Banana Cracks - West Face & Chongo Boulder via Keys Ranch Road is a 4.4-mile out-and-back near Panorama Heights, CA. The route passes Chongo Boulder before reaching Banana Cracks - West Face at the turnaround, 2.2 miles in. It is mostly level, with 162 ft of elevation gain, and mostly dirt. It scores 79/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Banana Cracks - West Face & Chongo Boulder via Keys Ranch Road
4.4 mi · ▲ 162 ft · 1 hr 33 min
Elevation 4,085–4,217 ft
Out & Back
Trailhead: 34.02280, -116.15634
Weather Aug 4: Clear, high 98°F / low 77° · precip 0% · wind 6 mph · sunrise 5:58 AM · sunset 7:45 PM
Toilets at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start at the trailhead, heading W.
- 150 ftTurn left, heading SW.
- 50 ftTurn right onto Keys Ranch Road, heading NW.
- 0.1 miPass Chongo Boulder.
- 0.8 miTurn left, heading NW.
- 0.4 miTurn left, heading SW.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading SW.
- 50 ftBear right, heading SW.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading W.
- 0.6 miTurn left onto Quail Springs Historic Trail, heading S.
- 450 ftBear right onto Mindless Mound Approach, heading S.
- 50 ftReach Banana Cracks - West Face, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 50 ftBear left, heading S.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Quail Springs Historic Trail, heading S.
- 400 ftTurn right, heading SE.
- 0.6 miTurn left, heading E.
- 0.1 miBear left, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading E.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading E.
- 0.4 miTurn right onto Keys Ranch Road, heading N.
- 0.9 miTurn left, heading S.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading S.
- 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 1.6 mi in (~40 min). Leave by 6:45 PM for the 7:45 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:41 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- Toilets at the trailhead
- Parking lot at the trailhead
Other ways to reach this destination
More from this trailhead
- Figures on a Landscape–Solid Gold, 5 cliffs 3.5 mi · ▲ 247 ft
- Hunk Rock - East Face–Barker Dam Trail, 3 sights 4 mi · ▲ 189 ft
- Banana Cracks - East Face & Chongo Boulder via Keys Ranch Road 4.5 mi · ▲ 260 ft
- Dairy Queen Right & Chongo Boulder via Keys Ranch Road 4.8 mi · ▲ 341 ft
- Playhouse Rock & Chongo Boulder via Keys Ranch Road 4.8 mi · ▲ 216 ft
Get outside more
A wild hike near Panorama Heights, emailed to you once a week.
Hikes near Panorama Heights, California