On Death Valley's Edge: Saddle Peak Hills

📍 Death Valley National Park, California

The Story

Over the years, I've become almost obsessed with exploring the hidden reaches of Death Valley National Park. What started as me being a tourist walking around Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes back in 2018 has turned into tackling seldom bagged peaks such as Pyramid Peak or Saddle Peak Hills. After a grueling 10 hour hike to Pyramid Peak the day before, I chose to take on Saddle Peak Hills as a quick recovery hike to satisfy my need for good views and to not feel lazy. The hike overall was an easy one, with mostly class 2 route finding to reach the summit of Saddle Peak Hills East. I should have worn gloves because I needed my hands for the steep descent back down to the saddle and unfortunately kept coming into contact with little sharp cacti. After the hike, I made a pitstop in the tiny town of Shoshone for an absolutely incredible burger and rootbeer float. With nothing to do and all fueled up, I took the jeep exploring to the Shoshone Historic Cemetery just outside of town to see some really cool pieces of history frozen in time.

Location Details

Trail: Saddle Peak Hills Trail
Feature: Ibex Benchmark

Conditions

Features: Ridge,Saddle,Desert Basin,Scrub Brush,Distant Peaks
Terrain: Loose Scree,Rugged
Atmosphere: Clear
Time Of Day: Morning

Technical Specs

Body: Nikon Z 9
Lens: Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S
Settings: ƒ/8 | 1/200s | ISO 64 | 24mm
Resolution: 21809 x 7158 px (156.1 MP)
Date Taken: Dec 2025 (Winter)

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