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When you hear or read about obstacles named "Heart Attack Hill" and "The Squeeze," you must make excellent adventure decisions before you decide to take them on. Pinyon Mountain is a Jeep Badge of Honor trail in the renowned Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and arguably its most challenging. The Squeeze tests every bit of your precision as you listen to fenders scrape on its narrow passage, while Heart Attack Hill will surely give you that proverbial "heart attack" when you first see it. This isn't a solo-type excursion trail. You will need every bit of your wheeling mates' eyes and collective experience as you conquer what people call "The Secret of the Desert."
The trail is typically run as depicted here, from the west to the east, so you are going down Heart Attack Hill. The majority of the trail is a simple sandy and dirt road until you reach the first and named obstacle, "The Squeeze." Post Squeeze, there are more obstacles, including the named "Back Window Rock," notorious for vehicles leaning their tail end into and smashing out the window. Once you complete those obstacles, you reach "Heart Attack Hill," with several optional lines for descending. Once down Heart Attack Hill, the trail is complete before you reach Hapaha Flats on your way out to Fish Creek.
Vehicles:
Wider vehicles will struggle through the Squeeze as a stock Jeep JL is about as wide as you can be, and you will most likely scratch your fenders even at that width. For reference, a stock Wrangler JL is 73.9" wide, and Bronco Badlands Sasquatch is 76.3" wide.
Badge of Honor Check-In:
There is adequate cell reception to check in the Jeep Badge of Honor app from Waypoint 1 to roughly Waypoint 12.
Time on the Trail:
Allow all day to complete Pinyon Mountain because you need to account for the time it takes to exit via Hapaha Flat Road and Fish Creek.
Fuel:
Due to the remoteness of the trailhead (Waypoint 1) and the overall distance after the trail is complete to get back to the nearest town, you should consider your fuel consumption as part of your planning. From the trail's end, you will need to drive roughly 22 miles of soft sand trails to get back to asphalt. From there, you will go another 26 miles to the nearest gas station that may or may not have fuel.
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