Location: Los Angeles County, about 9 miles south of Pearblossom, 49 miles from Los Angeles

Maps

Auto Club: Los Angeles and Vicinity

Forest Service: Angeles National Forest

USGS Topo:

Route 1 - Juniper Hills 7½, Waterman Mountain 7½

Route 2 - Juniper Hills 7½, Valyermo 7½

Route 3 - Juniper Hills 7½, Crystal Lake 7½, Valyermo 7½

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

Nearby Peaks: Pleasant View Ridge, Will Thrall Peak, Mount Williamson

Distance: 15.5 miles round trip on trail and steep use trail

Gain: 4600' total, 3800' out plus 800' on return

Time: 7-9 hours round trip

Rating: Class 1, strenuous

Navigation: Moderate

Leader Rating: "I", normal conditions

Original: Charlie Knapke, September 1996

DRIVING ROUTE 2

• Take the Antelope Valley Freeway (SR 14) northeast toward Palmdale. Get off at the Angeles Forest Highway/Pearblossom Highway.
• Go 4.5 miles northeast and then east on Pearblossom Highway to the intersection with SR 138.
• Turn right and drive 9 miles to Longview Road (N6) (shown as 131st Street on the 7.5 minute topos) in the town of Pearblossom, where a sign "Devils Punchbowl" points to the right. Turn right (south) onto N6. Note your odometer and proceed as follows:
• At 2.0 miles, junction with Fort Tejon Road. Turn left.
• At 2.5 miles, junction with Longview Road (N6) (shown as 13st Street on the 7.5 minute topos). Turn right.
• At 4.5 miles, signed junction marked "Lewis Ranch" and "Devils Punchbowl" on the left. Turn left.
• Drive 3 miles farther to a parking lot at the end of the road at the Devil's Punchbowl Nature Center. Park in the parking lot. (At the time of this revision, there is no fee.)

HIKING ROUTE 2

• From your parking spot (4760'), walk to the signed beginning of the Burkhart Trail next to the portable toilet.
• Proceed onto the trail, which swings southwest past a large, green water tank to a trail junction at about 0.7 mile.
• Take the right (west) fork, which reads "Burkhart Saddle 6.2 miles".
• After 2 miles the trail descends steeply to a junction with a dirt road. Turn left (south) on this road, signed "Burkhart Saddle 3.7 miles".
• The road passes a windmill high above Cruthers Creek and then descends into the canyon, where you follow a wide trail alignment that heads uphill on the right immediately after crossing the creekbed (4600').
• Ascend the trail for 3.4 miles to Burkhart Saddle (6959').
• Hike about 0.5 mile east up a steep use trail to the summit. (Will Thrall Peak can be reached by turning west at Burkhart Saddle and climbing a steep use trail about 0.5 mile to the summit.)