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!
From Tenaja Road, I parked about 2.5 miles south on Margarita Road. There is a shady oak grove with a pullout good for parking. It seemed better to leave my vehicle in the shade on a hot day rather than pressing forward on a dubious road and parking it along the side.
A nice place to park.
I began hiking from there while heading south on the dirt road. The walk is about a mile before reaching the actual trailhead at a vehicle gate. I turned left here and took this side road about a half mile to a signed junction. A right here follows a trail up slope.
Looking up slope.
Some sections are bit overgrown but leads toward the high points. The first one is a false summit with a large tree on top. Beyond, and through the bushes, is the true summit. A rock pile marks the summit, with great views into Camp Pendleton Marine Base. Return the same way. Margarita Lookout is further down the road from where the Margarita Peak Trail began, and is an optional addition to the hike. Although the technical stats make this an easy hike, navigation can be difficult to discern. Looking for clues for use trails as you go is the key to getting you to the summit. Although it doesn't seem like it, the peak and trail are actually in the far northern corner of San Diego County, although the closest city is in Riverside County.
The Three T's, Thunder, Telegraph, & Timber, makes up one of the more storied hikes for San Gabriel Mountain peak baggers. Oddly, the reason is because they all start with the letter "T", so completing each on a single hike makes for a neatly packaged hiking adventure, complete with a catchy name. Despite that, the hike actually does live up to expectations. In reality, there are a few other peaks in between, so a well planned hike can net about 6 total peaks without venturing too far off trail. The prospect of claiming so many peaks in one shot would undoubtedly get the serious hiker's ears to perk up. After all, the hike is doable for any non-technical hiker who wants to put forward the effort.
On the summit of Thunder Mountain.
Completing the Three T's can be done in at least 3 different ways. One way is to start in Icehouse Canyon and performing an out and back to the three peaks, another is an out and back from the Mt Baldy Ski Lift. The third way is by doing a grand loop beginning and ending at Manker Flats. Each has its benefits and drawbacks. The one that suited me the most was the plan that starts and ends at the Mt Baldy Ski Lift. This one got me to the three T's sooner, however, the drawback was that it took longer to get back (but I was OK with that).
Telegraph Peak
From the ski lift parking lot, a gated dirt road goes up the western side of the lot to the dirt portion of Mt Baldy Road. The road continues uphill to the ski lodge at Baldy Notch. Just beyond the resort area, the trail splits. Mt Baldy hikers go left and Three T's hikers go right. In 1.3 miles, the trail accesses the first "T" of Thunder Mountain. Telegraph Peak is next, but it is reachable after a steep climb. Teleraph Peak is the highest point in the hike. Timber Mountain is last, but comes after a long up and down climb. Along the way, Rees Point and Smetana Hill are two notable peaks that are available to bag along the way.
On the summit of Telegraph Peak.
Once reaching Timber Mountain, the "T" peak trifecta is completed. If completing the loop, you keep going forward to Icehouse Canyon. However, on the out and back plan, you would need to climb back over Telegraph Ridge and Thunder Mountain.
Timber Mountain.
After making this long return, I managed to snag one more peak known as Gold Ridge, which is just off the road between Thunder and Baldy Notch. From there, it is downhill all the way back, and then conquest of the Three "T"'s was mine!
From the Mt Wilson entrance gate, Mt Wilson Toll Road is accessed. This old paved road descends to an entrance gate to Mt Harvard, adjacent to the single track Mt Wilson summit trail. Go left before reaching the gate and continue on the road. This bypasses Mount Harvard and leaves it for later in the hike. The paved road is no longer a thing at this point, so the hike remains on the rocky dirt road. The hike passes and ignores the Winter Creek Trail on the way down. Shortly past this junction, Mt Yale comes in view. In about 3 miles, the road arrives at Harvard Saddle, which is in between Mt Yale and Mt Princeton. A right turn begins ascending Harvard Ridge toward Mt Yale.
Approaching Mt Yale.
The use trail gets overgrown, but using the high point ahead as your target is the way to do it when in doubt. The trail eventually tops out on the summit of Mt Yale, which has a benchmark.
Mt Yale Benchmark.
The trail continues forward to Mt Harvard from there. It is slow going and steep in parts, but along the way, the trail meets man made structures associated with the summit tower facility. This is a way of letting you know that you are close to the top. Eventually, the trail rises to the summit which has a large building to go with the towers.
Approaching the summit of Mt Harvard.
The trail connects with the summit road that drops to the gate that was seen earlier in the hike. At first it seems like you are locked in, however, there is no side fence, so you simply swing around the side of the gate and you are back on Mt Wilson Toll Road.
On the summit of Mt Harvard.
It is about a 1 mile climb from there back to the parking area near the Mt Wilson entrance gate.
