Walking Wild & Free

Owl Benchmark 1

Owl Benchmark

Owl Benchmark 1

Owl Benchmark

Scramble to the highest point in the Owlshead Mountains with fantastic views.

Total Distance: 3.6 miles out & back	Elevation Gain: 1,645ft. (3,885ft. to 4,663ft.)
Difficulty: Moderately Strenuous	0-5 Mile Difficulty: Very Strenuous
View Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0	Author’s Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars3.0
Visitor Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]	Visitor Difficulty Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]
Pets: No	Horses: Yes
Best Seasons: November-April	Special Permits: None. Do not trespass into the fenced radio/microwave facility at the end of the road.
Water Availability: None	Overnight Options: Dispersed camping permitted
Trailhead Amenities: None	Crowd Factor: Solitude
Trailhead Access: 2.0 4×4 appreciated, though high clearance may be ok in dry weather
Uses:	Trail Surface:
Features:	Hazards:

Mile-by-Mile: Owl Benchmark

0.0 Quarter mile from the end of Owl Hole Spring Road (3,881ft.). A small pulloff on a switchback marks the “trailhead.” Ascend to the ridge slightly to the west that strikes north. There may be burro trails to follow, but use care as the trails don’t necessarily lead where you want to go. Fairly quickly, Owl Benchmark will come into view as a tall brown hill with red patches and streaks. Continue either along the ridgeline or along the side of the hill to avoid the small peaks on the ridgeline. (Hikers recommend following the burro trails on the hill bypasses – the first hill is passed below on the right (east) side, while the second hill is better to just hike across the top.) The ridgeline travels generally north, then turns northeast as it ascends some colorful hills. As the first ridgeline descends toward the colorful hills, it may be easier to turn right-ish and ascend the colorful ridgeline at an angle than to scramble straight up. (35.712737°, -116.889231°)

1.2 Drop into Drainage (4,038ft.). Drop into the drainage below Owl Benchmark. At this point, you can either scramble up the hill directly to the north and follow the ridgeline up (keep your eyes open to spot Wingate Dry Lake to the northwest) or you can turn right for a short distance to the drainage that travels north and follow that upward. At the head of the drainage, turn right to ascend Owl Benchmark (or climb one of the side drainages up to the ridgeline to ascend to the top of the peak). (35.726876°, -116.886179°)

1.8 Owl Benchmark (4,663ft.). Enjoy views of Lost Lake to the east, Death Valley and the Panamint Mountains (including Telescope Peak) to the north, the colorful Crystal Hills with Brown Mountain beyond to the south, Long Valley (through which you can see the roads once taken by the 20 Mule Team) and the Slate Range to the west, and so much more before retracing your steps to the trailhead.(35.731362°, -116.881823°)

History & More

I’ve read that Owl Benchmark (Owl Peak) is the highest point in the Owlshead Mountains and the lowest peak in Death Valley National Park.

I’ve also read that – if you have good eyes or binoculars – you can look into the military-owned land and see simulated targets for the naval forces training at China Lake.

If you look closely, you can see miles of monorail built for the old Epsom salt works in the Crystal Hills. Today, the monorail is on land owned by the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and thus not open to the public (honest, you don’t want a bomb dropped on you accidentally).

Geological survey benchmarks are survey markers that have been surveyed as accurately as possible, given technology at the time they were set in place. They are helpful to current surveyors in ensuring the accuracy of current geographic data. Death Valley National Park alone contains hundreds of benchmarks.

Download Route Map

Driving Directions

The route begins along the Owl Hole Spring Road, 0.3 miles from the end of the road, and 18.3 miles west of the Randsburg Road Junction.