Off The Beaten Path
This peak guide is presented here for the convenience of our visitors.
Neither the Desert Peaks Sections or the Sierra Club guarantees the accuracy of this document. Use at Your Own Risk!
| No. 6 | Sugar Loaf (5,233') | California |
| 1-Jan-99 |
This guide is based on a Sage article by Reinhold Janson.
Topo Map:
Keeler 15, Upper Centennial Flat 7½
Coordinates: Lat 36 19 05 Lon 117 51 55
Trip Stats: 7 miles r.t., 1600' , class 2.
DRIVING
From the intersection of Hwys 190 and 136 northeast of Olancha, drive about 7 miles southwest and park on the shoulder of Hwy 190 (3640'+).
HIKING
The peak is seen as a prominent round mound to the southeast. Hike south a mile across the sandy desert floor before dropping into the prominent broad wash heading for the peak. A couple of miles of winding wash leads to the base of Sugar Loaf. From here it's best to ascend the summit by the west or east, thereby avoiding the steep and crumbling northern slopes.
NOTES
The Coso Range Wilderness was created by the California Desert Protection Act of 1994. It is situated at the southeast comer of Owens Valley, north and west of the China Lake Naval Weapons Center in Inyo County. This tranquil region is rarely visited. Encountering others in this wilderness is unusual. Apart from the mining roads that skirt its fringes, it remains largely untouched by man. Andy Smatko, Gordon MacLeod, and Barbara Lilley are among the few names in the summit registers.