Total Escape Outside » Equestrian

Agua Tibia Wilderness

DanaMite — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:46:16 +0000

Agua Tibia Wilderness Area

15,900 acres
chaparral & oak at lower elevations
pine & fir forest at high elevations
elevations range 1,700′ – 5,000′
25 miles of trail
summer temperatures exceed 100 F
occasional snow in winter
best in winter through spring
wood fires prohibited
portable stoves permitted
water scarce
no overnight use of pack or saddle stock
groups limit – 15 people
visitor permits required

Cleveland National Forest
Palomar Ranger District
1634 Black Canyon Road
Ramona, CA 92065
760-788-0250

This is the trailhead for Agua Tibia Wilderness located at Dripping Springs Campground on Highway 79, near Temecula CA.

See more: Agua Tibia Mountain hike details

California Topo Maps

DanaMite — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:59:06 +0000

Topographical maps feature the terrain of a wilderness or hiking area, through colored shading & thin lines to represent elevations. Park boundaries, trail routes, trail heads & campgrounds are noted, as well as major landmarks like lakes, rivers, creeks, meadows, peaks, hot springs, waterfalls & all roads (dirt or paved). Backpackers & hikers must rely on such maps for planning & trekking their journey.

Here in California we are lucky to have so much public land available to us for enjoyment. Many of the USDA National Forest Service 7 minute topo (sheet) maps are now compiled into booklet form called an ATLAS, with sturdy covers & a spiral bound. Overall size is close to 9″x12″ & they are much easier to handle than the individual paper maps.

Below is a list of the topo maps available for California:

Mount Pinos

DanaMite — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:07:49 +0000

Sierra Views from Pinos
Originally uploaded by danamight

Mount Pinos Recreation Area

The Mt Pinos Recreation Area is located on the border of Southern and Central California, inside Los Padres National Forest. After passing Frazier Park, the winding, paved, mountain road starts atop Cuddy Valley and is approximately 12 miles from Interstate 5 @ Tejon Pass. The 8831′ peak is the tallest in Kern County and is a popular spot for both summer and winter recreation: cross country skiing, snow shoeing, backpacking, hiking, mountain biking. The snow gates often close during heavy snow.

Mount Pinos Road starts atop Cuddy Valley Rd, at the “Y” – where it intersects with Mil Potrero Highway, which heads out to Pine Mountain Club, California. One mile up the Mount Pinos route, you will find McGill trailhead on the right side (it is popular w/ mountain bikers) and then the first snow gate at Burbank Rd. Another 4 miles up hill, you come to the only set of dirt roads accessible on this range. A left turn will take you winding thru pine forest to the valley below. 4×4 is not required, but a National Forest map is very handy. Unfortunately all the private properties at the bottom have locked gates & no thru access to Cuddy Valley is allowed, but it is an awesome drive to just go exploring in the woods.

Back on the main route, shortly after the dirt roads is McGill Campground on the right side & another snow gate. In another mile and a half you will reach Mt Pinos Campground on the left side; the entrance is easy to miss. From here you are less than 2 miles from the end of the main road.

Mountain Bike, Hike, Backpack, Camp, XC Ski, Snow Sled

Darkest Skies for Stargazing in Southern California

The huge paved parking lot is the dead end (2 miles from the peak of Pinos) – very popular with astronomers, mountain bikers, plus the families and snow sledders in winter (if the gates are open). A National Ski Patrol’s Nordic Base, the only building you will see up this way. At 8300′ elevation, the large parking area is perfect overnight spot for amateur astronomers, so be considerate when visiting night. New moon (no moon) weekends APR-OCT are optimal viewing months. In busy summer months you can often find motorhome campers all set up with expensive equipment tracking the heavens all night long. Please be respectful of their hobby & eyes; Turn off headlights when you approach the parking area at night.

There is also a hike-in, freebie camp ground called Chula Vista; an easy quarter mile walk from the parking lot to 12 camp sites & a pit toilet. Mountain bikes dig this area too. A large meadow here blooms with wild irises in summer, only sometimes.

Trail 21W03 Mt Pinos
Originally uploaded by danamight

ROAD CONDITIONS to Mount Pinos
call the ranger station 661-245-3731

Peak to Peak Hike

The trailhead for Pinos Summit starts at this parking lot. It is a 2 mile moderate, but steep hike on an old fire road. The neighboring peak to the west is called Mount Abel @ 8286′ elevation (aka Cerro Noroeste). The infamous peak to peak hike along the ridge line from Mt Pinos to Mt Abel is 6.5 miles one way – and very popular in summer months. This hike requires 4-6 hours & a car shuttle should be arranged in advance. The Chumash Wilderness sits between Mount Pinos and the tiny community of Pine Mountain, which can be seen below on many places along the hike.

There are 3 developed camp sites in the Mount Pinos area:

McGill Campground
Mount Pinos Campground
Chula Vista Campground (walk-in)

Only one camp accepts online reservations and all are closed during winter months. (Oct-April)

RESERVE CAMPGROUND: McGill Campground

DARK NIGHT SKIES: Amateur Astronomers Info

MAPS: Los Padres National Forest Map

WEB CAM: Mt Pinos North Face

NEAREST TOWNS:

Mt Abel trailhead looking East to Pinos range

Mount Charleston Vegas

DanaMite — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 05:38:18 +0000

Mt Charleston Las Vegas NV

Mount Charleston Las Vegas NV

Mount Charleston Resort

Mt Charleston cabin rentals, vacation homes and 2 mountain lodges are located near the Spring Mountain Recreation Area, just outside of the Sin City limits. The tall alpine mountains behind RedRock SP, NW of Las Vegas, Nevada are virtually unknown by many non-locals. Great hiking, mountain biking, camping and waterfalls, plus a small seasonal ski and snowboard resort are some of the highlights. Imagine snowboarding Vegas!

Las Vegas Forest
Vegas means “the meadows”, but it sure seems more like desert these days. The forest is just up the hill, past the red rock and tract homes, well past the Joshua Trees. Conifer forests, snow and high elevation, less than an hours drive from the Vegas strip. Toiyabe – Humboldt NF is this public land managed by the US National Forest system. Get the NV map here

all NEVADA forest MAPS

Camping Vegas

Due to extreme dry conditions and wildfire danger no open camp fires are allowed from mid-April to mid-November in the Mount Charleston region. Several developed campgrounds, plus a primitive (dirt road) camp area off Lee Canyon. Cabin rentals are located at the Charleston Lodge.

Vegas trails
Hiking in Vegas
Mount Charleston skiing
Mt Charleston hikes

Wilderness Lakes

DanaMite — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:15:34 +0000

lake in ca / calif lakes / lake elevation / geology lakes

hike in lakes

Wilderness lakes are as pure as it gets. No cattle, no roads nearby. Snow melt, cool days, good fishing, great mountain scenery, granite, fresh air & clean water. You have to really wanna reach them. You must physically WORK to get to these remote alpine wonderlands – hike, bike, or horseback. Most prefer to backpack in and stay a while. Why not? These puppies are ONLY ACCESSIBLE a few months outta the whole year. May as well enjoy them while you can. The rest of the time most of them are frozen solid or buried with tons of serious snow. Wilderness areas do not allow dogs or mountain bikes on trails, so plan accordingly.

California is lucky to have hundreds of lakes within protected wilderness areas. Almost all are gorgeous and have very limited access. While we haven’t yet been able to hike every Wilderness in Cali, we will leave you with the best links with could find & a way to buy some maps. Most Wilderness topo maps are printed on waterproof plastic these days. The most popular topographical maps sell out often, and can be outta stock or outta print for months, or even years. The less popular areas still have the old paper maps.

Ansel Adams Wilderness

NFS Map is OUTTA PRINT

Bucks Lake Wilderness

Bucks Lake Wilderness Map

Carson Iceberg Wilderness

NatGeo Carson Iceberg Map
NFS Carson Iceberg Wilderness Map

Desolation Wilderness

Granite Chief Wilderness

Emigrant Wilderness

Hoover Wilderness

John Muir Wilderness

Lassen National Park

Mokelumne Wilderness

NFS Mokelumne Wilderness Map

Monarch Wilderness (Kings Cyn)

Jennie Lakes Wilderness

NFS Monarch / Jennie Lakes Wilderness Map

Thousand Lakes Wilderness

Ishi, Carribou, 1000 Lakes Wilderness Map

Trinity Alps Wilderness

NFS Map is OUTTA PRINT

Yosemite National Park

Forget the hike!
If you are seeking a remote mountain lake that you can drive to, you will need to search for one that has the fewest people. A 4WD vehicle will help you exit the tourist traps, thru plenty of the back roads we feature. Always steer clear of crowded, holiday weekends. See the CA LAKE LIST here!

A few regions more with pristine lakes, but not dubbed Wilderness: