Sean mentioned this in my local walks viewtopic.php?t=9426 post so a couple weeks ago I decided to visit, making a death-defying drive through dense SoCal morning fog. It's an interesting mixture of jurisdiction and legality, as it goes along what is listed as a private road for the Glenn Rockey probation camp and also at least adjacent to the San Dimas Experimental Forest. I took the road up to a locked gate, fortunately there is a one-person wide gap on the side so I could sidle on through. From there it's a little bit of dirt road and then I saw a trail of sorts cutting off to the left. Feeling adventurous, I followed that steep incline and upon checking my CalTopo route it turned out to be the correct choice. This spur meets up with a fire road a few hundred feet higher, whereupon I was shortly greeted with the SDEF warning. Since there were footprints and bike tracks ahead I kept on walking, trusting to the Sunday morning keeping official people away. It's a pretty easy walk, uphill past some buildings with electrical stuff around and a road junction near the actual peak. I walked up there and then around one of the fenced-in buildings, unsuccessfully looking for a benchmark. I did find some nice shady trees so I could sit down and have a breakfast snack. The walk back down was mostly uneventful, near the bottom road/gate junction I heard voices and radio talk which got me a bit concerned, it turned out to be the San Dimas search and rescue group doing some practice work.
So the answer to Sean's question is no, there is no fire road that connects from Claremont to Johnstone Peak. Glad I could answer this for everyone.
I left my car at San Dimas Canyon Park, stopping there an hour before the official opening time.
Second warning about the private road.
That looks intentionally human size to me.
Nice view as the fog was clearing.
Trail going up a couple steep sections, it was loose sand/gravel making the downhill more treacherous.
Experimental Forest boundary.
More private property, sign says "Modacious Ranch".
Signage. I didn't see Camp Number 5 anywhere.
That route to Big Dalton is def the long way as it's nearly visible down the ridge.
Dedicated to William Arthur Johnstone. More information here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_A._Johnstone
Breakfast view
Heading back down, the hillsides look like it's Spring again
Live Oak shady grove
San Dimas Canyon Park
Johnstone
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JeffH
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"Argue for your limitations and sure enough they're yours".
Donald Shimoda
Donald Shimoda