Mazourka Peak, Mazourka peak trail, overlanding. over land, overlanding trails, california overland trails, offroad, off road, off-roading, off-road, adventure, expedition, vehicle supported adventure,
Mazourka Peak, Mazourka peak trail, overlanding. over land, overlanding trails, california overland trails, offroad, off road, off-roading, off-road, adventure, expedition, vehicle supported adventure,
Eastern Sierras-Summit of Mazourka Peak
GPS 36.8066      -118.2033
Elevation 3,800-9,400 ft
Season Best from April to November.
Terrain Graded to rougher
Difficulty Easy trail
Required Vehicle 2WD
Time 1.5 hrs
Length 20.4 miles one-way (16.1 miles unpaved)

Directions: Take I-395 north up to the town of Independence and the Inyo National Forest. The overland trail to Mazourka Peak leaves the southern edge of Independence and crosses the Owens River Valley to enter Mazourka Canyon on the western side of the Inyo Mountains. It then travels up Al Rose Canyon to Badger Flats.

Mazourka Peak, Mazourka peak trail, overlanding. over land, overlanding trails, california overland trails, offroad, off road, off-roading, off-road, adventure, expedition, vehicle supported adventure,
Eastern Sierras Mazourka Peak View looking East

Site Location and Description: On leaving the I-395, you head east towards the Inyo National Forest. As you finish the paved section, you start to see the remains of past mining activity and the adventure begins. The trail up to Mazourka Peak isn’t particularly scenic until you cross over into Al Rose Canyon. At this point you leave the desert scrub and begin to enter slightly more lush high desert terrain.  At Badger Flats, it all makes sense. Great primitive camping opportunities exist amongst the pinyons and junipers, with views west to the Sierras. From Badger Flats you can explore higher to Mazourka Peak (fantastic view of the Owens Valley) where you will come to a communication tower and magnificent views , or continue on to more remote and rugged Papoose Flats.  In our opinion, getting an off-road trailer to Badger Flats is easy and 4×4 is not required, however trailering to Papoose requires more nerve and experience and certainly a high-clearance 4×4 would make sense.

TAP Note: The 3 days we overland camped there leading up to 4th of July, we didn’t see a single person. A vehicle supported Adventure can be hot and dusty in summer months, despite the elevation.

BoreasCampers

Mazourka Peak, Mazourka peak trail, overlanding. over land, overlanding trails, california overland trails, offroad, off road, off-roading, off-road, adventure, expedition, vehicle supported adventure,
Primitive camping at Badger Flats on Mazourka Peak
Mazourka Peak, Mazourka peak trail, overlanding. over land, overlanding trails, california overland trails, offroad, off road, off-roading, off-road, adventure, expedition, vehicle supported adventure,
Communication tower Mazourka peak

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Raised in beautiful but rainy England, Andy moved to the sunny climes of Southern California in 1995 and hasn’t looked back since. Two and half decades working in the outdoor, bike and surf industries has given him a thirst for adventure and living life without a ceiling. When not working on the website, he can be found surfing Californian beaches, or in remote mountain or desert areas, either primitive camping, mountain biking or embarking upon vehicle assisted adventure in the backcountry with one of The Adventure Portal rigs.