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19 Apr 26 - Trip Report: Cerro Gordo Ghost Town & Conglomerate Mesa
April 22, 2026 4 min read
With cool spring days waning, we decided to venture back into the desert before it becomes unbearably hot in the coming summer months. This week's objective: The ghost town of Cerro Gordo and the Conglomerate Mesa. Tucked at the southern end of the Inyo Mountains and adjacent to Death Valley National Park, this region has been frequently mentioned in local news due to proposed mining exploration operations in this BLM region (Friends of the Inyo has more information).
Trip Report:
Current As Of: 19 April 2026*
Activity During Report: Four-Wheeling, Hiking, some Off-Trail Hiking and Scrambling
Conditions:
We elected to hike the long way to the Conglomerate Mesa as a part of our summer training, clocking about 17 miles round trip. For those with high clearance, 4WD vehicles, you can drive much closer to the Conglomerate Mesa, and still enjoy its beauty with a less than 5 mile hike.
We used Cerro Gordo Ghost Town as our trailhead. It's a very steep, bumpy, 8 mile dirt road up from Keeler, where high clearance and good traction in your vehicle are helpful. You will be treated to incredible views of the Owens Lake and the southern Sierra, with extra crisp colors and lines if driving in the morning light. Of note, Cerro Gordo Ghost Town is private property. They currently welcome visitors between 9am to 5pm, and have clear signs for guest parking, and request that you sign in at their guest book upon arrival. Please do your research and be respectful of their space if you elect to visit.
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Parking at Cerro Gordo
From Cerro Gordo, we hiked up an OHV road over the saddle below Cerro Gordo Peak. Expansive views of the Inyo Mountains and Saline Valley rewarded our first short hill of the day. If you have enough energy, you can also do a quick 30-minute detour at this point and tag the summit.
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Cerro Gordo
From the saddle, we followed the Belmont Mine trail, an old OHV road that turns into steep single track, down into the valley below. You can enjoy pinyon pines and old mining sites as you switch back down, while taking mental note that this hike's hardest climb will be coming back up these switchbacks at the end of the day.
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The hike offers lots of great views of Saline Valley and steep terrain
The steep, rocky descent turns into cruisy miles on a well-maintained OHV road, traversing the hillsides. The pinion pines turned into an expansive Joshua tree forest, and the desert wildflowers were blooming with flair.
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Joshua Trees everywhere!
Next, we took a sharp right turn onto a dead-end road and began a gentle ascent to the northern end of the Conglomerate Mesa. Near the end of the road, we marveled at the Conglomerate Double Arch, taking pause to walk under the arches and note the rock formation. For those looking for a shorter adventure, there is parking available just past the double arch at the end of While Mountain Talc Road.
Do some thorough research before attempting to drive here, though! All approach roads are rough.
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The Double Arch
From the Double Arch, we meandered off trail further up the canyon, side-hilling on the south side to the top of the canyon. A stunning view of Joshua Trees, Desert Globemallow, Junipers, and Indian Paintbrush, among others, was a treat for our eyes. It was a short scramble to one of the high points on the Conglomerate Mesa, as marked on our map. We rested in the shade of a pinion pine as we enjoyed the desert scenery all around us, even catching Sierra views of Olancha Peak, before reversing our route, 8.5 miles back to the car.
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The summit of Conglomerate Mesa
Please be aware, this route required 4,500ft of elevation gain, most of it on the return hike to the car. As there are off-trail scrambles involved, experience with off-trail navigation and route finding is recommended.
Of note: We did not see a single person past Cerro Gordo Ghost Town. Be prepared to be self-sufficient. There are no water sources on this hike, plan to bring all of your own water for sufficient hydration on a hike of this length.
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*All conditions reports are subject to change, increasingly so with each passing day since the observation(s) were made. They are provided as a tool to assist your adventuring, not to replace your own risk management and decision-making. No information in any trip or conditions report published by Eastside Sports should be considered definitive in its information or directive in its recommendation.
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