The Telescope Peak Area Trailheads are located along Charcoal Kiln Road (also called Mahogany Flat Road) in Death Valley National Park, about 4 hours northwest of Las Vegas.

From town, drive out to Death Valley. From the Furnace Creek Visitor Center (Table 1, Site 712), drive north on Highway 190 for 24 miles to Stovepipe Wells (Site 751). Continue west on Highway 190 for another 9 miles to Emigrant Canyon Road (Site 980). Turn left onto Emigrant Canyon Road and drive south and east to Charcoal Kiln Road (Site 1057).

Link to Trailhead Map.

Continue straight (left) onto Charcoal Kiln Road and drive out the sometimes narrow, winding, and rough road for 5.0 miles to the end of the pavement. Continue on the sometimes graded dirt for another 2.1 miles to the Charcoal Kilns.

For the Wildrose Peak Trail, day-use parking is on the right (southwest) side of the road across from the last kilns (Site 765). Park here; this is the Wildrose trailhead.

For the Telescope Peak Trail, continue up the rough road for 1.0 miles to Thorndike Campground and another 0.7 miles to Mahogany Flat Campground (Site 611). Hiker parking is located just outside the campground (Site 0778) on the crest of the ridge. Park here; this is the trailhead.

The last 2 miles of road, and especially the road above Thorndike, is rough and runs straight up the bottom of a drainage. This steep, rough, and narrow gravel road is OK for 2WD, high-clearance vehicles, and someone drove it in an old Honda Civic hatchback the weekend I climbed the peak, but the road may require 4WD if it is wet or washed out. If you call the park to ask about road conditions, they will only tell you that the road requires a 4WD vehicle. Hike from Thorndike if necessary, as this adds relatively little to the total hiking distance.

The Telescope Peak Area Trailheads provide access to hikes in the high peaks region of the Panamint Mountain Range.

Trails: Telescope Peak, Rodgers Peak (via trail), Rodgers Peak (via service road), Bennett Peak, and Wildrose Peak.