the right might be a viable option, it was extremely steep and covered in scree. We never considered this a safe alternative.

REMINDER: This was how the 'white rock wall' appeared at the opening to the wash. At this point we couldn't appreciate the magnitude and challenges we'd face to scale this wall.

After careful review, we opted to follow a route to the right of the wall. Dave took the lead and things started out well. People have described the area around the vertical wall as Class 3 scrambling.

• Class 3: Hands, short fall. Class-3 is easy climbing. The route might be steep terrain or rocky outcrops where you need your hands. There would be lots of large handholds, and while Class-3 is easy and you wouldn't fall, a fall none-the-less would be short and result in injury but not death. You wouldn't do it with your hands in your pockets, but you probably wouldn't want a rope either, and you still might whistle a happy song (at least after you got over the outcrop).

Despite making significant progress, we had to turn back when the path became more difficult than we felt comfortable handling.

We regrouped and found a new route to the left of the rock wall.

Even though the path was simpler, we knew it lead us to a lip at the base of the vertical rock wall where we'd face another challenge. Would we be able to discover a way around the wall, or would we have to attempt climbing it?

Here's Dave on the landing/lip, evaluating potential routes to the top. From this angle, the wall seems not very tall, but as the upcoming pictures reveal, it was quite the climb.

Dave spotted a steep route to the far left that seemed to skirt around the wall.

From the start, the route followed a roughly 45° incline.

The higher we climbed the more interesting things became. After scaling the slope that adjacent to the wall, we had to navigate a very narrow ledge and then climb over the 'white wall' to arrive at a secure landing area.

Success! As I neared our landing spot, I captured this photo of Dave gazing down the steep 'white wall'. The image also emphasizes how narrow the footing was in this final part of the climb. Take note of the rubberized gloves on Dave's hands. I had purchased these gloves to enhance hand grip for the challenging rock scrambling we expected to face on Pinto. They were incredibly effective.

Dave did an excellent job leading us to this point. Nonetheless, we couldn't celebrate because progress had been slow for a while, and we needed to increase our speed to reach the summit and get back to the car before nightfall.

As we ascended, the ravine veered to the left, and even though we were searching for a path that would bring us nearer to our planned route along the ridge line, we turned left.

Pausing for a moment to look back and appreciate how far we'd hiked.

As the landscape flattened and became less steep, we began to gain significant time.

We deliberately chose to turn left in the ravine and delay our climb to the ridge, since the terrain ahead appeared more favorable at this moment.

Along the way there were a few fun spots.

Our confidence had increased significantly since the start of the hike. This was a 15' climb using small but secure holds that felt easy.

We following this route for over an hour. This jagged rock outcropping us signaled the beginning of our climb out of the ravine and on to the ridge.

It was a slow 25-minute climb on a moderately steep incline with unstable footing.

We enjoyed a fantastic view of the ridge line (curving from the center to the left) that was supposed to be our original path. I have a feeling it would have been an easier hike but far less adventurous.

Since starting the hike, this was the first time we could see a faint outline of the trail.

We gained elevation quickly on the steep winding trail.

There was a brief climb around a rock outcropping. Dave briefly lost his footing and almost face-planted into a cactus. Luckily he just brushed against the cactus spines.

As we completed the rock climb, the summit plateau came into view.

Forty-five minutes after reaching the ridge, we were just a short walk away from the summit cairn.

Four hours after starting the hike we had reached the summit.

Inside a securely sealed ammo can, there was a summit register notebook. We were the 10th and 11th individuals to reach the summit of Pinto Mountain in the last two weeks.

Dave enjoyed lunch and the views from 3,983 feet. We didn't encounter anyone throughout the hike; having the summit all to ourselves was fantastic.

The view looking west across the barren lowland of Pinto Basin. Like everywhere you go in the region, the summits of San Jacinto (10,834'; top center) and San Gorgonio (11,503'; far right) were visible.

The northern view of the Bullion Mountains (far left) located in the Mojave Desert.

Before long, it was time for us to begin our descent. With no visible trail, we discussed which path to the wash seemed the most feasible. Here's another excellent picture of the Pinto Basin with Eagle Mountain in the background (left of center).

We start our descent on the scree-covered slope. Our target was the wash visible in the center and curving to the right.

The answer: On all fours. The question: How do you get down a steep rock covered slope with no secure footing. Dave demonstrates the technique. Each step we took we slid 3 additional feet down the hill.

It would have been easier if we had used a sled, snowboard or skis on the hill.

It took us close to an hour to navigate the slope and reach the wash. The start of the wash was a welcomed sight.

We felt more at ease once we arrived at the wash and returned to our usual hiking conditions. For me, this part can sometimes be the most difficult. The thrill of reaching the summit and overcoming challenges was behind us, and now it was just a lengthy, gradual hike through the wash and onward to the Turkey Flats.

The geology surrounding us was fascinating. I wish I had a better understanding of the subject so I could appreciate it at the time, rather than having to read about it later.

This was undoubtedly the largest ocotillo I have ever encountered. The spiny branches of the ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) are a quintessential feature of the American Southwest. For much of the year, the long, thorny branches look gray and withered, but they burst into bright green leaves following rainfall. In the spring, vivid red flowers bloom at the tips of its branches, adding a colorful accent to the serpentine plant.

Eventually, the wash ended and we began our trek across the Turkey Flats. We still had plenty of daylight remaining. Overall, it had taken just over three hours to hike from the summit to the Flats.

Around now 'civil' twilight had set in. Despite the fading sunlight, we knew which direction to take to get back to the car. Dave felt relieved because the twilight limited my chances of taking more photos.

A final glance at the 2nd mountain on my bucket list that we conquered. Pinto is the third wide peak from the left.

By the time we got to the car, it was clear that night had fallen and darkness had fully settled in.

We had completed the Pinto Mountain loop hike in 9 hours and 25 minutes.

Job well done and now time to head home for a supper and a post hike swim.

SUMMARY

It was a great feeling and sense of accomplishment to complete this hike. First, because it was the 2nd peak knocked off the bucket list. More importantly,  it represented another crucial step in our development as hikers.

I have always thought that this 'progress' began during the Siyeh Pass hike in Glacier National Park. Just before reaching the Pass, we lost the trail due to deep snow in a cold and windy setting. In the past, the harsh weather, the remote location in GNP, and our frustration and 'fear' would have overwhelmed us. We would have turned back to the trailhead. However, this time we paused and devised a plan to separate while staying within sight of each other to find the trail. We understood our limitations and trusted our ability to evaluate the situation and create a plan. This approach worked, we found the trail and completed the loop hike, resulting in a significant boost in our confidence as hikers.

During our hike at Pinto Mountain, we didn't let the new challenges overcome us. At the nearly vertical white rock wall, our initial attempt to bypass this obstacle was unsuccessful. However, we paused and looked for an alternative route. The second path we chose didn't demand more rock climbing skills than we had, but it did require us to use them at heights we hadn't faced before. Dave took charge and helped us overcome this challenge. Additionally, during our descent from the summit, there was no visible trail leading to the wash. As the warning indicated, route finding for Pinto Mountain is very difficult and requires genuine off-trail navigation skills. Although our chosen path off the summit may not have been the best, we managed to navigate through tough conditions and reached the wash in good time.

I'm not sure what our next step will be but I think it will involve more reliance on map reading and compass skills. I'm look forward to preparing for that test!