Inspiration Peak and Point 5558 - 2.22.2025
From Park Blvd in Joshua Tree National Park drive to the end of Keys View Road and hike north on an unsigned trail... Keys View is in the extreme far left foreground... a very easy viewpoint to reach... but we are going to gain some elevation on the right for much better views... we are looking across Coachella Valley to the San Jacinto Mountains in middle of the photo.
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Gaining elevation and heading over to Point 5558 in the middle of the photo... with a snow covered San Gorgonio Mountain on the extreme far left horizon.
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We are in the Little San Bernardino Mountains... here looking back to the south at the Keys View area... with the Salton Sea barely visible down at the end of Coachella Valley... with part of the Santa Rosa Mountains on the right horizon.
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Still gaining elevation and looking back to the south... and we can see more of the Salton Sea the higher we get.
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Looking NE across Juniper Flats to what I call the heart of Joshua Tree National Park... the Wonderland of Rocks, Hidden Valley, Hemingway, Ryan Mountain and Queen Mountain.
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We are going to have to give up a little elevation to get over to Point 5558... with the snow covered Tahquitz Peak and snow covered San Jacinto Peak on the other side of Coachella Valley on the far left.
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Getting ready to regain that elevation we just gave up in order to get up to Point 5558.
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I have made it up to the top of Point 5558... here looking SW across Coachella Valley to the Santa Rosa Mountains and San Jacinto Mountains on the far left... and looking NW to a snow covered San Gorgonio Mountain on the left-center horizon... and looking north to Inspiration Peak in the foreground.
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Denali Girl took this photo of me relaxing on Point 5558 as she was working her way up to join me.
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Leaving Point 5558 and heading NW over toward Inspiration Peak.
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Getting closer to Inspiration Peak... with an interesting shed in the right foreground.
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Almost up to the flatish summit of Inspiration Peak.
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Denali Girl is getting ready to step onto the summit (5,572 feet) of Inspiration Peak... looking beyond her on the left to Queen Mountain on the horizon... with Ryan Mountain on the horizon to the right of her.
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The Inspiration Peak benchmark was placed in 1939.
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Looking south back to Point 5558... with the Salton Sea down at the end of Coachella Valley.
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Still on the Inspiration Peak summit... with San Jacinto Peak on the extreme far left horizon, San Gorgonio Mountain on the left-center horizon, Quail Mountain (the 5,816 foot high point in Joshua Tree National Park) in the center foreground... and Queen Mountain on the extreme far right horizon.
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Denali Girl on the Inspiration Peak summit... with Ryan Mountain and Queen Moutain to the left of her on the horizon.
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Time to trace our steps back to the car... with Point 5558 just ahead.
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Getting closer to Keys View we decided to just relax for a bit.
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Almost back to the car... the total hike was 2 miles, gaining 738 feet of elevation.
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