I awoke just before sunrise. After a nice warm breakfast, I drove down Geology Tour Road to the start of the hike. The road was in pretty good condition, except for two rutted spots that were muddy and had been “enjoyed” by others. At marker 14, I turned off the road and parked. I left a note in the window, grabbed my gear, and set off.
I worked my way eastward toward the wash, which I would follow southward for about 1.5 miles, when it split into two forks. Here, a large cairn marked the exit from the wash, and the climb would begin in earnest. My route took me up a gully and toward a small saddle. A lone boulder just to the east of it helped give me a target to aim for. Once along the ridge, it was now a “simple” process to follow it in a generally southward direction, ever climbing. The route would alternate from mild to steep. After a very convincing false summit, the true summit of Bernard Peak came into view. I scrambled to the summit. A light breeze helped temper the day’s warmth. I found the benchmark and a reference mark. I signed the register before setting off for the next peak (Little Berdoo) after addressing a hot spot on my foot.
I dropped down to another saddle, sad to lose some elevation, but I did pick up an excellent use trail for a while. My route arched over to the summit. Here I found the benchmark, reference mark, and the register. The Coachella Valley was spread out before me as I enjoyed a snack and some electrolytes before heading back.
My route back went well with a few drifts off track, but I quickly corrected my navigation. I enjoyed a Walking Tamale, a new trail food for me, during one of the mellower sections to keep my energy levels up. Way off to the north, I could see the volcanic rocks of Malapai Hill and Geology Tour Road, as I kept descending. Soon, I passed that lone boulder again and down to the wash. Initially, I planned to follow the wash back to the road, then to my car, to avoid the open desert portion again. With a quick check against the saved GPX track I had been using, I saw that I was drifting to the east, so I was going to have some last open desert hiking before reaching the road.
Once back at the car, I enjoyed some cold water, as the day was now in the mid-70s. The thought of hiking up volcanic rocks to the summit of Malapai Hill on a warm day with some tired legs was not something that appealed to me. Tonight’s campsite was down at Cottonwood Springs, so I had a bit of a drive to recover from the day’s efforts. I stopped at the visitor center to ask about the road to the Monument Peak trailhead. The rangers said that up to that point, an AWD car would have no issues. Past that, well, you’d better have a real 4×4 with recovery gear. I got the same campsite as I had last year. The light pollution is a bit worse here, so astrophotography wouldn’t be as good. I quickly set up camp and started cooking while I started a campfire. Unlike last night, there was no breeze, so it was an enjoyable night to enjoy a nice beer and watch the fire.
I awoke slightly before dawn and captured a short time-lapse of the sunrise.
After some oatmeal, OJ, and hot coffee, I decided not to attempt Monument Peak. My legs were still spent from the past two days, and as I still needed to climb Malapai Hill, I knew I had a return trip to Joshua Tree in my future. With that decision, I headed home very satisfied with the hikes and camping. The entire multiple peak hike covered 8.7 miles in 5:44. The total elevation gain was 2,221 feet.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. I am the co-author of Urban Trails: San Diego, coming in Spring 2026!
In 2019, I became the third person to complete the San Diego 100 Peak Challenge. Not stopping with that accomplishment, I set my sights on the harder San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list, which I completed in 2021. In addition, I have conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and both the Arizona-Winter and Arizona-Summer).
I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.