I’ve wanted to visit Mazourka Peak since I started SOTA, 5 years ago. The summit is a drive up from Independence on Hwy 395, take Mazourka Canyon Road from the south end of town all the way to the top. Took about 2 hours one way to drive the 22 miles up on the gravel road. At the top are some small radio shelters, and an amateur repeater. It was obnoxiously windy and cold, so my visit was short. I setup a Yaesu 817 with an EFHW antenna and worked 20M CW. One FM QSO to a ham in Bishop, CA. On the drive down I stopped several time to explore old mining ruins, and to scout another summit. I’ll be back up there again soon!
If you have ever driven up to Mammoth Lakes from Los Angeles, you probably drove right past Red Hill. The hill is an ancient volcano, which is covered in small marble sized volcanic rock called cinders. The surrounding area features fields of basalt, with Fossil Falls just to the south of the summit. I parked my truck on the side of Red Hill, in an area where it appeared to be mined for it’s cinder. From there I started up. You can make out a use trail most of the way. The small, loose cinders made the trek up slow, as it felt like walking on a beach, except worse. Take a step, slide back a bit. Once at the top I used the KH1 with the whip. Worked 6 stations across two bands – two S2S. While packing up I found the summit register hidden in some rocks. I signed it and started heading down. Loose rocks make the decent quick, and I was back on the highway heading north quickly.
I’ve overlooked this summit for years because it was rarely activated and only worth two points. I got skunked twice on two earlier SOTA attempts due to closed roads. Frustrated, I pulled over to the side of the road and found the closest summit to me. That was Burn Benchmark. After some quick research, I headed into the OHV area, parked where other vehicles were parked and headed down the well used trail. I did not see any no trespassing signs anywhere along my route. The hike was mostly enjoyable, however it was very windy. About 2/3rds of the way there you see a very steep mountain; a small makeshift sign read “Hell Hill”. I’m assuming a dirt biker put it there as, there was evidence of dirt bikes in the area. As a guy who rides, I have no idea how you could wrangle a bike up something like this. Perhaps they went down? Their efforts left permanent scars on the hillside. Bummer.
I woke up early at the big RV parking lot/ campsite in Stovepipe wells; not my favorite place to sleep but an easy option. I quickly made some coffee and headed up to Towne Pass to start my hike up to Pinto Peak. Once there and moving around I noted the temperature was 37F, the wind was blowing at an uncomfortable speed, and I was wearing shorts. The sun wasn’t over the horizon yet so I knew it would warm up at the day progressed. As I started the hike up the first climb, the sun peaked over the landscape directly in front of me, inhibiting my vision. This made route finding somewhat tricky. The majority of this hike is class 2, with some light class 3 sprinkled in.
After several wrong turns, I finally made it to the summit, where I found and signed the register. It was still very windy at the top, setting up my standard EFHW antenna would have been tricky, and perhaps result in a broken mast or wire. Luckily I brought a KH1. This radio has a small whip antenna and tuner built in. While not a great performer compared to full size aerials, it works in situations like this well. Huddled behind the rock cairn, out of the wind – I worked 15M, and 17M. No S2S unfortunately.
After the working all stations in the initial pileups, I signed QRT and headed back to the truck. I’d had enough of the strong winds and was feeling fatigued by it. I made good time heading down the hill but made several wrong turns off my initial track which slightly extended the trip. This also sent me down some class 3 spots which I could have possibly avoided. Back at Towne Pass, there was a guy in a 1st generation Toyota Tacoma refueling from portable jugs. He was pulling a large, 7,000 pound trailer. I chatted with him a bit and turns out the truck had the 2.7L engine, mated with an automatic transmission. Impressive.
From Highway 190, take Dante’s View Road all the way to a large parking area. This is a pretty well known spot in Death Valley which offers stunning views of Badwater Basin and the Panamint Range. The summit of Dante Benchmark is just a short hike north of the parking area, and beyond that, Mount Perry, a little over 4 miles away on a well worn trail.
Like most of my hikes, I got up to the trailhead later than I would have liked. From there I wasted no time getting on the trail and away from the tourists on the pavement. It only takes about 5 minutes (or less) to get to the first summit, but my plan was to activate the furthest one first. The trail to Mount Perry is easy to follow, but you loose about 1,000 feet of elevation on the way there, before climbing another 1,000 feet back up. Near the summit the trail is a bit of a scramble. See .gpx file below. Once at the top I had the whole mountain to myself. I setup an EFHW and worked 15M and 7M CW, no S2S. After exhausting the initial round of chasers I packed up and headed back to Dante Benchmark.
Trailhead from parking areaNice view of Mount PerryA closer look at Mount Perry, you can kinda see the trail.Some parts to scramble overView from the top
I made it back to Dante Benchmark 30-ish minutes before UTC turnover and was feeling pretty scorched from wind and sun exposure. I was also pretty hungry. Not wanting to setup a full sized antenna, I found a nice rock near the top to sit on, and used a KH1 with the internal whip to make contacts on 17M CW. By the time I was getting back to the truck the sun was setting and the cold desert temperatures were creeping in.
The trailhead for Salt Benchmark was right off CA-127 on the way to Death Valley National Park. Once there I was surprised to find a wetland area named Salt Creek, complete with a bit of flowing water. Additionally, there is a nice trail leading to some mining ruins, complete with information signs along the way describing the history of the area. This is honestly worth doing even if you don’t hike up to the summit. After checking out an old stamp mill, I started my way up to the summit on a narrow use trail. This is where most if the elevation gain starts. About half way up, it gets even steeper, and the rocks are razor sharp. I never considered hiking with gloves, but they would be very useful here. You you slip here, you will bleed. I got to the top just after 00:0 UTC and setup an end fed half wave connected to my new MTR 3B V4. Worked 15 and 20M, signed the register, and headed down because I was loosing daylight. By the time I got back to the truck it was dark. I ate a snack and headed to my camping spot in DVNP, Hole in the Wall, where it was extremely windy.
Last year I started bringing my Yaesu 817 up to more summits. Since this radio has the 10M band, and setting up a 10M antenna is easy, I worked a bunch of 10M. I was aware of this SOTA challenge, but wasn’t actively trying to get points. I ended up 22nd in W6, and 257th worldwide. Pretty good!
Otto Mountain is in Baker, CA, just off Interstate 15. There isn’t much in town except a bunch of gas stations for people traveling between Los Angeles, and Las Vegas – oh, and the biggest thermometer, ever. I’m sure many SOTA operators have passed this little mountain several times, perhaps even considered climbing it, but for some reason, it remained activation free. On a trip to Death Valley National Park, I decided to go for it. I needed to top off my gas tank anyways, pretty convenient!
Getting to the summit is pretty easy, there are power lines accompanied by a dirt road at the base of the mountain. I drove this and parked in a well used area near several old mine shafts. After walking around a bit I determined this wasn’t the best place to ascend. Eventually I found a good route and started hiking up. It was steep, rocky, and loose with several false summits. At the top, I setup my brand new MTR3B V4 for 20M, along with a brand new 3D printed key. After several Qs, the key started acting funny, then eventually failed! Luckily the new MTR has a built in touch keyer, which saved the activation!
From the summit I could see a pretty well defined use trail which I thought might be a better way to descend, plus it makes the hike a loop. I took this path, but it seemed sketcher that the way up. I think I lost the trail several times, and once needed to backtrack up to safer ground. Near the bottom were more mines, with lots of blue-green quartz around. Copper perhaps? From there, it was an easy hike back to the truck.
I parked here by some mines, could have parked much closer.General viewsFirst view of the summitAt the top, looking down at Baker, CAThe ridge line I hiked downFound lots of this blue-green quartz near mines.Found a use trail back to the truck
This was my 1st summit for 2025 So.Cal Winter SOTA Fest. Sometime last year, I worked two stations on this very summit during the 2024 Winter Sota Fest, so activating it makes it a complete for me. I left my home in Los Angeles early in the morning on a Friday and drove to Victorville to pickup some supplies at a grocery store before heading to Lucerne Valley. From there I jumped on a dirt road and headed towards Cougar Buttes. Finding the way was pretty easy, just follow various dirt roads to the general direction to the summit. Near the destination it got pretty sandy. I locked the front hubs on the truck in the event I needed 4wd. Once I was close, I got out and started hiking. The trip up is all boulder scramble. The large rocks reminded me of the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, CA. I needed to backtrack several times to find a better/ safer route. There isn’t much room at the top for an antenna. Additionally, it was extremely windy. This is where the KH1 with the internal whip really shines! Worked 15M CW, then quickly went QRT. On the way down I took a different route which was longer, but made the hike a loop. Overall, a fun scramble. I’d do it again!
This was my 2nd summit for 2025 So.Cal Winter SOTA Fest. I wasn’t planning to climb this one, but it was close to me after a failed attempt at Fry Benchmark. I got as close to the summit as I could on a wide gravel road, then hiked a short distance up the steep hillside, where I was surprised to see a two track truck trail. I followed this all the way to the actual summit where strong wind had me hiding behind a rock pile. I used a KH1 with the whip on 20M, and 15M, and ended my quickly activation quickly after only 15 minutes or so at the top. The way down was more technical then the ascent, traveling through dry waterfalls and a short ravine. Over all, pretty fun, short hike. You could probably drive up there with a jeep or dual sport bike but hiking is pretty easy too.
