Apr 11, 2018 — I've driven through the Mojave National Preserve so many times on my way from Las Vegas to Southern California, the New York Mountains looming to the east. I finally decided to get to the rocky pinnacle-filled high point. This route follows Keystone Canyon along a dirt road that ends at a mine shaft with abandoned mine rails. Along the way, I took a detour on a side road leading to an old mine with a mostly intact shack and rusty truck, and then crossed over a ridge to gain the main route again. From the old mine shaft, a steep gully leads to a lightly forested ridge with views of the two big pinnacles on the right that were visible most of the way up, as well as the summit of the New York Mountains on the left. There are two similar-looking boulder piles on the parallel ridge on the left, but it will be obvious which one is the true summit. After gaining some elevation, a pretty and rocky wannabe knife-edge ridge easily follows up to the base of the New York Mountains High Point summit, but this ridge is avoidable if you keep just to the east, but you'll miss the nicest views of the day. Find a short Class 3 scramble from the base of the boulder-stacked high point to the summit. I noticed a smaller white peak in the distance, which I later found out was unnamed Peak 6512, but the ridgeline to get there was clearly not a big deal and would avoid the annoying gully from the mine shaft as well as the less desirable dirt road, so I made the day a little longer and into a loop by including this additional summit, totally worth it. I actually recommend my descent route as the ascent - it feels cleaner and has far better views than the Keystone Canyon standard route.
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