Lela Benchmark and Malapai Hill

Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Info

Distance6.2 mi
Elevation gain1,600 ft
Route typeOut & back
Duration2.5 hr
CruxClass 2
Quality5/10

Peaks bagged

1
Lela Benchmark(Zdon)4,720 ft / Prom. 560 ft
2
Malapai Hill(LPC)4,280 ft / Prom. 360 ft
Zdon. Andy Zdon's Desert SummitsLPC. Lower Peaks Committee

Report

I parked along Geology Tour Road at a pullout between Lela Benchmark and Malapai Hill. With only a few hours of daylight left, I headed east toward Lela Benchmark.
Aiming for the gully on the right.
Start of the gully.
View back toward Malapai Hill, right of center.
Easy Class 2.
The gully lets out at this plateau. Continue straight.
Lela Benchmark's summit ahead.
Climbing to the saddle on the left.
View back at the plateau.
On the ridge, final push to the summit.
View back from just below the summit of Lela Benchmark.
Lela Benchmark summit. View north.
Heading down the Lela Benchmark's west ridge.
At a small saddle, dropping into a gully on the right.
The gully steepens.
Class 2 down the gully.
My route passed through this natural rock window.
Big desert tarantula.
Nearing the exit of the gully.
View back up the gully.
Following a sandy wash into the open desert.
Headed back to Geology Tour Road.
Continuing on the west side of Geology Tour Road toward Malapai Hill, seen past the outcrop on the right.
Arriving at the base of Malapai Hill.
Climbing up a band of stable talus.
Looking across the valley toward Lela Benchmark.
Malapai Hill summit. View north.
View southwest.
Descending off Malapai Hill's gentler north slope.
View back at Malapai Hill's north slope.

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