Sticking with my western San Gabes theme of late, I made the trek out to Mendenhall Peak on Sunday. My route took me up the Burma Fire Road to Highline Saddle, up the ridgeline to Peak 4403, and then along the undulating firebreak to the summit of Mendenhall. I returned by the same route to avoid the otherwise long and boring walk along the Mendenhall Ridge Road.
I parked along Little Tujunga Road right across from the beginning of 3N37. As soon as I crossed the street and started the descent, I encountered a van parked at the locked gate and out of sight of the road. I thought that was kind of odd given that there was space on the other side of the street and you couldn’t drive the road past the gate anyway. As I walked by, I could see some dude in the driver’s seat doing God knows what. I surmised he was either smoking dope, pleasuring himself, or planning a murder (or perhaps all three). I gave him the obligatory quick nod and continued my descent.
A couple hundred feet from the parked van I encountered a big pile of discarded clothing, toys, and other shit. Wtf? This was not some random bottle or can or box or whatever that got tossed from a car (although I saw plenty of that). Someone would have had to deliberately park their car, walk down the road with a container full of shit, dump it on the fire road, and then walk back up to their waiting car. Wouldn’t it just be easier to drop it in a dumpster in Sylmar? I guess not.
Not far from there, the road bottoms out and tacks east at a nice, flat shaded spot. Here I saw another weird dude milling about. Nearby was an overturned cooler, what looked like a portion of a camper shell that was being used for shelter, and a fire ring. Somewhere in the background I heard the banjos from Deliverance playing. I rudely continued on my way without engaging in social niceties.
From here, Burma Road begins its ascent to the Highline Saddle. It pretty much follows the towers for the high-tension wires that run up Little Tujunga and up over the top of the saddle. As with most fire roads, it isn’t much to write home about although as you ascend, it does afford really nice view down Little Tujunga Canyon. It also has a pretty good collection of empty shell casings. You want 12 guage casings? Burma’s got you covered. 9 mm casings? Done deal. .44 caliber empties? How many would you like? .38 caliber shells? Would you like fries with that?
Burma Road intersects the Mendenhall Ridge Road at Highline Saddle. The road going left here circles The Pinnacle and then spits you back onto Little Tujunga Canyon Road at the Dillon Divide. The road going right here will take you to Mendenhall Peak and points beyond. I was only going to Mendenhall, but was done with fire roads so I took a hard right at Highline Saddle and began climbing an old firebreak that hugged the ridgeline.
There is no established trail from the saddle to Mendenhall, but there is a perceptible use trail the follows the firebreak the entire way to Mendenhall. The track was easy to follow and the brush was totally manageable in shorts. There is a giant rock cairn atop Peak 4403 that has three “seats” facing south, north, and east. The views are quite good, better than Mendenhall actually.
From Peak 4403, the firebreak undulates up and down for maybe ½ mile all the way to Mendenhall. The path here obviously gets used by game as I saw lots of deer and other tracks.
The summit of Mendenhall is littered with a bunch of concrete foundations and other structures. Didn’t see a summit register, but I did see a shit load of garbage. Don’t let it bring you down, it’s only castles burning.
Despite some weirdness, I really like this area. Pacoima Canyon looks untamed and isolated. If I was going to set up a grow operation, I’d probably drop into that canyon. Just sayin’. On the way back down, I noticed what appeared to be a recently cut new trail heading west from lower Burma Road. Anybody know what that’s all about?
Weather was perfect to be out. Other than my two friends mentioned earlier, I had the place to myself.
Nice views along lower Burma
The Pinnacle from Burma
Road view. Yawn.
Tower access
New survey marker at Highline Saddle
The ridge leading to Peak 4403 from Highline Saddle
Ascending to Peak 4403. The firebreak here is obvious.
Summit of Peak 4403
Looking west from Peak 4403.
Cairn atop Peak 4403
Magic Mountain from Peak 4403
Firebreak leading to Mendenhall Peak
View south from Mendenhall
View west from Mendenhall
View east from Mendenhall.
View north from Mendenhall
Obligatory selfie
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New trail (?) heading west from lower Burma
Weirdos, Shell Casings, and Mendenhall Peak
Ha, ha! A master multi-tasker. Cool report. You could have a yard sale on the Burma Road with all the junk you found.Uncle Rico wrote: ↑I surmised he was either smoking dope, pleasuring himself, or planning a murder (or perhaps all three).
Nice report and pics. It looks like the weather cooperated by clouding over toward the last part of your route.
Sometimes when conditions are just right, the African Lions roaring at the Wildlife Waystation can be heard from pretty good distances. They sound a lot closer than they actually are. At least that's what I have to keep telling myself.
FYI, I reported a few years ago about stumbling on unambiguous evidence of a grow operation just across Pacoima canyon in Dorothy Canyon. I had hiked down from Magic after the fire. There were large tangled masses of irrigation tubing that had been washed down Pac.
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Uncle Rico
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I didn't hear the lions, but I could hear the "pop, pop, pop" pretty clearly from the Angeles Gun Club just down the canyon.Sometimes when conditions are just right, the African Lions roaring at the Wildlife Waystation can be heard from pretty good distances.
I totally believe that Elwood. Seems like the perfect place for that kind of nefarious activity.FYI, I reported a few years ago about stumbling on unambiguous evidence of a grow operation just across Pacoima canyon in Dorothy Canyon.