| Todd and I took advantage of this sunny Sunday afternoon to hike up Saddleback Butte. This granite monolith rises above the western Mojave and affords great views of the surrounding snowy mountains. The San Gabriels, the San Bernardinos, the Tehachapis - they all are as snow-covered as they get right now - and it was great to be able to see them all from one snow-free spot! The hike is 4 miles round-trip, 1,000' elevation gain, with many huge Joshua Trees and beautiful desert scenery along the way. We had the trail pretty much to ourselves, only seeing one other person along the way. The Butte is in the middle of a State Park by the same name that is an island refuge for the Joshua Trees, the endangered desert tortoise, and many other desert species. It's a nice spot not far from home and we really enjoyed the hike, especially the fabulous sunset towards the end. Hope you enjoy my pics :) |
