USE AT YOUR OWN RISK
Location: Ventura County, about 14 miles west of Frazier Park, 90 miles from Los Angeles
Maps
| Auto Club | Kern County |
| Forest Service | Los Padres National Forest: Mt Pinos, Ojai and Santa Barbara Ranger Districts |
| USGS Topo | Sawmill Mountain 7½ |
| Official HPS Maps |
TPO file - Save to your computer then open with National Geographic TOPO! |
| | Viewable PDF file - Approximately 12 megs |
| | 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) |
Nearby Peaks: Sawmill Mountain, Grouse Mountain, Cerro Noroeste
ROUTE 2
(USFS Adventure Pass may be required)
- Distance: 16 miles round trip on road and trail
- Gain: 3000' total, 2850' out plus 50' on return
- Time: 7 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, strenuous
- Navigation: Moderate
Original: Peter Doggett, July 2011
DRIVING ROUTE 2
- Drive north on I-5 to the Frazier Park exit. Turn left (west). Note
your odometer and go as follows:
- At 7.2 miles the Lockwood Valley Road forks left and the Cuddy Valley
Road goes straight. Keep straight.
- At 12.4 miles, junction with Mil Potero Road. Keep straight.
- At 12.9 miles, McGill Trail on right. Park here.
HIKING ROUTE 2
- From the trailhead (6100'), hike up the shady McGill trail through a pine forest.
- After 3.1 miles, a nature trail enters on the left. Keep straight.
- After 3.3 miles, you'll reach a major trail junction (by some red "CAUTION" markers). The left fork goes to the McGill Campground. Turn right.
- After 3.5 miles, you'll reach the paved Mt. Pinos Road. Turn right.
- Walk about 50 yards up the road to the Southridge Trail on the left.
- Follow the Southridge Trail for about 1.3 miles to the Mount Pinos Campground.
- Hike up the driveway until once again you meet the Mt. Pinos Road. Turn left.
- Walk about 200 yards on the Mt. Pinos Road to a dirt road on the right. Turn right.
- Follow this dirt road towards the Nordic Base Ski Center, taking the right fork after about ¼ miles.
- Keep straight as you pass the Chula Vista Campground (about 1.3 miles after leaving pavement.)
- The Nordic Base Ski Center is about 0.2 mile beyond the Chula Vista Campground.
- Once at the Nordic Base, cross the parking lot and go west to another dirt road. (This is the parking area for Route 1.) Turn right.
- Follow this dirt road for about 0.1 mile past a gate, and turn left almost
immediately at a road fork.
- Stay on this dirt road (ignoring all other minor routes) until in about another 1.4 miles you reach the summit which is adjacent to some solar cells and tall radio equipment towers.
NOTE
A fine view can be found by walking 4 minutes west to an overlook and the Vincent Tumamait trailhead.
The McGill trail is very popular with mountain bikers. On weekends, many
mountain bikes ride down the trail and hikers need to be alert for cyclists
who are rounding the trail bends.