This blog will detail 1,000 video hikes in Southern California. By Southern California, I am drawing a line from San Luis Obispo to the Nevada Border. Anything south of that line will be declared "Southern California". In a way, it is a personal challenge to do so many hikes. Mainly, however, it is my way of showcasing how many hiking opportunities there really are right in our own geographic back yard. As a blog, it serves as a companion piece to my Youtube channel "Mike On The Trail". It is also a work in progress, as I don't actually have 1,000 edited videos completed. This will take effort for quite some time before it is declared done. Even then, there will still be more out there. Here's to hiking and all the positive effects it has had on my life...and possibly yours!
Sunday, January 31, 2021
#9 Vulture Crags
At the Vulture Crags overlooking The Luge Trail.
Southern California Map
Driving Map
*Parking on Modjeska Grade Rd is 5 miles south of Silverado Rd, or 10 miles south of Highway 261, via Santiago Canyon Rd.
The hike to Vulture Crags is essentially a trail without a parking lot. At least not one nearby. Typically, visitors park on Santiago Canyon Road and take a steep hike up a paved road to get to the true starting point on Santiago Truck Trail. However, instead of doing what everybody else was doing, I wanted to drive by the trailhead to see what it looked like. I drove past several hikers and bike riders on the road leading to the trailhead. Once I saw where It would begin, I kept driving past it. About a quarter mile past the trailhead, I saw a pullout on the side of the road with two cars parked in it. Most importantly, there was an open spot big enough for another car to park. I helped myself to the spot and used that as the beginning point of the hike, which saved me a long climb up the paved road.
Approaching the crags.
One thing I noticed right away was that this is a very popular place for mountain bikers. I was definitely in the minority as a hiker. I did see a few other hikers, but there were several groups of mountain bikers. The trail follows the wide dirt road back into the hills, where there were often mountain bikers slowly pedaling their way up hill. At certain times, I was walking as fast as they were pedaling. Along the way, there are parallel side trails which elevate to high points above the road. I veered off the road a few times for a change of pace instead of sticking to the road, which got monotonous at times.
Approaching Peak 2400.
At about 3 miles, the trail passes below Peak 2400, which is the highest point on the hike. Climbing it first is optional. I was determined to get to Vulture Crags first, since that was my primary destination. The Vulture Crags location location was not obvious, but I knew if I saw that flags that were planted on the trail, that the Vulture Crags are found on the opposite slope. So when I saw the flags across a chasm, I knew that if I saw the flags on The Luge flag pole (at the top of an intersecting trail to the east), then the crags are on the slope to the right. Sure enough, there they were. I veered off an embankment right off the trail and approached the crags while going up slope. It was a short but tricky scramble to reach them, but when I did, I took photos and some video. This was the turnaround point. The plan from here was to visit Peak 2400 on the way back.
When approaching Peak 2400, I found a good use trail below the peak. I headed up to the top on the use trail, where there was a tall summit pole and a cement block that appeared to once have a benchmark on it. This marks the highest point in the hike, Just like that, this completed the two summits. The rest of the hike involved retracing steps back to the trailhead.
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