Telescope Peak
Telescope Peak | |
---|---|
Devil's Golf Course, Death Valley, California | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 11,043 ft (3,366 m) NAVD 88[1] |
Prominence | 6,168 ft (1,880 m)[2] |
Parent peak | White Mountain Peak[2] |
Listing |
|
Coordinates | 36°10′11″N 117°05′21″W / 36.169815947°N 117.089198336°W[1] |
Geography | |
Location | Death Valley National Park, Inyo County, California, U.S. |
Parent range | Panamint Range |
Topo map | USGS Telescope Peak |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | Trail from Mahogany Flat (hike) |
Telescope Peak (
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Telescope_Peak_pano_from_trail.jpg/400px-Telescope_Peak_pano_from_trail.jpg)
Telescope Peak is also notable for having one of the greatest vertical rises above local terrain of any mountain in the contiguous United States. Its summit rises 11,331 feet (3,454 m) above the lowest point in Death Valley, Badwater Basin at −282 feet (−86 m),[6] in about 15 miles (24 km), and about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above the floor of Panamint Valley in about 8 miles (13 km).[7] This is comparable to the rises of other tall, but better known, U.S. peaks. It is even somewhat comparable to the rise of Mount Everest above its northern base on the Tibetan Plateau, a rise of roughly 13,000 feet (4,000 m). However, Everest rises much more, and much more steeply, above its southern base in Nepal.[8]
Since it is the high point of a range surrounded by low basins, Telescope Peak also has a particularly high topographic prominence of 6,168 feet (1,880 m), ranking it 22nd in the contiguous US by that measure.[9]
A variety of trees can be found on the mountain, including
Climbing
From
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/A121%2C_Death_Valley_National_Park%2C_California%2C_USA%2C_Badwater_Basin%2C_2004.jpg/220px-A121%2C_Death_Valley_National_Park%2C_California%2C_USA%2C_Badwater_Basin%2C_2004.jpg)
Hiking Telescope Peak by the normal route involves a 14 miles (23 km) round trip hike.
An established, but more advanced, climbing route is from Shorty's Well (elevation around −262 feet (−80 m)) to the summit of Telescope Peak at 11,049 feet (3,368 m). This route is approximately 30 to 34 miles round trip and provides a net gain of elevation of approximately 11,311 feet (3,448 m). The route begins at the intersection of the West Side Road and the Hanaupah Canyon Road. For 6.5 miles, the route climbs out of the Badwater Basin and into Hanaupah Canyon. Approximately 1.5 miles after reaching the end of the road, the trail leads directly to Hanaupah Spring, a seasonal water source that may not be available year-round. At the spring, the route then turns directly north (right) onto a scree/talus slope. Although this slope may look difficult to ascend, this is the correct way. Climbers should find the best route possible up the slope. Once finished climbing the talus slope and reaching the ridgeline, climbers should then follow the ridgeline West to the Telescope Peak summit, which should be readily apparent.[12]
The Shorty's Well to Telescope Peak route can be completed in one day by experienced hikers, and has one of the largest elevation gains that can be obtained up a single summit; it can be descended either via Mahogany Flat or as a round-trip back to Shorty's Well.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/PanamintValleyCA.jpg/500px-PanamintValleyCA.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Telescope_peak_summit_360_deg._pano.jpg/1000px-Telescope_peak_summit_360_deg._pano.jpg)
See also
- List of mountain peaks of California
- List of Ultras of the United States
- List of U.S. National Parks by elevation
References
- ^ a b "Telescope". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ a b "Telescope Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
- ^ "Desert Peaks Section List" (PDF). Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
- ^ "Hundred Peaks Section List". Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- ^ "Great Basin Peaks Section List". Toiyabe Chapter, Sierra Club. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- ^ "Highest and Lowest Elevations". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ Southern California Atlas and Gazetteer, DeLorme Mapping, 1990.
- Boston Museum of Science/Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, Bradford Washburn, project director, 1991.
- ^ "USA Lower 48 Top 100 Peaks by Prominence". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
- ^ "Telescope Peak - Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ^ "Telescope Peak Trail, Telescope Peak". IIAWT. Archived from the original on 2014-03-10. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
- ^ "Shorty's Well Route, Telescope Peak". IIAWT. Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- "Telescope Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- "Telescope Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- "Telescope Peak". SummitPost.org. Retrieved 2010-01-31.