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** Use at Your Own Risk **
08D |
Mount McDill |
5187' |
Location: Los Angeles County, about 15 miles east of Palmdale, 60 miles from Los Angeles
Maps
| Auto Club | Los Angeles and Vicinity |
| Forest Service | Angeles National Forest |
| USGS Topo | Sleepy Valley 7½ |
| Official HPS Maps | TPO file - Save to your computer then open with National Geographic TOPO! |
| Viewable JPG file - Approximately 1.5 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) |
ROUTE 1
- Distance: 12 miles round trip
- Gain: 2500' total, 2100' out plus 400' on return
- Time: 6 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, moderate
- Navigation: Easy
- Route: Trail and fire road
Original: Karen Leverich, March 2009
DRIVING ROUTE 1
- Take CA 14 (Antelope Valley Freeway) to Palmdale. Exit onto Palmdale Blvd. East. Turn left and go west.
- Continue 8.3 miles (Palmdale Blvd will become Elizabeth Lake Road) to the junction with Bouquet Canyon Road. Turn left (south).
- In 3.9 miles, the Pacific Crest Trail intersects Bouquet Canyon Road, with a large dirt parking area on the left (south) side of the road. Park here.
HIKING ROUTE 1
- From the parking area, follow the Pacific Crest Trail south for 2.77 miles to the crest of the Sierra Pelona Ridge. (This is just east of bump 4614'
- Turn left (east) and follow the fire road for 2.38 miles to where it intersects with a road coming in on the left (north) at about elevation 4887' (this is the road coming in from Route 2). Keep straight and hike 0.68 mile further to the summit.
- There are four bumps of similar elevation in the summit area. The first has a "Mint" benchmark; the second is the summit of McDill.
NOTE
The dirt road on the ridge divides and recombines several times. If you prefer the lower angle option, stay left (north) for the first three and right (south) for the last two.
A variation to this route (also shown on the maps) is to leave the PCT after 1.6 miles and short cut up to the ridgeline on a steep use trail. The statistics for this variation are 9.4 miles round trip with 2028' gain (1956' out plus 112' on return).
ROUTE 2
- Distance: 6.7 miles round trip
- Gain: 1500'
- Time: 3 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, easy
- Navigation: Easy
- Route: Road and trail
Original: Mars Bonfire, March 2009
DRIVING ROUTE 2
- Take CA 14 (Antelope Valley Freeway) to Palmdale. Exit onto Palmdale Blvd. East. Turn left and go west.
- Continue 8.3 miles (Palmdale Blvd will become Elizabeth Lake Road) to the junction with Bouquet Canyon Road. Turn left (south).
- In 3.3 miles, a vague summit known locally as Lincoln Crest. A gated dirt road is on the left, and an "Angeles Forest" sign on the right. Park where safe on the wide shoulder of Bouquet Canyon Road.
HIKING ROUTE 2
- From the parking area, hike south up the dirt road.
- Soon after passing the gate, the road forks with the right branch heading away from the power lines. Stay left.
- About a mile in, the road forks under the power lines, and rejoins. About five minutes after that (if you're hiking slowly), the road bends left and goes vaguely downhill. An unsigned trail leaves the road on the right. Take the trail.
- Follow the trail for a mile or so until it intersects a dirt road at a switchback. Note your location for the return. Turn right onto the road.
- This road eventually (1/4 mile) intersects the fire road that follows the ridge. (This is the fire road in Route 1.) Turn left (east) on the fire road.
- Follow the fire road for .68 miles further to the summit.
- There are four bumps of similar elevation in the summit area. The first has a "Mint" benchmark; the second is the summit of McDill.
NOTE
The trail heads for Route 1 and Route 2 are only a mile apart, allowing for a simple car shuttle or a nice loop hike.
ROUTE 3
- Distance: 16.8 miles round trip
- Gain: 3924' total, 3153' out plus 771' on return
- Time: 9 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, moderate
- Navigation: Easy
- Route: Trail and fire road
Original: Ted Lubeshkoff, January 2010
DRIVING ROUTE 3
- Take CA 14 (Antelope Valley Freeway) to Agua Dulce. Exit Agua Dulce Canyon Road, and go north. Reset odometer and continue as follows:
- 1.8 miles stop sign. Turn left to continue on Agua Dulce Canyon Road and pass through the town of Agua Dulce.
- 4.2 miles, stop sign at Sierra Highway, turn left.
- 4.3 miles, turn immediately right onto Mint Canyon Road.
- 4.5 miles, Peterson Road. Make a U-turn and park on Mint Canyon Road.
HIKING ROUTE 3
- From the parking area (2750'), walk north on Peterson Road for 200 yards to a dirt road on right with Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) emblem on a post.
- Turn right on this dirt road and follow it for 0.5 mile to where a trail, with a PCT post, takes off to the left, turn here.
- Continue north for 5 miles to the Sierra Pelona Ridge Road (4500'). Turn right.
- In 0.5 mile, the PCT takes off to the left. This is where the trail comes in from Route 1. Continue straight on the road.
- Follow the fire road for 2.38 miles to where it intersects with a road coming in on the left (north) at about elevation 4887' (this is the road coming in from Route 2). Keep straight and hike 0.68 mile further to the summit.
- There are four bumps of similar elevation in the summit area. The first has a "Mint" benchmark; the second is the summit of McDill.
NOTE
The dirt road on the ridge divides and recombines several times. If you prefer the lower angle option, stay left (north) for the first three and right (south) for the last two.
History of Summit Signature
Climbing Archives
Please report any corrections or changes to the Mountain Records Chair.