Printable Peak Guide

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK

02P

Skinner Peak

7120'

Location: Kern County, about 35 miles north of Mojave, 137 miles from Los Angeles

Maps

Auto Club	Kern County
USGS Topos	Cane Canyon 7½, Horse Canyon 7½
Official HPS Maps	TPO file - Save to your computer then open with National Geographic TOPO!
	Viewable JPG file - Approximately 325K
	GPX file or Google Earth KML file to download to GPS units and other map software (How to use GPX and KML files)
	Routes as shown on CalTopo using the above files (How to use CalTopo)

ROUTE 1

(High clearance vehicles are recommended)

Distance: 8 miles round trip on trail and cross-country
Gain: 1900'
Time: 3-4 hours round trip
Rating: Class 1, moderate
Navigation: Moderate
Original: Alan Coles, November 1988

DRIVING ROUTE 1

From Mojave, go north on SR 14 for 33.4 miles to a dirt road signed 'SC 65'. Turn left. This is 13.9 miles north of Jawbone Canyon or 8.8 miles south of the westbound (Walker Pass) SR 178 junction with SR 14. Note your odometer and go as follows:
Cross an immediate cattle guard.
At 2.6 miles, a faint junction. Keep straight.
At 4.9 miles, a cattle guard and a covered aqueduct. Turn left (south). This is the turnoff for Route 1. Continue straight for Route 2. Note your odometer again.
At 0.6 mile, a cattle guard.
At 0.9 mile, junction with SC 106 to the right. Turn right (west).
At 1.3 miles, junction at a second aqueduct. Keep straight.
At 2.9 miles, SC 47 forks left. Keep straight on SC 106.
At 5.0 miles, fork with SC 120. Turn right (northwest) on SC 120.
At 9.0 miles, Bird Spring Pass. Park here.

Bird Spring Pass may also be reached by driving north on Jawbone Canyon Road 32.2 miles from SR 14 to the fork for SC 120 on the right (east). This fork is also 5.7 miles north of the Piute Mountain Road fork at Sageland. Drive east on SC 120 for 5.6 miles to Bird Spring Pass.

HIKING ROUTE 1

Hike north on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from the parking area (5300'). The trail starts in a northeast direction, eventually switchbacks up the eastern slopes to the main ridgeline, and then heads westward toward the peak. Stay on the PCT to about 7000' where it definitely starts downhill. Note: The PCT route is not as shown on the USGS topo map.
Turn left here, leave the trail, and go up to the ridge.
Go west along the ridge to the summit, which is a solitary rock just west of a clump of rocks and trees that you see first.

On the return trip it is possible to descend a great scree slope from elevation 6931' down to the trail below. Turn right on the trail and follow it back to the parking area.