Los Pinetos trail and NHPS "Manzanita Mountain"

[cougarmagic]

My very first hike in California (awwww) was the Los Pinetos trail at Placerita Canyon, with the Sierra Club. For no particular reason, I never went back. But today was the day.

I knew a loop hike could be done, but didn't have a map with the second part of the loop marked on it. Figured how hard could it be...it's a popular place, and should be pretty obvious, not to mention I should be able to see the parking lot from up on the ridge anyway.

The first mile or so of trail is smooth and level, passing tons of wildflowers and mostly shady.



The trail splits at Walker Ranch - one way goes to a waterfall, the other goes up the hill to Wilson Saddle. This trail is all "pro" - very well taken care of. With no brush bashing, or several pounds of rope and gear to haul, I covered this section fast.

In fact, the only challenge was pushing my way through this overactive clump of lupines.



But the rest of the trail is a superhighway.



Alas, I did not remember any of this trail from my Sierra Club adventure. (Actually, all I remember about that hike was how excited everyone was to have a new person to tell all about how awful the Adventure Pass was!) And after a snack at Wilson Saddle, I headed of to find the firebreak trail that led back to the park. Got slightly nervous when I saw this:



Not sure if it was the right path or not, but it was going in the right direction and was definitely well traveled. Up and down some steep sections of ridge for a little bit.



There were plenty of deer tracks, and the usual bobcat scrapes here and there. The dirt is dry and sandy now, so tracking was not too great. It would be nice after a rain though.

I was kind of hoping for a little more routefinding challenge than this, but it was kind of nice to see this sign at the junction of the firebreak, and the "Hill Trail" that leads back to the park. Up there somewhere (an extra 100' gain or so) is Manzanita Mountain apparently. Can't tell you what it's like up there.



My GPS said 7 miles, 1800' gain and loss. Robinson says 8 miles. It felt like 7 though - nice and easy. Carrying the trail camera (which I didn't find a spot for ) added a little to the exercise level, so that was good too.

[Hikin_Jim]

Nice looking spot. I'll have to head over there some time.

HJ

[mattmaxon]

been there dun that....

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=593829

Took a bit longer than I wanted

[cougarmagic]

I thought I saw Maxon tracks... 8)

[Hikin_Jim]

I thought I saw Maxon tracks... 8)

Get any on the cam??

HJ

[mattmaxon]

Get any on the cam??

HJ

They're quite elusive...Ninja like

[Hikin_Jim]

They're quite elusive...Ninja like

Scarcer than ringtails no doubt.

Hey, Matt, have you done any maintenance work on the trail that goes from La Tuna Canyon Rd to Fire Warden's Grove in the last several months? Not the "Grotto Trail" but the one just up La Tuna Can. Rd. from there. Someone's been doing a bang up job on it. I thought I perhaps detected the "hand of Maxon," yes?

HJ

[mattmaxon]

They're quite elusive...Ninja like

Scarcer than ringtails no doubt.

Hey, Matt, have you done any maintenance work on the trail that goes from La Tuna Canyon Rd to Fire Warden's Grove in the last several months? Not the "Grotto Trail" but the one just up La Tuna Can. Rd. from there. Someone's been doing a bang up job on it. I thought I perhaps detected the "hand of Maxon," yes?

HJ

No not I... Probably someone I've inspired though . I noticed it when I hiked it a while ago...

[Hikin_Jim]

Yeah, it looked like a pretty professional job. Nicest shape that trail has been in since I started using it in the 90's. It's a pleasure not to have to dodge a particular yucca that was in a spot where the trail was contouring across a steep section. One used to have to get past the yucca while not falling over the cliff, no mean feat.

Have you been up the trail that goes from the bottom of Haines Canyon up to FR 2N76? Pretty intact all things considered, but there are a couple of washouts. The washouts can be climbed around, but the PO is rapidly re-growing.

HJ

[lilbitmo]

Cougar how were the temps on that trail? What time of day?

Looks like the lower part is fairly shaded?

Thanks for sharing that, another one of those West of where I normally go that I have to get to

[cougarmagic]

It was really pleasant all day. The first section is mostly shady. The forecast high for the day was about 75, and it was breezy. It was not hot, even on the exposed ridge. However - I can imagine it broils in the summer, and personally wouldn't go there if it was above, say 85....

[Uncle Rico]

Didn't feel like driving 70-80 miles to a trailhead in the high country today, so decided to do this more local alternative. Did the circuit counter-clockwise, going up Manzanita Mountain trail, down Los Pinetos, and back to the parking lot via Placerita Canyon. Pretty tame little trip but very enjoyable in these cooler temps.

The Manzanita Mountain portion of this loop isn't much to write home about. As CM's pics show, it follows a fire break along an exposed, undulating ridgeline until it intersects with the Santa Clara Divide Road just west of Wilson Saddle (speaking to a mountain biker I learned this trail is known as "Viper" in the MBT community). From the Wilson Saddle, you drop down the Los Pinetos trail about 2.5 miles until you reach Walker Ranch in Placerita Canyon. The Los Pinetos trail is really pleasant and drops down toward Placerita Canyon under a canopy of oaks and sycamores. Water was flowing at Los Pinetos Springs. I didn't need water, but estimate it would take a couple of minutes to fill a liter bottle.

The view south from near the saddle is pretty impressive. From the ridgeline, Wilson Canyon looks rugged and uninviting. Anybody been up there and know what its all about?

If you're looking for solitude, this is probably not your place. I saw a handful of folks along Manzanita, at Wilson saddle, and along Los Pinetos. The congestion picked up once I hit Placerita. Candidly, however, I saw fewer people today then I do on a typical outing to Ice House.

All in all, a good leisurely day on the western fringe of the San Gabes. I've got a couple of pics that I can upload if anyone wants a supplement to CM's photo documentation.

[Mike P]

We hiked the Los Pinetos Trail last Saturday. Nice hike! I think it would be easier to traverse the loop counter-clockwise like Uncle Rico to avoid the steep, ball-bearing, decomposed granite downhill of Firebreak Ridge.