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Location: Ventura County, about 20 miles southwest of Frazier Park, 90 miles from Los Angeles

Maps

Auto Club: Ventura County, Los Angeles and Vicinity

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

USGS Topo: Lion Canyon 7½, Lockwood Valley 7½, Topatopa Mountains 7½

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

Nearby Peaks: Lockwood Peak, San Guillermo Mountain, San Rafael Peak

Distance: 8 miles round trip on trail

Gain: 2000'

Time: 4-5 hours round trip

Rating: Class 1, moderate

Navigation: Easy

Original: Warren E. von Pertz, January 1974

DRIVING ROUTE 1

• Take I-5 north past Gorman to the Frazier Park turnoff.
• Go west on Frazier Park Mountain Road for 7 miles to the signed junction with the Lockwood Valley Road. Turn left.
• Go 10.5 miles on the Lockwood Valley Road to the Mutau Road (7N03) on the left with a sign "Pine Springs CG". Turn left. Note your odometer and go as follows:
• At 1.5 miles, pavement ends.
• At 2.1 miles, Piano Box Road on the left. This is the turnoff for Lockwood Peak. Keep straight.
• At 2.7 miles, fork with 7N03A on the right. This is the turnoff for San Guillermo Mountain. Keep straight.
• At 7.4 miles, stream crossing.
• At 7.5 miles, fork to the left (east). This is the turnoff for San Rafael Peak. Stay right on 7N03B.
• At 8.4 miles, two more stream crossings just before Thorn Meadow Campground.
• At 9.1 miles, Thorn Meadow Campground. Park here. Ample parking.

Sometimes the next to the last stream crossing near the campground is too deep for vehicles to cross safely. In this case, parking at the crossing and walking to the trailhead is recommended. This will add about 1.4 miles round trip and 100' of gain to the hike.

HIKING ROUTE 1

• The trail starts at the fence on the west side of the parking area (5000') adjacent to the campsite with a lone Jeffery pine tree. Follow the trail across two small ravines to reach a second fence where the trail goes up to the left just before a canyon.
• Turn left and follow this trail up a shallow canyon for about a mile.
• It then ascends a ridge via switchbacks and goes west along the ridge to the lookout tower on the summit. The register is on a rock 30 yards east of the tower.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

The dirt roads are seasonal. The gate at Mutau Road is often closed in winter. The last mile of dirt road is very rough and the stream crossings can be deep, so high clearance may be required. The peak is in the Sespe Wilderness. No permit is required at this time.

History of Summit Signature

Climbing Archives

Please report any corrections or changes to the Mountain Records Chair.