Location: Kern County, about 12 miles west-northwest of Frazier Park, 80 miles from Los Angeles

Maps

Auto Club: Kern County

Forest Service: Los Padres National Forest: Mt Pinos, Ojai and Santa Barbara Ranger Districts

USGS Topo:

Route 1 - Eagle Rest Peak 7½, Sawmill Mountain 7½

Route 2 - Eagle Rest Peak 7½, Cuddy Valley 7½, Pleito Hills 7½

Route 3 - Eagle Rest Peak 7½

HPS: Route(s), waypoints and explanation of usage

Nearby Peaks: Antimony Peak

Distance: 9 miles round trip from final locked gate

Gain: 3300'

Time: 7 hours round trip

Rating: Class 2, moderate, summit block is easy class 3

Navigation: Moderate

Leader Rating: "I", normal conditions

Access: Groups should contact the Outings Chair to arrange permission and to receive the lock combination.

Original: George Wysup, March 2000

DRIVING ROUTE 3

• From the SR 166 exit on I-5 north of the Grapevine, turn left (west) toward Maricopa.
• At 7.2 miles, dirt road left (south) marked with a rustic sign "Wind Wolves". Turn left.
• You will shortly reach a gate with a combination lock. If you have received permission, open the combination lock and continue to the Preserve headquarters and sign in, 4.6 miles from SR 166.
• From the headquarters, take the road to the east about 0.3 mile, reaching a closed gate. Please open it before driving through, and then close it behind you.
• Turn right and drive for about a mile to the first stream crossing (concrete bottom).
• Drive about another 5 miles, passing another gate en route to a second stream crossing. Here, high clearance vehicles may be needed to ford the stream (ask the Preserve staff about the stream level).
• Go about 0.2 mile and turn right at the first opportunity, following San Emigdio Creek, to a third (locked) gate. You may have procured a key to this gate at the headquarters office. If not, park here. The hiking description begins from this point. If you have the key to the gate, you may continue driving as far as you reasonably can (about 0.8 mile) and park.

HIKING ROUTE 3

• From the final locked gate (2520'), hike south up the dirt road about 0.7 mile along San Emigdio Creek to a road junction. Take the left fork.
• At the end of the road, find and follow a prominent cattle trail. After about a mile, this trail goes through (under) some willows. Soon thereafter the trail crosses to the west side of the creek.
• Follow it about another mile, passing up an opportunity to climb a rocky ridge to the left (east) and passing up another opportunity to ascend a gentler ridge to the left.
• Go past an eroded cliff on the east bank and cross San Emigdio Creek.
• Ascend a moderately steep, grassy slope, starting at about 3400'. This route joins the ridge ascended in the Route 1 at 4700'. The terrain is quite open for the first 1/2 mile before the narrow, rocky, scrub oak-studded ridge is reached.
• Follow the faint use trail up the ridge, eventually passing through a Pinyon pine grove (5500') and then ascend the steep grassy slope north toward the sandstone cliffs. An occasionally ducked route leads up through the cliffs just above the trees. The summit is reached immediately after ascending a ramp that passes the final large buttress on its right side.