A desert scramble to the highest point in the Hexie Mountains in Joshua Tree National Park.
I hiked this P1K, 4,837' or so peak with a group from the Sierra Club. It's near the Cottonwood Visitors Center, most easily accessible from the south entrance. The starting point is just over 4 miles up Pinkham Notch Road from the Visitors Center. That road starts out what looks to be easy enough for most low-clearance vehicles but soon becomes a rough 4WD road. My Forester handled it without problem but if you have a 2WD car you might want to park and walk the rest of the way. You could also bike the road portion, but you'd have a problem finding a place to lock up the bike.
All of the route is off-trail with occasional hints of a use trail. It starts out in a wash as you might expect, and then goes up a ridge. The route isn't that steep or loose and there's only a little bit of Class 2 to get the conical summit. Once up there you'll find a few benchmarks and a barely-used register. And, good views of the Cottonwood Mountains, Mt San Jacinto, and a snow-capped Mt San Gorgonio.
(The last pic is actually from the East Indio Badlands, not Monument.)
