A couple weeks ago Cecelia and I walked up here, the main reason for choosing it was convenience and the fact that it's one of the few front range places open. It was a cool and very cloudy day so we didn't get to see the fabulous views from this 3400-ft behemoth. We parked at the lower lot of the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park and walked up the Cobol Canyon fire road before taking the turnoff toward Palmer Motorway. I had thought we would just go up and back for an easy 9-mile cruise but somewhere around here I asked if she was up for a little scrambling on the way down. The affirmative answer meant that we would take the old firebreak and exit back to Mt Baldy Road via the community of Padua Hills. The poor weather may have kept most people away, which meant we had the summit to ourselves to enjoy a nice hot chocolate treat. Going down the west side means one is committed to the route pretty quickly as it is very steep and made up of loose dirt and rocks. We could barely see 50 yards here, which was a little disorienting for me as all the landmarks were out of sight. Fortunately there is a decent use trail here and we were pleasantly surprised to see that the lower section has received some work recently, saving us from multiple yucca stabbings. Once we reached the pavement again we wandered around the old Padua Theatre, since some guys were moving chairs we also got to poke our heads inside the buildings. All told it's about 7.5 miles to take this route and my knees were a little sore for a couple days.
Cloud photos:
Oak trees in Cobol Canyon
View of Potato heading towards Palmer Motorway
Nearing the Evey Canyon junction, Potato in the background
Wet spideys
Celebrate good times
Trying not to fall on the steep slope
Rock climbing
Water tank above Padua Hills
Theatre courtyard
Theatre olive trees
Map
"Argue for your limitations and sure enough they're yours".
Donald Shimoda
