Beauty Peak, Bodie Hills WSA

Overview

Found out about Beauty Peak in Andy Zdon's guidebook: Desert Summits, A Climbing & Hiking Guide to California & Southern Nevada. 

Getting There

Drive 5.5 miles NE from Bodie (the parking lot) towards Aurora, then turn right on a dirt road. Shortly up the road, you'll find an electronic fence and gate, marked by pink streamers, a cattle grazing allotment. Ground yourself, then open and shut the gate. I then drove approximately  0.6 miles up the dirt road from Bodie Creek, before stopping due to big rocks and deep gulleys in the road that were beyond the ability of my Jeep Grand Cherokee's clearance. Parked and walked to the plateau.

Route

From my car, I walked to the plateau, where Beauty, a two humped volcanic hill, came into view. I walked the two-lane road to the closest route to the summit, the shallow saddle between the "two summits." Everything is loose and moving, except the thick brush, on the way up to the saddle. 

Red Tape

I came in from Bodie Ghost Town to the west. Just after the picnic area and before the maintenance station, was a sign blocking the road that said "Do Not Enter-Road Work Ahead." It's a bonafide through road to Aurora, Lucky Boy Pass...and on into Hawthorne...so I bypassed sign. The road was being graded, but not on the day I went out there. The road is curently 4x4 due to deep sand. 

When to Climb

October to July. During summer months, it can get above 90 degrees.

Camping

Found a lot of hunting campsites, as evidence by fire circles and rusted cans.

External Links

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