There are some hikes that any serious hiker of the San Gabriels must do. Yes you must hike Iron and Baldy from the Village. I propose that the Pigeon Ridge route fits right up there with the rest. There are few hikes that give you over 5,000 feet elevation gain in the San Gabriels and any legitimate route with minimal scrambling belongs on there. With that criteria in play this one fits to a tee.
The hike begins from the fire road that is between the two bridges on 39 after you pass Bichota Canyon. It climbs gradually until you turn into Bichota, once this happens you will see straight ahead a ridge rising upwards toward Hawkins. Continue along the fire road to the low point and access the fire break. The fire break is obvious and consists of five steep climbs to access the Hawkins/Rattlesnake ridgeline.
The entire section is exposed with no shade so this makes for a spring hike. The climbs though steep are relatively short and are typically followed by a short flattish section. The way down is actually more difficult as the ground is baked hard with no foot purchase and is covered with small rocks that skid under you as you try to get some momentum. The route was worse then usual with the recent rains and the erosion making the footing very uneven. The fifth and longest climb begins on the fire road and then climbs the ridge itself. The easier route is to the right where a ducked route climbs a more gentle slope or continue straight ahead for a steeper climb. After you reach the high point visible from the bottom there is another section that needs to be climbed before you can contour over to the Hawkins ridge proper to the left.
A short rocky section followed by a sixth final steep climb deposits you on an old road that connects to the main road for S. Hawkins and you are there. The north slope had some remnants of snow and a nice wind made the top a bit cool. The hike up was quite pleasant and really enjoyable, with a nice steady pace I was on top in just under 3 hours. The way down was the opposite and quite a frustrating experience getting down the steep sections. I'll have to check the mileage from Crystal Lake to the parking spot to see if that would make more sense as an alternative descent as this is my second time really hating the way down.
Total stats for the day were just under 11 miles with 5,200 feet elevation gain in just under six hours.
