Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 39.52178°N / 122.93647°W
Additional Information County: Lake
Activities Activities: Hiking, Scrambling, Skiing
Additional Information Elevation: 6873 ft / 2095 m
Sign the Climber's Log

Overview

 
South from Hull Mtn.
South from Hull
Hull  Mountain is a dominant peak and rises over 5,000' above Lake Pillsbury in the southwest part of the Mendocino National Forest. This is a beautiful area for camping and other recreational activies. Relatively easy mountain roads take you on a journey deep into the wilds of the back country all the way to the summit rubble of Hull Mountain. The views are top of the world stuff. To the north snowed up Yolla Bolly peaks are visible. Out up the Sacramento Valley is Lassen Peak and that bunch. The higher peaks of the National Forest are almost all visible with St. John, Snow and Goat Mtns. to the east. Lake Pillsbury is layed out below. Sanhedrin Mountain is  to the west and Clear Lake, Mt. Konocti, St. Helena and Cobb Mtn. can be seen on the southeastern horizon.
The climb is the drive and it's a pretty commiting one. I hiked up the road from about 5,500' to enjoy the views along the way.

Getting There

 
Southeast from Hull Mtn.
From Hull Mtn. Rd.
From Hwy. 101 north of Ukiah take Hwy. 20 east 6.7 miles to Potter Valley Rd.
Take Potter Valley Rd. (left) Continue on East Side Potter. Stay right on Eel River Rd. Turn Right on Eel River Rd. Continue onto M1 (Elk Mtn. Rd.) Turn left on Simmons. Continue onto Hull Mtn. Rd. up the south ridge switchbacks to the last sharp right turn up to summit which is less than a mile. I recommend 4WD from here but some succeed taking their chances.

From Hwy 29 at Upper Lake Take Hwy 20 14.5 miles to Potter Valley Road to the right and follow the directions above.

Route

 
Sanhedrin Mountain from Hull Mountain
Sanhedrin from Hull
The route is the drive. Most people will probably want to hike the last section from the sharp switchback to the summit. This is a walk up round trip of about a mile or so and about 400 vert. el gain.

Red Tape

 
East from Hull Mtn.
Northeast from Hull summit ridge
Make sure you have a spare tire and be ready to hunker down at 15 to 20 mph on forest roads for several hours to bag this baby deep in the hills. Don't count on cellphone out here.
For Mendocino National Forest rules and regulations click here.

When to Climb

 
Descending Hull Mtn. Rd.
Descending Hull Mtn. Rd.
Year around. It is commonly snowed in at the upper elevations in winter so the roads could be closed. The area gets quite hot in summer.

Camping

 
Hull Mtn. summit ridge
Hull summit ridge
 
Hull Mtn. 6,873  from Horse Mtn.
Hull Mtn. from Horse Mtn.
For Mendocino National Forest camping click here.

Weather and forecast

 
Lassen Peak from Hull Mtn.
Lassen Peak from Hull
 
Lake Pillsbury from Hull Mtn.
Lake Pillsbury from Hull
For the current weather and 10 day forecast click here.

Hull on YouTube

Hull Mtn. snow drive

Hull drive down

Hull video