Location: Ventura County, about 16 miles south-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: Topatopa Mountains 7½, Lockwood Valley 7½

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

Nearby Peaks: Lockwood Peak, San Guillermo Mountain, Thorn Point (LO)

Distance: 10 miles round trip on trail and cross-country

Gain: 2400' total, 2100' out plus 300' on return

Time: 6-7 hours round trip

Rating: Class 1, strenuous

Navigation: Very difficult

Leader Rating: "I", normal conditions

Original: Vern Fredrickson, July 1973

DRIVING ROUTE 1

• Take I-5 north past Gorman to the Frazier Park turnoff.
• Go west on Frazier Mountain Park Road for 7.1 miles to the junction with the Lockwood Valley Road in Lake of the Woods. Turn left.
• Go 10.6 miles on the Lockwood Valley Road to the Mutau Road (7N03) on the left with a sign reading in part "Pine Springs 5". Turn left. Note your odometer and go as follows:
• At 2.1 miles, fork with Piano Box Loop Road on the left. This is the turnoff for Lockwood Peak. Keep straight on 7N03.
• At 2.7 miles, fork with 7N03A on the right. This is the turnoff for San Guillermo Mountain. Keep straight on 7N03.
• At 7.5 miles, fork to the left (east). Turn left. (The Thorn Point trailhead is on the right fork.) Note your odometer again and go as follows on the Mutau Road (7N03):
• At 2.5 miles, a stream crossing and the entrance to Halfmoon Campground. Keep straight.
• At 3.8 miles, a fork to the right. Turn left on 7N03 and immediately park in a small parking area at the road end.

HIKING ROUTE 1

• From the parking area (4900'), hike down the Johnson Ridge Trail (20W12) 1.0 mile to a trail junction on the west bank of Mutau Creek (4800').
• At the trail junction with a sign reading "Johnson Ridge Trail and Little Mutau Creek Trail", continue straight ahead, pass a sign reading "Sespe Wilderness" on the left and continue across Mutau Creek about 3/4 mile to a trail junction.
• At the trail junction with a sign reading "Little Mutau Creek Trail", continue straight on the Little Mutau Creek Trail over a motorcycle barrier about 1 1/2 miles to a saddle at 5729'. Do not turn right at this junction.
• At the saddle (5729'), turn right (south), follow a faint use trail up and over the right shoulder of bump 6160'+ and descend the steep slope to the saddle at 5960'+. Do not try to contour around bump 6160'.
• Hike across the saddle on a faint clipped use trail and turn left (southeast) to hike along the east trending ridge of San Rafael Peak.
• Contour around the east side of bump 6120'+ on the east trending ridge to the saddle to the southeast of it.
• From this saddle contour around the north side of bump 6408' on the east trending ridge to a saddle to the east of it.
• Continue up the ridgeline from this saddle over bump 6440'+ to the summit.