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| Guzzler at Hyten. That would work in a pinch with a filter. |
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| This may be who developed Hyten Spring. |
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| Hyten Spring. One drip per second. |
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| The best looking empty shell I've seen, near Reef BM. |
⦁ Crucero Rd runs north from Ludlow to Broadwell Lake then a shortcut goes across the lake. There is washboard galore but no dips to block a 4wd from hauling a camp trailer to the lake. I wouldn't take a 2wd more than a mile from Ludow. Ludlow has 2 gas stations and a couple of restaurants. No bargains there. Posted 2022.
⦁ BRISTOL MOUNTAINS HIGH POINT el 3871 has an old coot route up the NW ridge. Take Crucero Rd north from Ludlow for 13 miles to power lines then go NE along those for 3.7 miles to tower 114/1 el 1450. I weaved rock fields to a wash at N34 56560, W116 08817 then on to the north canyon at 55580, 07289 then up that to a main fork at 55186, 07641. I went left staying in the creekbed then left around a minor fall then the main creekbed goes right into a narrows. Just after that the left bank works for a while then at 54757, 07568 el 3050 I climbed up the left slope to get on the NW ridge. At el 3500 the ridge gets rough but sheep routes to the right of center make it easy on up to the reg at 54546, 07261. 5 and a half hours with 2400 gain but the first 1500 is up easy washes. Posted 2022.
⦁ BROADWELL MESA el 2903 has a faint road in from the NW used to maintain a guzzler. I made a loop to Crucero BM then Hyten Spring then Broadwell Mesa. Take Crucero Rd north from Ludlow for 13 miles to power lines then go NE along those for 5 miles to tower 113/1. The guzzler road departs there but likely legal only to a select few. If you drive in, take a wrench so you can say you came in to work on the guzzler. The road goes 4 miles to a main fork in the wash at N34 55395, W116 05677 el 2400, a half mile before the guzzler. I walked the left fork for an air mile to another fork then went left and left again shortly. The reading there is 55791, 04665 el 2700. That's and easy canyon all the way to Crucero but there is a hidden fork at the 900 meter line. The left fork is the correct one. I went on to a minor ridge to the right of white boulders at 56507, 03939 and then bent to the left to get on a main ridge to the summit el 3583. The reg was placed by M&L in 1980 with a few entries. I then walked south on the main ridge on a good sheep trail. It goes around the west side of peak 1087 to a wash on the west side of peak 1103 at 55854, 03446. That's easy to walk down to a sheep trail high up the right bank at 55213, 03287 that leads to the rim of the canyon that contains Hyten Spring. It's better to drop NW off the rim for easier ground into the gorge. The spring is a pipe at 55139, 03440 with one drip per second. It had been a dry winter. I walked on down the gorge to a guzzler with water then down the wash to a trail at 54550, 03405 with a herd of sheep standing on it. I walked that over a low ridge to a valley then turned toward Broadwell Mesa high point at 53729, 04756. It has CB pecked into a rock. Don't add your initials, take a register instead. I walked to the west rim then north along that on a sheep trail to an arrow at 54264, 04991. It points down a canyon to Broadwell Lake and must be the route used a century earlier to get to Hyten. I walked 400 feet past that then down to the left into a wash that leads back to the start. That took 6 hours with maybe 600 noticeable gain. This is a huge area of unspoiled landscape. Next time I'll skip the peaks and spend more time on Broadwell. It's not hard to walk on it. If backpacking to Hyten, I would use the route marked by the arrow I found just north of point 875 on the mesa. That measures out at a dozen miles from Broadwell Lake to the spring. Posted March, 2022.
⦁ JUNCTION BENCHMARK el 2565 has an easy route up the south canyon. Take Crucero Rd north from Ludlow for 13 miles to power lines then go SW along those for half a mile and park at a tower. Walk west along the base for half a mile to the south canyon then go up to a fork at N34 54496, W116 13208 el 1950. Take the right fork and it's easy to go bank to bank to the end at a saddle el 2300. Then go left to the reg at 54755, 12956 placed by M&L in 1980 with only 5 parties since. Retrace back to the saddle then on to a ridge at 54404, 13035 el 2350. Go down that then drop right down a smooth ridge at 54187, 13004 el 2000 to get back in the south canyon. 2 and a half hours with 600 noticeable gain and that is never steep. Pleasant hike. It's so easy it makes pie look hard. Posted 2022.
⦁ SLEEPING BEAUTY el 3979 has an easy route from the south. Take the paved frontage road west from Ludlow for 7 and a half miles then turn north on BLM road #8655, north of point 2191 on the topo. Go 2.3 miles to a fire ring at the end el 2705. Ebikes can make it but for a few short sandy spots. Drop down into a wash and go down it a tenth mile then go up to the bank of a side wash at N34 46101, W114 17543 el 2650. Walk north along it going bank to bank until a chokestone blocks the main channel. Most hikers go up to the right but old coots can go left up a bedrock gully to the left rim and it's less steep on up to the main saddle el 3000. Then go up right of crags and cross a drainage and follow the right bank to the main saddle el 3350. Then go up 100 feet to the right to a notch at 46585, 17423 el 3400. A trail goes thru it then it's obvious on to a saddle at 46771, 17376 el 3550. Then go up the left bank of a drainage then in the center on bedrock and on to the summit at 46939, 17272. Nearly 3 hours, 1500 gain. Posted 2022.
⦁ LAVIC MOUNTAIN el 3021 is east of Sleeping Beauty. A loop can be done up the crest from the Lavic Mountain Mine. Go west from Ludlow on the frontage road for 3 and a half miles and turn north on road #8733. Drive to power lines then a third mile past those turn right on go a third mile and park. Walk the road a fifth mile to a canyon where it's washed out. Go up canyon and the road appears again and goes to a T on the crest. Right goes to a quarry on the right where I could see later that miners tunneled thru the ridge. Past that is a cabin skeleton then the road end and it's a tenth mile on to Tono Benchmark. Retrace to the T and go north to the end of the road then walk level to merge with a sheep trail on the crest. That goes over peak 878 then loses 150 feet. The terrain becomes rocky but it's easy on to the summit at N34 46782, W116 14616. Drop down the west ridge at 46758,14731 el 2950 then at a saddle go left down a canyon. The left bank works all the way to a narrows then it's easy gravel back to the start. 3 hours, 1000 gain, nearly all easy. This is one of the better hikes. Posted 2022.
⦁ GOLDEN BENCHMARK el 2873 is a mile and a half inside the Marine base but you wouldn't know it until you see a helipad and foxholes on the summit. Go west from Ludlow on the frontage road for a mile or so to the end of pavement then another 2.2 miles on washboard and pass under the RR tracks. Go on south a mile to a T then go right .7 mile to a wash. I followed jeep tracks in a channel at N34 42717, W116 14224 for a mile and a half to boulders that block travel just north of the base boundary. I thought the jeep might be a hiker until I saw he went out of his way to mow down vegetation. A direct hike to the peak would entail crossing washes that are deeper than they look on the topo. To skirt those, I strolled up the wash and climbed out at 41447, 14736 then on to a gully at 41164, 14928 then to 40986, 15078 el 2450 where the rest is in view. I chose the wuss route by getting on the north ridge at 40790, 15385 el 2300 then stayed on the right side of the ridge where rocks aren't bad. The summit is at 40173, 15331. I dropped north off the summit to 40398, 15278 el 2800 then down to a dark point ahead of me and down that then retraced back. 3 hours, 1000 gain and all of it easy. I saw no sign of recent activity but doing this on a major holiday would reduce the chances of a surprise. Enter at own risk. Posted 2022.
⦁ REEF BENCHMARK el 3523 has a decent route up the north ridge. It is NOT on the Marine base according to the BLM map. Take Route 66 east from Ludlow for 3/4 mile then cross under the RR tracks in a sandy wash. Go back to Ludlow then turn south on the Bagdad Chase Rd. Go 3 miles to a gas road then another 1.3 miles then turn right. The road goes into a wash then west to a mine tower with deep shafts, one in a wash with water at the bottom. Drive back east a quarter mile to a major wash then go south up that to get on the RR grade which is soon washed out. Walk a mile to high ground at N34 39090, W116 10583 and follow that SW for a tenth mile to a major wash. Go up it staying right at main forks and get on the left bank at 38950, 11227 then start up the easiest ridge at 38725, 11374 el 2950. The reg is at 38549, 11550 placed by Bob Burd in 2019. I found a shaft with a ladder on the way back at 39296, 09896. 3 and a half hours, 700 noticeable gain. The Bagdad road has been posted private near Swede Hill. Posted 2022.
