Dead man found near Amboy Crater

A man in his 60s was found dead Wednesday morning near Amboy Crater in Amboy, California, the third such fatality near the extinct volcano in less than a year.

According to The Desert Trail:

County Battalion Chief Scott Tuttle said firefighters were called out to the area about 11:10 after a hiker came across a dead body on the trail.

Firefighters, along with a Morongo Basin Ambulance crew, responded and confirmed the subject, a man age 60 to 70, was deceased. […]
“At this moment the death does not appear suspicious but it is still being investigated.”

The man probably went hiking alone and succumbed to a heart attack or heat stroke. According to weather records, the high temperature Tuesday was 97 degrees, although it can get hotter along the trail because of heat radiating from the rocks.

A couple from Orange County, California, died in August near Amboy Crater while hiking amid 113-degree heat.

Amboy Crater is a 250-foot-tall extinct volcano a few miles from the Route 66 village of Amboy. It’s listed as a National Natural Landmark and is within the recently established Mojave Trails National Monument.

I’ve hiked into Amboy Crater several times, but only during the early morning or early evening hours, when the merciless sun isn’t as oppressive. Make sure you bring plenty of water, and don’t hike it alone.

(Image of Route 66 in front of Amboy Crater in Amboy, California, by the Bureau of Land Management via Flickr)

3 thoughts on “Dead man found near Amboy Crater

  1. Two more hikers, a husband and wife from the East Coast, died at the Amboy Crater June 2nd or 3rd, 2018. On Friday, June 15, my husband helped the woman’s brother search for them when their family was notified by the sheriff’s department about the couple’s car having been abandoned in the parking lot for 10 days. A small search party, put together by her brother, found the husband’s body on Saturday morning the 16th, which prompted the sheriff’s department to respond and the coroner to arrive. The search for the wife was suspended Saturday afternoon due to the excessive heat. As of today, the 19th, the wife’s body has not been found and search is very difficult due to continued extreme temperatures. This makes 5 deaths in under a year on this short trail to the crater.

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