Frazier Mountain is a big broad peak located in northeast Ventura County a bit north of the town of Gorman and near the towns of Lebec and Frazier Park, and just south of the famous “Grapevine” grade on Interstate-5, where the flat San Joaquin Valley meets up with the rugged transverse ranges of Southern California. An old lookout sits atop the bare summit of the mostly-forested summit of Frazier, and a good dirt road leads right to the top, coming up from the west side. Climbing this peak is very simple and requires no real skill nor even physical fitness since the road really does go to the top, not just somewhere near, and in good conditions, a normal passenger vehicle should be able to manage the dirt road. Apparently the peak is very popular with hang gliders looking for a place to launch.

I first tried my luck with Frazier Peak back in 2007, but the big Day Fire of 2006 had scorched much of the slopes of Frazier and nearby Alamo Peak, as well as much of the nearby countryside, so at that time, the peak was closed to everyone while they cut down “problem” trees. Actually, I just missed the planned re-open date back then by a couple weeks. Alamo, on the other hand, is still closed (as of May 2009) after I inquired about hiking that peak as well. Starting in 2007, I have taken a few days every May to tackle some Southern California prominence peaks, which works well since the weather this way is usually very nice, and I get to see my cool niece Emma and nephew Rawlins when I drive through the area.

For this trip, I wanted to re-try Frazier (and Alamo) Peak, plus a few more peaks northeast of Bakersfield in the Lake Isabella and Tehachapi area. However, getting started for this trip met with numerous road-blocks. Usually I want to leave immediately after finals are over at ASU, but this year, a bunch of things happened forcing me to delay my departure by about two weeks. The main delay: five wonderful little kittens we have taken in to feed and care for until they can be adopted out. For most of two weeks I was the “kitty daddy”, bottle feeding them and caring for them until they got old enough to eat on their own. I finally left Arizona on the afternoon of the 28th, making the long drive west to my brother’s place in Cucamonga for an hour visit with his family, then crashing in Wrightwood for the night. After being grounded for so long, I was itching for some peaks, even if the ones I had planned were easy road hikes for the most part. I just wanted to get out and hike and enjoy some cool air.

The next morning, I got moving around 7 a.m. from Wrightwood, working my way west toward Frazier Mountain via Palmdale, Lancaster along Routes 138 and 14. Other than infinitely many traffic lights getting through Palmdale, the drive went well. The drive was longer than I figured: over 100 miles once I got to Frazier Peak from Wrightwood. The nicest part of the drive is the long stretch of CA-138 west of Lancaster, as it passes through Neenach, all the while the mountains closing in on the high desert with Frazier’s big bulk in the distance. On Interstate-5 briefly, I exited at Frazier Park Road, went west another 5-6 miles to Lockwood Valley Road, then left there another mile to the turnoff to Frazier Mountain Road. Everything is signed out here, and I had no trouble getting here. I stopped in at the Los Padres Forest Ranger Station here to ask about the road to the top, and the guy said everything is open, have fun.

I drove up the paved continuation of Frazier Mountain Road (Forest Road 8-N-04), which narrows into a single lane for three miles to the Chuchupate Campground. Afterwards, a right fork continues on up to the top, good quality hardpack dirt from here. The road switchbacks up the west slopes through chaparral-covered hillsides, then enters into the pine forest fairly soon. Another three miles (3.1, said my odometer), I came to the junctions with Forest Roads 8-N-04 and 8-N-24. These, along with another lesser road, form a loop to and from the summit. For those wishing to drive to the top, hang a right to stay on 8-N-04. I parked off in a clearing and opted for a casual loop hike. The summit was just a mile distant, maybe 500 feet higher.

There is a well-beaten use trail up the slope between the two aforementioned forest roads, and I chose to follow this up. It led up through some sparse forest and brush-covered slopes toward some rock outcrops, about 1/3 of a mile of hiking with maybe 250 feet of gain. At the rock outcrop there is a road; actually, a dead-end spur not shown on the map. I followed the road up past one junction and then to another, which put me on 8-N-42, a lesser-quality forest road that forms the loop with 04 and 24. From here I walked this road up to the top, leaving the forest cover for the final open stroll toward the communications equipment and old lookout tower. The one-way time was 25 minutes. The lookout itself is an old squat wooden structure, derelict and falling down ever so slowly. Even though it looked open to explore, I dared not trust the steps or the balcony. Staying on the ground was fine by me. Unfortunately, the yahoo crowd gets up here occasionally, evidenced by broken glass and some graffiti. But it wasn’t really bad. Overall, very nice. The views were fantastic, albeit amid very hazy, moist air. Big Mount Pinos was visible to the northwest. I stayed on top maybe 10 minutes, then walked back to my truck via 8-N-04, a round-trip hike of just less than an hour.

For grins I decided to drive back up to gauge the mileage and also check out the loop. I went up 8-N-04 to the lookout (1.2 miles according to my odometer), then down 8-N-42, which gets a little rough in spots. Road 8-N-42 goes for a mile where it meets with 8-N-24, which I followed back to the start of the loop, almost running into some ATVers in the process. The total round trip: 3 miles exactly. It could be hiked, and it would be a reasonably interesting day hike.

With Frazier now finished, I descended back to the Ranger Station, where I talked to the guy about Alamo Peak, just to the south. That’s where he told me it is still closed, but they hope to re-open it this summer. No big deal – it just gives me an excuse to come back here again.

I drove back out to Interstate-5 and had an enjoyable drive descending the Grapevine. As a kid we did this often as part of family vacations and I always enjoyed it, as the highway loses about 3,500 feet from Tejon Summit to the flatness of the San Joaquin Valley below, all in about 10 miles. I think the last time I drove down the Grapevine was in 2000. The downhill part is fun. Going up, you have to battle slow trucks and your own engine’s thermostat. Once down, I exited the interstate and followed route CA-184 north through the exciting towns of Weedpatch and Lamont, getting into Bakersfield on its east side, where I stopped for a Subway sandwich. It was only noon, and I had one more peak planned, Breckenridge Mountain. The clouds were building…

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