Mount Pinos via Condor Summit
4.2 mi
Distance
2 hrs 22 min
Time
terrain
450 ft
Elev Gain
Overview
This is a easy out and back trail to Mount Pinos in Los Padres National Forest.
This trail goes by Mount Pinos Condor Observation Site.
Sights to See
Rate this Hike
★★★★★
Solo day hiked Fri 12/15/23 – Early start on the Condor Summit/Mt Pinos dirt road to the Mt Pinos summit and then the Condor Observation Site. No register on Pinos, just the survey benchmark and the Edwards range antenna/solar panel array. From here, it was down the Vincent Tumamait Trail into the Chumash Wilderness and up to the spectacular summit cairn on Sawmill Mountain which was a great place to watch the start of a nice sunrise. The north-south-east views from the summit were equally spectacular since it was a clear weather morning. Found a faint use trail that departed the main trail which went south all the way up to the Sawmill West summit which had only views to the south. After getting back to the main trail and heading northwest for a bit, there was a well-defined spur trail that led up to both the Lower Grouse Mtn south summit and the official Grouse Mtn summit which is marked by a branch teepee with the register tucked into its side. It was a long descent from here to the saddle between Cerro Noroeste and Grouse Mtns and then the steep ascent up to Cerro Noroeste Road. While this part makes you work, the trail is nice but with a few tree crossings. Once at the road, there is a short, lesser used gully trail heading west, directly up to the Cerro Noroeste Summit which is much shorter and safer than going up the road. After walking around the summit through the trees and the Campo Alto campground, I found a 6 ft high boulder stack that seemed to be the high point so I climbed it for fun but didn’t find a register before heading back down. Taking the same route back to the Chula Vista trailhead meant a little extra work on the steep ascents that had allowed for the earlier fast descents. Some extra calories and a steady pace made it a pleasant hike back. Took an out and back detour to Sheep Camp on the trip back and found that the Sheep Camp Spring pipe still had a steady trickle of water coming out of it. While I don’t have a dog, this seems like a great trail on which to bring your canine friend. Didn’t see anyone else on the trail during my trip. Highly recommend this trail and it would’ve been nice to camp for a night before the hike instead of the drive in from Temecula but wasn’t an option for me this week. Logged 15.4 miles/3513 vertical ft. with Gaia.
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Public Tracks
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