Bare Mountain

Overview

Bare Mountain is likely named based on its appearance, sparsely covered with chaparral with no trees. It is located in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pacifico Mountain, Mount Hillyer and Winston Peak. The ascent via the southwest ridge involves significant gain as you traverse up and down the ridge (following the firebreak), which can be combined with a southeasterly descent route for a nice loop (or vice versa). There are a few pine and oak trees along the route, and deer are very common in the area. There is an old shooting range at Pinyon Flats, but I don't think is is active anymore. The signs were all shot up and lying on the ground. If there is shooting going on you don't want to take the southeast ridge (described more later). The Sierra Club Hundred Peaks Section Bare Mountain website states that part of the area was closed due to habitat protection for frogs, but I am under the understanding that the closure area is now in the Williamson area and not here. There were no postings anywhere to be found.

Getting There

As taken from the HPS website:

From the intersection of I-210 and Angeles Crest Highway (SR 2), drive north on Angeles Crest Highway 28.2 miles to Sulphur Springs Road on the left. At this junction (also known as Three Points and Santa Clara Divide Road just past Newcomb Ranch Restaurant) turn left. Turn left (north). See Google Map of this Intersection and to calculate direction. Note your odometer and go as follows:

At 2.8 miles, a parking area on the left side of the road. This is the parking spot for Mount Hillyer. Continue straight.

At 3.9 miles, Alder Saddle and a fork. This is the turnoff for Pacifico Mountain. Go right on 5N04.

At 4.9 miles, a parking area on the right. Park here. This parking area is just after the turnoff to Sulphur Spring campsite (curently closed).

Hiking Routes

There are 2 main routes that I will describe, which I will call the south west ridge and south east ridge.

South West Ridge:

This is the route described in HPS Bare Mountain website. From the parking area describe above, walk back down the road approx. 100 yards to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Hike west along the PCT for approx. 1/8 mile and then leave the trail for a cross country route at a slight saddle and head north down, through a gentle gulley and up to a chaparral northerly ridge. You goal is a small bump labeled 6168' on many topos. There are two ridges, stay to the ridge to the east, there is less brush. Once you reach the summit of 6168' there is a metal sign with a triangle. From here, follow the firebreak over several bumps until you reach the main north-south ridge (see photo). Oneway Mileage is 3 miles with 1800 ft eelvation gain. There is another 800 ft gain on the way out if you are not doing a loop.

South East Ridge:

It looks like the shooting range is no longer active, but if it is, you don't want to go this route. From the parking area, walk through the gate towards Pinyon Flats. Hike approx. 1 mile until you cross a dried up creek and head north (left) over several large rocks (usually marked with a cairn). Follow this road north as is turns into a firebreak up to the same north-south ridge in route 1. Then follow the ridge north westerly to the summit. The firebreak and trail are fairly well maintained. The oneway mileage is 2.5 miles with just over 1000 ft gain (plus approx. 300 ft gain on the way out).

GPS Tracks:

Here is a GPS Track of the route in kmz format, this can be viewed in Google Earth and provides a very nice tool to plan your trip and see the route options. You can also download the GPS track in .gpx format and view Google Maps of the route HERE.

Camping

There are many campsites in the area operated by Angeles National Forest.

Sulphur Springs Campsite is closed, but the Chilao Recreation Area includes many nice campgrounds open most of the year.

Horse Flats and Bandito campsites are also open most of the year and are along the road on the way to the trailhead (Sulphur Spring Road).

External Links

For GPS Tracks and Google Map, check out the following website:
http://www.gpsmountaineering.com/baremountain

Images

View Bare Mountain Image Gallery - 6 Images