Overview

This pleasant trail runs out for about 1.6 miles as it climbs about 700 feet from the Cima Road to Teutonia Peak, the rocky crags on the east side of Cima Dome. The trail runs out across a densely vegetated Joshua tree forest on sandy trails to some old mines at the base of the north ridge. The trail then steeply climbs the side of the rocky ridge, crosses over onto the other side of the ridge, and heads south to climb into a notch on the ridge between two huge summit blocks. The trail does not actually go to the summit, as this appears to involve a few feet of 5th-class climbing, but the views from the summit could hardly be better than the views from the overlook at the end of the trail.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is a pretty safe hike, but be careful on the rocky outcrops at the end of the trail and don't mess with old mines.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, even though this is a short hike, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials.

Trail Guide
Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located Mojave National Preserve, about 2 hours south of Las Vegas.

From town, drive out to Cima (Site 831) in the Mojave National Preserve. From Cima, drive north on Cima Road for 6.3 miles to a gravel pullout with a sign on the west (left) side of the road (Site 847), which is east of the rocky outcrop (Teutonia Peak) on the side of Cima Dome. Park here; this is the trailhead.

Alternatively, from Interstate-15 at Cima Road (Table 1, Site 830), turn left onto Cima Road and drive south for 11.3 miles to a pullout with a sign on the west (right) side of the road (Site 847). Park here; this is the trailhead.

The Hike

After about 0.45 miles, the trail passes through a gate (Wpt. 2). Please close the gate behind you. Continuing west for another 0.5 miles, the trail passes some old mines (Wpt. 3). As always, mines are interesting, but don't climb over the fences to get a better view. One open shaft looks particularly deep and dangerous.

Continuing west towards the ridge, the trail soon passes another gate (Wpt. 4). Be sure to close this one too. The trail then starts up the side of the ridge. The trail here is fairly steep, but the trail is good and the crest isn't far off (only about 0.3 miles and 170 vertical feet).

At the crest of the ridge (Wpt. 5), the trail crosses onto the west side of the ridge and gives some great views of Cima Dome, which is farther to the west. The trail then runs south for about 0.4 miles on the west side of the ridge until it steeply climbs back onto the crest (Wpt. 6).

At the point where the trail hits the crest, you are in a notch between two huge blocks of granite. This is the end of the trail, as it would require 5th-class climbing to get atop the granite blocks. A ledge on the northern (left) block, requiring a fairly safe 10-foot climb, gives great views back towards the trailhead and all points east. This would be a great place for a picnic lunch on a warm, sunny day.