EISPIRATEN

Took advantage of the Red Flag Warning day to make the trek to the summit of Slide Mountain in the Angeles National Forest. Wanted to get a look at the fire lookout tower that I guess is one of the few remaining towers that is still in use. Apparently, volunteers from the Angeles National Forest Fire Lookout Association staff the lookout during fire season. Who knew?

Access to the trailhead is via Templin Highway, but the road is closed at Frenchman's Flat meaning you've got to walk about 1-1.5 miles along the road first. The trail starts inauspiciously as a fire road that turns into a well maintained foot path. The lower portion of the trail is nothing to write home about, but once you attain the ridgeline, you get amazing vistas into the Piru Creek drainage, west toward Cobblestone Peak, and north toward the San Emigdio Mountains. The lookout is pretty cool and is well maintained. Winds were howling on the summit, but the skies were crystal clear.

Some pics:


Trailhead off the west side of Templin Highway


Canyon Geology


Pyramid Lake from Lower Trail


Trail View


Slide Mountain


Looking South into Piru Creek Drainage


Lake Piru Peaking Through


Lake Piru Close Up


Looking into the Belly of the Beast


Looking North from Near the Summit


First View


Summit View of Lookout


Summit Benchmark


Pyramid Lake


Pathway to the Lookout. The summit register is in a can in that circular group of rocks.


Last View


In Case You Want to Volunteer as a Lookout

What? No pic of Kermit's corner? (wooden sign about halfway up).
The logbook inside has notes from the people who used to sit up there. The peak used to be popular with the local condors.
The FS almost moved the building to footings to be poured on the island in Pyramid Lake. Until a successful volunteer program was assembled, the building was meeting destruction or abandonment criteria as an "underutilized federally-owned building". The trail-head, just behind the big pipe gate, is a big apiary site for a lot of most years.
Good TR on a nice hike. There's a lot to see in this area.

Interesting stuff tracker. It'd be a shame if they ever moved that lookout to the island on Pyramid Lake.

tracker wrote: ↑What? No pic of Kermit's corner? (wooden sign about halfway up).

There was no sign. There is a post that looks recently painted, a cap on the ground, some discarded wood in the brush, but no sign. Perhaps it's in the process of being rehabbed.

Cool stuff.

HJ