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!
Several hiking opportunities abound from Angeles Crest Highway. Many are prominent, while others are obscure. Winston Ridge is one of the obscure ones. From Angeles Crest Highway, and unsigned route heads uphill for about a mile to reach Winston Peak. To get to Winston Ridge requires going further on use trails and a little x-country toward the north. The route dips into a canyon before climbing to Peak 6903, at the beginning of Winston Ridge.
Heading to Winston Ridge.
From Peak 6903, I crossed over the wide summit to pick up the ridge route, which climbs gradually toward the high point of Winston Ridge. At the high point sat a register, at least on my visit. From Winston Ridge I continued west.
The summit of Winston Ridge.
The ridge dips to a lower point before elevating to the next summit, which is Peak 6850. This is the end of the ridge, so there is a quite a bit of a drop to the west from there. An unmaintained trail leads from Winston Ridge to Peak 6850, but it was clearly visible and with limited difficulty.
Approaching Peak 6850.
The original plan was to include Peak 6306 to the north. However, I did not anticipate the huge dip of about a thousand feet before climbing to Peak 6306. So instead, I just stood there for a few minutes admiring the view and feeling grateful that I didn't begin descending to it.
Overlooking Peak 6306.
The majority of the hike is on unmaintained trails. I did not see anybody else out on the ridge, so the secluded feeling was really prevalent. This is a great place to visit to get that wilderness feeling before returning to Angeles Crest Highway and then civilization.
Bypassing a reclimb of Winston Peak on the way back.
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