Lone Tree Trail to Panorama Point

Post by **Uncle Rico** » Mon Apr 15, 2019 6:45 am

Jeremiah's post about his recent jaunt to W. Fuji with a return via the Lone Tree Trail inspired me to finally go check out the Lone Tree Trail. I've been to Echo by way of Las Flores Canyon and have been to Eaton, but Rubio was a gap in my experience. And all I hear is Fuji this, Fuji that, where Fuji at (the first person to get that reference wins, er…something). So I went yesterday to see for myself before the blast-furnace temps of summer are upon us.

I knew generally where to go, but in the lower stretches of the canyon nothing is signed so I felt my way up by intuition. I knew I was aiming for the Edison towers so I just ascended trails that looked like they ended up there and things worked out. There's a sign where a trail intersects the Lone Tree Trail from Rubio Creek, but there was a group of folks stopped right there blocking the sign so I didn't see it. No worries. I got where I was going.

Conditions on lower Lone Tree are as Jeremiah reports. The poison oak is quite luxuriant in the canyon bottom but entirely avoidable. Up higher, the black sage and ceanothus is going off and intruding a bit on the path, but nothing major. I came home reeking of sage which ain't a bad thing.

As y'all probably already know, the trail is unrelentingly steep. One of the steeper hikes I think I've done in the San Gabes. But you get a bit of a reprieve just before you reach the spur to West Fuji when you pass through a verdant and pleasant distraction that I christened the Enchanted Meadow. Since I was in the neighborhood, I went out to West Fuji to check it out. Expansive views. Summit cairn. No register.

From West Fuji to Panorama Point, things get more challenging. The route is obvious, but you gain an addition 900'+/- in about 0.6 miles as you climb a steep ridge where footing isn’t always optimal. About 3/4 of the way up, there's what appears to be an old road bed, so I followed that which made the going somewhat easier. Can’t imagine where that old road was going to or coming from. I finally topped out at Panorama Point and made my way to the water tank where I stripped off my sweaty shirt and shorts and dried out. Good thing nobody was around to see that. It would have been like gazing at the face of Medusa.

Anyway, Panorama Point does not afford the best views. The rocky outcroppings below Panorama Point offer better looks south. But I didn't know when I was going up. And I wasn't going to stop just shy of my destination so I had to settle for the second best view.

I’d post some pics but Tapa-Crap won’t let me so you’ll just have to use your imaginations.

David R · Post by **David R** » Mon Apr 15, 2019 3:21 pm

How did you come down, its nice to loop around and come down Castle Canyon and then hook into one of the Rubio connector trails. This is one of my standard conditioning hikes. Coming down from Panorama Point is no fun unless it is just after a rain.

Post by **Uncle Rico** » Mon Apr 15, 2019 7:30 pm

David R wrote: How did you come down, its nice to loop around and come down Castle Canyon and then hook into one of the Rubio connector trails. This is one of my standard conditioning hikes. Coming down from Panorama Point is no fun unless it is just after a rain.

Up and back the same way. As you can appreciate, it was almost as much work coming down as going up.

Post by **dima** » Mon Apr 15, 2019 7:53 pm

You gotta run the descent! Big steps. Gravity does the work.

Post by **Uncle Rico** » Tue Apr 16, 2019 6:48 am

Ok, I think I figured out the issue with my images. For some reason, my image size was huge. So it wasn't Tapa-Crap it was me. But Tapa-Crap is still Tapa-Crap. ?

Anyway, here's some pics that should have been in the original report.

Signage that I missed because it was being blocked by a bunch of hikers

The "Enchanted Meadow"

Unicorns Live Here

Actually, only Alligator Lizards live here

View South from W. Fuji

Henninger from W. Fuji

The ridge route to Panorama Point

View from the Water Tank at Panorama Point. End of line for the One Man and a Mule Rail Line I believe.

W. Fuji from the Ridge Route on the Descent

Girl Hiker · Post by **Girl Hiker** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 2:37 pm

Great Pics! I am sorry that you descended the way you ascended lol! This is one of my favorite loops in all of the San Gabes. When Sean introduced me to this loop years ago, I fell in love with it and I have returned many times. I love to take friends. Next time, if you are willing to, I will take you and Jeff with me. There's also a small mine you can check out on the way to Fuji. There are 3 different loops I do. One is starting from Rubio Cyn to West Fuji~Panorama Point~ Muir Pk~ Inspiration Point~Castle Canyon~ Echo Mtn. There is a short connector trail (Altadena Crest Trail) that will take you back to your car where you started by Rubio Canyon. The entire loop is between 7-8 miles. I can share the other routes another time that do the reverse. It's too bad someone stole the register. I am glad you finally had the opportunity to see West Fuji.

Post by **Uncle Rico** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 8:59 pm

Yeah, I knew about the mine but didn't stop to look.
The descent wasn't terrible actually. It just sucked. ?

Post by **Sean** » Sun Apr 21, 2019 9:27 am

The trail took a hit from the winter rains, and I haven't been able to work on it. Glad you finally got up there though. There used to be a firebreak along the ridge above West Fuji, which might explain the road-like switchbacks.

Post by **Uncle Rico** » Sun Apr 21, 2019 10:02 am

Btw, what I've called Panorama Point may not in fact be "the" Panorama Point.

According to Tom Chester, Panorama Point may in fact have been at Peak 4504. http://tchester.org/sgm/places/inspiration_point.html

https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=34.2139 ... =16&b=f16a

Anyone know the exact location of Panorama Point?

Post by **Sean** » Mon Apr 22, 2019 8:22 pm

Uncle Rico wrote: Anyone know the exact location of Panorama Point?

I think it's debatable. The name goes back to the OM&M days. It looks like the tracks ended a little before 4504. So it could have been the primary viewing point. But there were also trails to the other points around the ridge.