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 "1,000 Hikes in So Cal". 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!
Driving Map Google Map *Parking for Copper Mountain is 1.2 miles north of Highway 62, about 5 miles west of the city of Twentynine Palms via Mantonya Rd. Trailhead coordinates: 34.15329°N, -116.17102°W
Hiking Map
Heading up the road.
Summary
While I was fired up to finally hit two LPC summits in Joshua Tree National Park, my plans changed rather quickly. The plan was to hike Mt Mel and Keys Peak on a single hike. I drove to the end of the road in the Indian Cove section of Joshua Tree National Park. I followed a boulder filled gully for almost a mile before the boulders became unpassable (without exposed climbing). Once faced with an impassible wall of boulders, I returned to Indian Cove and simply left the park. I realized that I needed to do better research instead of trying to wing it out in the desert. My attention then shifted to nearby Copper Mountain.
I had researched Copper Mountain the night before as a backup plan, so I knew where to go. I headed down the highway and along two dirt roads before reaching my parking area. From there, I continued on foot toward Copper Mountain. The 4WD road goes through a canyon before elevating to the towers on the high point. The hike is rather straightforward, but I really wasn't sure if I was going the right way until I turned a corner and saw the towers straight ahead.
Summit benchmark.
There is a twin summit with a benchmark and building on one and a similar type of structure on the other. I really enjoyed knocking this one down and really considered starting up a YouTube channel while doing this one. I had shot 16 other hiking video sets on previous weekends, but this hike inspired me to actually edit my collection of videos and to begin posting them on YouTube. I had too much fun on this hike to keep the experience all to myself. In a way, this was where it all began! I started editing videos and then started posting videos nearly every weekend. A channel was born!
No, this isn't the larger Mt Nebo found in Utah. This Mount Nebo hike is very short and mostly off trail. However, since the destination is obvious, the high point operates as your guide. After reaching the ridge on an old dirt road track, it was a cross-country scramble over volcanic rocks to the summit. To get to the top, I had to use my best judgement, which proved to be a fun ascent. The small peak had nice views and a nice summit windbreak. On the descent, I formed a loop by dropping down a gully while going in a straight line back to the parking area.
Cross-country scrambling.
Although this is a fun hike, it is not worth going out of your way just to hike it, It is best to pair this with another local hike in order to maximize the experience. In my case, I finished this one after completing Copper Mountain earlier in the day. If you have all day, you can even add a few more local hikes to get a more satisfying desert day hiking experience.
The hike to McKinley Mountain is short but steep. However, finding the starting point might be the toughest part. There are no signs or established trailheads. Instead, I studied Google Maps and was observant when passing through on the highway over the years. On those instances, I concentrated on looking for a starting point while I was heading somewhere else. Finally, with enough research, I felt confident to park in a wide pullout southeast of the peak along Highway 330. I tucked my car as close to the edge of the pullout as I could so that I would not be a problem for cars pulling over. As it turned out, I was the only car there during my visit. I knew this since I had a clear view of the pullout for much of my peak hike.
Admiring the progress made while climbing.
After feeling secure with my parking spot, I headed up the slope on a use trail that led up the steep slope and through the brush. The initial climb was roughly a 500 foot gain in just a quarter mile. My calves were on fire by the time I reached the ridge. Once on the ridge, it looked like a straight shot toward the peak, but in a steep trajectory. Despite the clarity, I found myself stopping every so often to give myself a break on the steep climb.
On the first false summit looking at the second one.
When I saw my first poppy for the year, that gave me another excuse to stop and take it easy for a few moments. Once reaching a false summit (the first of two), I took the time to unstrap my GoPro so that I could stage a shot of me hiking along the trail. This is a technique that I see often on YouTube by other contributors, so I though I would try it out. I was actually kind of pleased with the outcome, but I never tried it again. I figured right away that my videos were about the hikes, not about me.
On the summit.
Once reaching the second false summit, the top of the mountain was in view on the ridge. Along with the view was a bit of excitement, since I had been plotting to visit here for years. Even on the previous weekend, when I was atop Harrison Mountain, I remember trying to solve the McKinley Mountain "puzzle" while on the descent. Meanwhile, once reaching the top of McKinley, I shot a short video where I re-created reaching the top (despite trying to be serious, this turned out to be one of my more comedic moments on video). Meanwhile, like all other mountain visits, it ended with a long descent back to the parking area. I was proud of the completion of this climb, and I was looking forward to sharing it. As I often say: Mission accomplished!
Finding the trailhead is rather straightforward. I drove Highway 330 to a large pullout at the intersection with Old City Creek Road. From there, the hike began by walking down the dirt Old City Creek Road. After walking for about a tenth of a mile, I veered off the road on a use trail that went in the direction of Harrison Mountain. Beyond that point, I kept expecting the trail to disappear somewhere on the lower slopes, but the defined pathway kept going. The trail gains the ridge and passes through some overgrown sections before reaching a steep climbing section that tops out at the summit. There are some tremendous views up there, made that much more enjoyable by visiting on a cool and comfortable day. I signed the register and continued shooting video on the way down. The visit here turned out to be one of my better video efforts early in the year.
On the summit.
On the way down, I took some time overlooking McKinley Mountain, which is across the highway from Harrison Mountain. McKinley was climbed a week later, since it was seared in my brain on the way down. I found descending the mountain to be more difficult than climbing it, since there are some barren slopes with loose rock.
Summit register.
Also, at the base of the mountain, live target practice was taking place. I had to really make my presence known to everyone once I reached the bottom in order to avoid being shot. Once I got past them, though, the hike was suddenly over, and the conquest of Harrison Mountain was final!
Looking toward Fernando 2 Benchmark from May Peak.
Southern California Map
Driving Map
Summary
Santa Clarita Divide Road is a winding drive on a paved road. It leads all the way to a fire station at the base of Fernando 2 Benchmark. Santa Clara Divide Road connects with 4 peaks along the ridge, to include Contract Point, Fernando 2 Benchmark, Tribute Peak, and May Peak.
Hiking Stats (all 4 peaks):
*Parking for Contract Point is 2.7 miles from Little Tujunga Canyon Rd.
Drove Santa Clarita Truck Trail to a dirt road access road for Contract Point. There is a locked vehicle gate there, so that is where the short hike begins. I walked out onto the dirt road where radio towers are spread out in different groupings. I stopped at Contract Point 2, which was a little higher than Contract Point 1 further down the dirt road by like 100 yards or more. From there, it is a slight uphill back to the parking area. Quick and easy.
One viewpoint on Contract Point.
*Parking for Fernando 2 Benchmark is 4.1 miles from Little Tujunga Canyon Rd.
Did this one the easy way. I drove Santa Clara Truck Trail past the fire station to where the road branches. I drove the left branch to a parking area just before the gate on the summit (There were even parking stalls and parking curb stops there). From there, I walked out onto the summit to visit the summit crosses. Next, I encircled the fenced in summit structures to cover all the high ground. Hard to believe, this one was probably easier than the Mesa hike that I completed a few minutes earlier. Later, when going up May Peak, I saw the steep use trail that goes up Fernando 2 Benchmark's western slope. That is obviously the more sporting way to climb the mountain. One other note, I saw no benchmark up there despite the name, but then again, I really didn't look very hard.
Fernando 2 Summit markers
*Parking for May Peak is 3.8 miles from Little Tujunga Canyon Rd.
To begin the hike to May Peak, I parked just west of the fire station on Santa Clarita Truck Trail (Santa Clarita Divide Rd), since the road started to degrade quite a bit going forward. Since I was out to go hiking anyway, it was an easy decision to start walking from there. I followed the road west for about a mile to a saddle between May Peak and Fernando 2 Benchmark. I continued up the use trail going west. This lead to three bumps along the ridge that are about the same height. I hit all three. On the last one to the west, I found a benchmark and a summit rock pile, which appeared to mark the true summit of May Peak. On the way back, I diverted a few yards to include Tribute Peak. This was a cold and windy winter day, but there was nowhere else I would rather be on the day!
