November 3, 2025.
When I asked people for suggestions of mountains I could hike in a day at Death Valley National Park, Corkscrew Peak was often the answer. Not only is it on the Desert Peaks Section list, but it has a cairned route from the road and it’s described on SummitPost as a “pleasant route” with “great views.” Sounded perfect to me.
However, I wanted to leave Aaron parked for the day at a flat spot with bathroom access, so my starting point was at Daylight Pass. I estimated it would be less than 2 miles of cross country walking to intersect with the route, which wasn’t too bad since I had all day to poke around.
Right out the gate, I found a balloon trapped in a creosote bush, so I detoured to it and tossed it in my pack. A fairly straightforward walk across the desert scrub brought me across a broad wash, where I noticed my first cairn. From that point, the route was well-marked and easy to follow. Aside from one interesting narrow spot in the wash, it was also incredibly boring.
I try to have a really open mind about hiking and generally I am just happy to be outside anywhere. But, to call this hike a classic is a real over-sell. Maybe if you’ve literally never hiked in the desert or up a mountain, you’d find this walk interesting. When I got to the top, there was a cutesy painted sign with the peak name on it. UGH. This was just not for me.
As I ate my lunch on the summit, I changed from sneakers to sandals to let my feet breathe. It was getting hotter by the minute. I dreaded going back the way I came. There was an interesting little bump nearby that people climbed but it didn’t look like something I wanted to do by myself. But…the scramble to the base of it and then an adventure back down from there sounded like that might be fun. From where I sat, it did not look possible. But, since I knew people did it, there had to be a way. I was determined to find it.
That decision revived the entire hike for me. I had a blast micro-navigating the crumbling ridgeline towards Little Corkscrew Peak. I also found some really interesting flowers and plants growing on the scrabbly hillside. It was such a different experience from the hike up!
Though the ridge appeared to cliff out every 5 minutes, there was always a way down. It was slow going but I always felt safe and the fact that I had to move so intentionally meant I had plenty of opportunity to look around and find interesting things. One thing that totally blew my mind was a small bunch of leafy rosettes that were covered in soft, long hairs. The plant was blue-gray, which stuck out from the rocky, red soil. I squatted down to get a good look and to take lots of pictures. Later I’d learn they were the leaves of a white bear poppy (Arctomecon merriamii), a Mojave desert native. In the spring, they produce tall flowering stems with beautiful white blooms. The striking vegetation was enough to bring me joy on this November day. I could only imagine how much more beautiful they’d be in peak season. And also, how much hotter it would be.
I returned my focus to getting down the mountain. Once I reached the base of Little Corkscrew, I followed the user trail steeply downhill. There were a few dry falls I had to downclimb by first throwing my poles down and then carefully choosing my hand and foot placements to proceed. Then, I traversed the hillside to a rare desert spring and took a moment to enjoy the greenery while mentally planning the rest of my route. The official use trail would take me back to a different parking area, so I chose another wash to follow that would get me closer to the van. If anything, I’d be able to enjoy some new scenery. There’s no point in doing an out-and-back when a loop is equally possible.
I ended up following a twisty little canyon that offered a few precious spots of shade. For the last couple miles, I was glad I’d packed my sun umbrella. By the time I got back, I felt pretty wiped out and was glad to change my clothes, pound a cold bubbly water and lay down in the bed. It’s such a treat to return “home” at the end of every hike.
If you are planning to hike up Corkscrew Peak, I highly recommend taking the route to the base of Little Corkscrew instead of taking the trade route up. It could provide an alternative descent route if you just want to get out of there after, since it is a bit slow on the way down. But if you’ve got limited time in Death Valley, I’d put this one way down on your to-do list. There are just so many more interesting mountains to climb, places to go and things to do. A classic? I’d say: not really.