Telescope Peak Hike

Having spent more than 20 years hiking throughout the Wildrose Canyon area of Death Valley National Park, I feel compelled to correct errors in the Hiking column on Telescope Peak (“Getting a Larger Scope of Life Below,” May 21).

First, the round-trip hiking distance, as provided by the National Park Service, is 14 miles, not 5.2. Second, the elevation gain from the trail head at Mahogany Flat campground, elevation 8,133 feet, to the 11,049-foot summit is 2,916 feet, not 1,800. Finally, the map showed the former national monument boundaries and not those of the enlarged Death Valley National Park.

The trail-bound should also note that the last mile of the dirt road leading to Mahogany Flat is poorly maintained and can only be traveled by high-clearance vehicles.

As for the hike, it is not to be missed.

FREDERICK SCHOEMEHL, Santa Ana