Hike Granite Mountain Palen/McCoy Wilderness Area BLM, CA

Jan 29, 2023 — Not to be confused with Granite Monuntain in Mojave National Preserve, this Granite Mountain is a much more remote and with a lot less foliage. This is a relatively small, though lumpy granitic range set far from anything and anyone. A road from the west used to be used for much shorter access, but that road is reportedly no longer passable to most vehicles. Instead, we came from the south, and for that reason it's paired well with Palen Mountain due to the driving proximity. To reach the trailhead, leave pavement here (33.81745, -114.74829) and follow Arlington Mine Road as it heads west, keeping left at this fork (33.81622, -114.85743) and otherwise just following the excellent dirt road until this junction (33.82853, -114.93378). Keep right here on the graded road, in good shape because there are little radio towers stretching until here (33.92092, -115.02382). Unfortunately past this point the road deteriorates a bit, and then once you turn north here (33.92273, -115.03998) the road gets worse. Up to this point, some drivers may be comfortable bringing a passenger car with good tires out here, but onwards you'll need at least some clearance and good tires. I recommend parking where we did since there are some rough dips into washes shortly after. If you don't mind a more rugged road, you can shave another half mile each way. Burlier vehicles can likely even drive another mile or more by ascending out of a tricky wash here (33.93019, -115.05433) and make it to as far as here (33.93343, -115.07195), which is the Palen-McCoy Wilderness boundary.

Tyler and I hiked the old road until it clearly started bending west and away from the Granite Mountains, where we left it to head through open desert. Without realizing it at first, this standard route heads against the grain of the desert washes, meaning we had to hop in and out of numerous drainages of varying depth. There's no one best way to traverse the desert here, but we more or less stuck to the same general course on the way back as we did on our way in. Heading northwest for a while, we tried to make out where the actual high point was, but the granitic boulders made it hard to form a sense of scale.

Finally after much desert traversing we started north after dropping into a major wash. Following this wash made sense for a while, but it began getting choked by boulders. We found flatter, easier terrain on the wash's west bank and used this instead, our aim being a north-to-south-trending ridge. The southern reaches of this ridge were lumpy so it made more sense not to start up until it clearly was ascending in earnest. It took us both a long time to realize which ridge was the correct route since the terrain somehow felt like it blended together.

Once on the ridge, the hike became a lot more fun and Tyler and I made quick work up the crest. Along the way there were lots of fun Class 2 scrambly bits, nothing exceeding Class 2+ unless you wanted it to. There was one significant rock outcropping that I chose to avoid at around 3200' by keeping to its right, but all othe obstacles are easy to wrap around or just scramble over. As the ridge bent northeast, the terrain became a bit more rocky. Although it only lasted a few hundred vertical feet, this section was slower-moving. And again, all Class 3 can be avoided by wrapping around outcroppings usually on the left, but sticking to the crest adds a bit of fun.

The final bit of hiking led east to the summit on mostly rock-free terrain. Granite Mountain's summit feels immense. Standing on a mountain with over 3000 feet of prominence, we felt like we were on top of the desert. Growing desert haze in the distance added a mystical vibe and it felt good to get another significant desert peak in the middle of nowhere.