Scodie Mountain
Peak Name
Elevation
feet
Status
Region
Range
Nearby peaks
Location
Description
Scodie Mountain is a perennial favorite among HPS leaders and members. It is situated in a beautiful pinyon pine forest and has awe-inspiring summit views with varied routes to climb.
Route 1 is the most common route, which starts at Walker Pass Campground and follows the Pacific Crest Trail for a while before separating and climbing a shaded gully along Canebrake Creek through forest, with somewhat difficult navigation, to the peak. Route 2 is a steep cross country ascent from the south, almost entirely cross-country. Unlike the other routes, this one requires extensive dirt road driving. Route 3 begins on old road then ascends a steep gully cross country to the summit saddle. It is also possible to start on route 1 and hike 5.1 miles on the PCT before ascending over a bump to join route 1 further along. One can camp at Walker Pass Campground and spend a pleasant weekend climbing the peaks in the area.
Maps generated from CalTopo.com, reproduced with permission
Downloadable Maps, Files, and Guides
Driving route
Take SR 14 to Mojave.
Continue north on SR 14 to the intersection with SR 178 signed 178 West/Lake Isabella. This junction is about 40 miles north of the town of Mojave.
Go west on SR 178 to Walker Pass.
Continue on SR 178 for 1.0 mile to the entrance to Walker Pass Campground on the left. Park in the campground.
Hiking route
From the campground parking lot (4960′), follow the signs uphill (south) to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).
Turn right on the PCT and hike a little more than 1/4 mile to where it crosses the Canebrake creek bed.
Hike south up the creek bed to where it forks at 5200′.
Take the left fork and continue up to another fork at 5500′.
Take the right fork. Continue southwest up the creek bed, swinging around to the southeast and up to a plateau near bump 6920’+, about 1/4 mile east of bump 7042′.
Follow a broad ridge southeast, then east, then southeast again to the summit block.
Driving route
At the SR 14/178 junction described in Driving Route 1, go south on SR 14 for 4.5 miles to a dirt road on the right. Some maps identify this point as “Armistead”. Turn right. Note your odometer and go as follows:
At 0.9 miles, fork. Go straight.
At 1.4 miles, forks. Go right.
At 1.8 miles, 4-way fork. Continue straight.
At 2.1 miles, junction. Keep straight.
At 3.5 miles, junction. Turn left.
At 4.6 miles, fork. Go right.
At 7.3 miles, a water trough on the right.
At 7.9 miles, a wide area. Park here.
Hiking route
From the parking area (5150′), hike northwest toward the smooth ridge of the skyline.
Aim toward the lower end of a rock outcrop on the upper portion of the ridge. The terrain is steep and sandy.
Once on the ridge, turn right and follow it up to the summit keeping to the left of the outcrop.
Route Notes
Driving route
Take SR 14 to Mojave.
At the SR 14/178 junction described in Driving Route 1, go west on SR 178 for 7.0 miles to a dirt road on the left just past mile marker 81.50.
Turn left and park at this dirt road junction to avoid a citation for driving into the Kiavah Wilderness.
Hiking route
From the parking area (4760′) on the southwest side of the highway, turn right through a Wilderness area gate onto an old road for about 500′ to a road on the right with posts blocking it.
Take this road 1.5 miles to its end (5300′).
From here, hike west up the open slope aiming toward the saddle (6250′) just south of 6691′.
From this saddle go south up the ridge over 6945′ and on up to the summit plateau.
Turn southeast and continue up to the summit. On the return trip it is possible to descend directly from the saddle 1/4 mile northwest of the summit.
Additional Peak Information
Alternate route: The PCT can be hiked to the east fork of Jacks Creek, 1 1/2 miles west of Scodie Mountain followed by a cross-country ridgeline trek to the summit. This route is 12 miles round trip, 2300′ of gain and will take about 6-7 hours. It is fully described as Trip 9 in the book, Exploring the Southern Sierra: East Side, by J. C. Jenkins and Ruby Johnson Jenkins.
Special conditions: Scodie Mountain, Pinyon Peak, Onyx Peak #2, and Skinner Peak lie in the Kiavah Wilderness which is bounded on the south by the road over Bird Spring Pass and on the north by SR 178 and Walker Pass. The old trailhead to Scodie on the east side of Walker Pass (Route 3) is now in the Wilderness. If you use this route, you must park along SR 178.
Camping: About a mile west of Walker Pass on the left is the entrance for Walker Pass Campground. There are restrooms and water during summer months. There are walk-in primitive sites. There are no fees or reservations at this time.
External Links
Nearby Peaks
External Links
Peakbagger.com
Nearest ranger station
NOAA Forecast
Google Earth
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