Ryan Mountain / Inspiration Peak

Part of a two-day Joshua Tree trip. For the full rundown, see Joshua Tree: A User’s Manual.

…Or zip off to Ryan Mountain, which can be had in a couple hours, depending on your tolerance for heavy breathing. It boasts a well-marked trail and handsome stone staircase that, while pleasant to look at, seems to never end, and has been justly criticized by many screaming glute and calf muscles. Atop the summit, a tuft of hearty chaparral offers a spot of shade, which is precisely where I was once viciously swarmed by harvester ants. (You see the running theme here.)…

That said, the route along the ridgeline between Key’s View and Inspiration Peak is much like life: once the frightful moment of departure from normalcy is surmounted, a vast and expansive freedom awaits. I passed a smattering of several fellow lunatics as I traversed two spurs en route, then had the peak all to myself. I watched as twilight dimmed across Palm Springs and purpled the Salton Sea for quite some time before it occurred to me that I would have to hike the ridgeline back in darkness…

Read the full report in my Joshua Tree guide.