Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

January 20th, 2024 at 6:50 AMJoshua Tree National Park, CA

Info

Distance16 mi

Elevation gain4,100 ft

CruxClass 3

Route typeLoop

Duration7.5 hr

Quality9/10

Vehicle to trailheadCar

Protected areaJoshua Tree National Park, National Parks Service

EcoregionMojave Basin and Range

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Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Starting along Mastodon Mine Loop Trail from Cottonwood Campground.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Entering a wash.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — View back as the trail exits the wash.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Approaching Mastodon Peak.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Mastoson Mine.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — A grated The trail continues up the staircase on the right.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Taking a hard left onto a use trail leading to Mastodon Peak.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Class 2.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Mastodon Peak summit. View west.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — View east toward Eagle Mountain.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Rejoining Mastodon Mine Loop Trail, headed south.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Cool split rock formation on the right.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Approaching the Lost Palms Oasis Trail junction.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Turning left onto Lost Palms Oasis Trail, headed east.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Dropping into a wash.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — The trail undulates as it crosses several arroyos.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — End of Lost Palms Oasis Trail.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Descending a use trail toward Lost Palm Oasis.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Lost Palms Oasis.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Continuing along Lost Palms Canyon, passing a dozen or so scattered palms marked "Victory Palms" on the topo.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Crawling through massive boulders to reach the lower portion of Lost Palms Canyon.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Approching the lower terminus of Munsen Canyon on the left.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Starting up Munsen Canyon.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Approaching Summit Springs Palm Oasis.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Weaving through the palms.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — A short distance away, Munsen Oasis.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — View back at Munsen Oasis.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — A house-sized boulder.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Staying up high on the right side of the canyon to avoid brush below.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — An unnamed oasis.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Around 3,500 feet, veering right for a subsidiary canyon.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Continuing up a subsidiary canyon.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Class 3 boulder-hopping.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Approaching a second unnamed palm oasis.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Dense willow thickets after the second unnamed palm oasis. After a failed bushwhacking attempt, I bypassed the brush by contouring the crumbly slope on the right.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — After the brushy section, the canyon widens before curving east.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — View back as I continue to ascend.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Starting up a Class 3 chute to exit the canyon.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — View back from the exit chute.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Tricky Class 3 slab.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — More Class 2/3 obstacles ahead.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Above the exit chute, the terrain opens up.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Following a wash.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Aiming for the saddle along the Eagle Mountain ridgeline, left of center.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — At the saddle, view back.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Gaining the ridge to Eagle Mountain.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Eagle Mountain ahead.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — View back from below the summit of Eagle Mountain.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Eagle Mountain summit, occupied by a group of friendly Sierra Club hikers who ascended the standard DPS route that I would use for my descent.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — View east toward the rest of the Eagle Mountain Range.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — View north into Pinto Basin.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Starting down the northwest ridge.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Tailing the group for a while. (It was nice to take a mental break from route finding.)

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — At this plateau, I split off from the group and headed to the saddle, left of center.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Cool slabby terrain.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Starting down the descent gully.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — View back up the descent gully.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Exiting the descent gully.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Hiking through the open desert on the way back to Cottonwood Campground.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Some pockets of lush vegetation.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — View back toward Eagle Mountain.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — I gravitated toward a number of small, westward flowing washes.

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon

Eagle Mountain via Munsen Canyon — Joining an old road which lead back to the campground.