EISPIRATEN

On day two of my Death Valley trip, I led a group to Wildrose Peak which stands tall at 9,064 feet. There was a beautifully maintained trail but it was a tough 4.2 miles one way. The weather was nice, a little chilly at the summit but we had spectacular views of the Eastern Sierras.

The trail head is also known for its Charcoal Kilns. A bit of history: they were built in 1877 and produced charcoal. Workers filled the stone kilns with pinon pine logs and fired them. Burning reduced wood charcoal took 6-8 days and cooling took 5 days. Wagons then hauled charcoal to the furnace smelter where it was burned to extract silver and lead.

The kilns were pretty cool. We went inside to look around. They make a good place for shelter but it's forbidden to do so.

Stats: 9 miles, 2200' gain


False summit. The peak is behind this bump but it cannot be viewed until you climb the switchbacks above it.

Views from the trail

Wildrose summit

Thanks for the report and history lesson. What was hard about the trail?

Nothing was hard about the trail but the switchbacks were steep.

I went up there a few years ago. That bump was disappointing because it seemed as if it should be the summit. At the top I could see all the way to Mt Charleston outside of Vegas.

Jeff, yeah I hated that bump. From the trail below we thought that was the summit and took pictures. Then you find out that you still have a ways to go.