McDonald Peak

** Use at Your Own Risk **

See the Retired Peak Guides in the Archives for Microsoft Word and other versions of this peak guide.

07H

Location: Ventura County, about 15 miles southwest of Gorman, 83 miles from Los Angeles

Auto Club: Ventura County
Forest Service: Los Padres National Forest: Mt Pinos, Ojai and Santa Barbara Ranger Districts
USGS Topo: Alamo Mountain 7½
HPS: Route(s), waypoints and explanation of usage
Nearby Peaks: Alamo Mountain, Sewart Mountain, Snowy Peak, Black Mountain #2, Cobblestone Mountain, White Mountain #2

(USFS Adventure Pass required)

Go north on I-5 to the town of Gorman. Get off on the signed Gorman exit.
Turn left at the bottom of the off-ramp and go under the freeway.
Go 0.1 mile to Peace Valley Road. Turn right.
Go 1 mile to the entrance to Hungry Valley Recreation Area on your left (paved). Turn left.Note your odometer and go as follows:
At 0.2 miles, entrance station. If manned, you can avoid payment of the fee by telling the State Park employee that you are passing through to Alamo Mountain.
At 5.2 miles, intersection. Turn right (west) toward "Piru Creek", signed.
At 11.2 miles, improved car camping area on right, with toilets. Often used as a meeting point.
At 11.4 miles, Piru Creek crossing. There is a seasonal gate just before this stream crossing.
At 13.4 miles, the pavement ends.
At 17.8 miles, fork to the left. Keep right.
At 17.9 miles, junction with the Alamo Mountain Road. Turn left. (To the right leads to Twin Pines Campground and Alamo Mountain Route 2.) Note your odometer again and go as follows:
At 3.3 miles, fork immediately beyond a small road cut through the ridge. (To the right leads to Alamo Mountain Route 1.) Turn left.
At 4.0 miles, the road continues east at the Little Mutau trailhead. Past this point the road can sometimes be poor but is usually passable.
At 6.3 miles the road comes out on a ridge with a parking area above the road on the right (south). Park here.

From the parking area (6500'), the peak can be seen to the southwest.
Start west along the ridge and follow it as it swings around to the southeast and then up to the summit.

Twin Pines Campground has a toilet but no other facilities.

Contact the USFS at (661) 245-3731 for information about the status of the seasonal gate at the Piru Creek crossing.

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