Distance: 573.9 miles
Average Distance: 7.8 miles (per hike)
Summit Elevation: 1266' (Lowest) to 4957' (Highest)
Total Gain: 151,910'
Total Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 121.5
Average Gain: 2080' (per hike)
Total Hike Time: 268.5 hours
Average Miles/Hour: 2.1
Total Miles Driven: 12,208
Parking/Fees/Fares: $355
Islands: 2
Difficulty: Easy to Strenuous
Santa Paula Peak (highest on the list) has been suspended for years due to closure of a private access road. I hiked up Santa Paula Canyon to an unmaintained trail to reach it in 2021, 4 years after finishing the rest of the list. Stats were updated to include Santa Paula.
The Sierra Club Lower Peaks List contained 85 peaks at the time of my list finish. The list changed three times while I was working on it. It may have changed again by the time you read this. I found an old version of the list online that only had 63 peaks, and a version from 2004 that had 75 peaks. It is fluid. This meta post provides concrete data on what chasing the list required. It surprised me how much driving was necessary to get to all the mountains. Your experience will vary depending on where you live and how you many peaks you combine into single trips. A quick note about the Average Distance and Gain. I used the average per hike (74 hikes) instead of the average per peak because I climbed more than one official peak on many hikes. I thought it better represented the experience to list the averages per hike. For comparison, the average distance per peak was 7.1 miles and the average gain per peak was 1,898'.
Bagging all the peaks is something most people can physically do, but few have the perseverance and desire to do. It required a significant commitment of time, energy, and treasure. A natural way to approach the list is by doing the closest ones first, and that's what I did. The problem with that strategy is that each additional peak got more painful in terms of drive time and inconvenience. Completing the list is an accomplishment about which I have some small amount of pride. At the same time, I am humbled having stood on the shoulders of giants who provided beta, routes, reports, and inspiration. Thanks to the Sierra Club for selecting a fine group of peaks under 5000' to explore. Thanks to Bob Burd for the original inspiration to chase crazy lists. And special thanks to Adam Walker for being my climbing partner on Bishop.
Distance and Time in the table is for the round trip hike. Drive was the round trip drive in miles.
The table below can be sorted by clicking on any column heading or filtered by typing in the search box.
Note: a zero (0) for distance, gain, time, and drive means that peak was part of a multi-peak day hike and the stats were combined for one peak in the trip.
| Peak | Summit | Distance (mi) | Gain | Time (hrs) | Drive (mi) | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sitton Peak | 3273' | 9.5 | 2150' | 4 | 58 | report |
| Bonita Peak | 3983' | 6 | 1900' | 3 | 138 | report |
| Bedford Peak | 3803' | 7.2 | 1953' | 2.5 | 58 | report |
| Woodson Mountain | 2897' | 7.2 | 2059' | 2.8 | 138 | report |
| Los Pinos Peak | 4510' | 5.4 | 1400' | 2 | 70 | report |
| Sugarloaf Peak | 3227' | 11.2 | 2450' | 4.2 | 68 | report |
| Old Sugarloaf Peak | 3326' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| Sandstone Peak | 3111' | 8 | 1927' | 4.3 | 194 | report |
| Boney Peak | 2825' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| Inspiration Point | 2800' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| Tri Peaks | 3000' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| Trabuco Peak | 4606' | 10.9 | 2230' | 4.7 | 70 | report |
| Margarita Peak | 3189' | 6 | 1000' | 2.2 | 118 | report |
| San Mateo Peak | 3591' | 4.4 | 800' | 2 | 70 | report |
| Pleasants Peak | 4007' | 16.5 | 3775' | 7 | 58 | report |
| Yale, Mt. | 4763' | 9.2 | 2575' | 4.3 | 166 | report |
| Hastings Peak | 4003' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| Bald Peak | 3947' | 9.4 | 2911' | 4.3 | 64 | report |
| Sierra Peak | 3045' | 12.7 | 2600' | 5.2 | 60 | report |
| San Juan Hill | 1781' | 9 | 2031' | 2.8 | 62 | report |
| Gilman Peak | 1685' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| Iron Mountain | 2696' | 5.5 | 1101' | 1.8 | 148 | report |
| Cahuenga Peak | 1820' | 8.6 | 1783' | 2.8 | 118 | report |
| Hollywood, Mt. | 1625' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| Azusa Peak | 2081' | 2.5 | 1260' | 1.2 | 104 | report |
| Wild Horse Peak | 3279' | 10.6 | 2121' | 5 | 136 | report |
| Stoddard Peak | 4627' | 14.2 | 2794' | 6.3 | 130 | report |
| Frankish Peak | 4201' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| Potato Mountain | 3400' | 4.5 | 1214' | 1.7 | 114 | report |
| Zion, Mt. | 3575' | 9.2 | 2375' | 4.7 | 128 | report |
| McKinley Mountain | 3795' | 3 | 1645' | 2 | 162 | report |
| Jones Peak | 3375' | 6.1 | 2395' | 3.5 | 124 | report |
| Glendora Mountain | 3322' | 0.8 | 275' | 0.5 | 112 | report |
| Bliss, Mt. | 3720' | 8.5 | 2963' | 3.5 | 112 | report |
| Mugu Peak | 1266' | 2.1 | 1250' | 1 | 196 | report |
| Exchange Peak | 2950' | 8.3 | 2613' | 3.7 | 26 | report |
| Big Dome | 2900' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| Russell, Mt. | 2704' | 3.7 | 1133' | 1.8 | 134 | report |
| Harrison Mountain | 4743' | 3.2 | 1725' | 2.7 | 136 | report |
| Verdugo Mountain | 3123' | 5.3 | 1981' | 2.2 | 130 | report |
| Muir, Mt. | 4688' | 6.5 | 1750' | 2.2 | 162 | report |
| Clamshell Peak | 4360' | 8.3 | 3435' | 5.2 | 122 | report |
| Silver Mountain | 3388' | 12.6 | 4100' | 7 | 118 | report |
| Pine Mountain | 4542' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| Wilson Benchmark | 4573' | 11.8 | 1920' | 4.5 | 210 | report |
| Simi Peak | 2403' | 5 | 1530' | 1.5 | 184 | report |
| Temescal Peak | 2126' | 7.2 | 1000' | 2.5 | 12 | report |
| Eagle Peak | 3226' | 4.4 | 1050' | 1.8 | 228 | report |
| McAuley Peak | 2049' | 5.7 | 1540' | 2.2 | 156 | report |
| Saddle Peak East | 2825' | 2.3 | 630' | 0.8 | 16 | report |
| Calabasas Peak | 2163' | 4 | 1000' | 1.7 | 12 | report |
| Newcomb Peak | 4166' | 9.3 | 2025' | 3.7 | 182 | report |
| Agua Tibia | 4779' | 16.7 | 3300' | 7.7 | 154 | report |
| Arrowhead Peak | 4237' | 4.8 | 2470' | 4 | 156 | report |
| Morton Peak | 4624' | 8.1 | 2000' | 3.7 | 150 | report |
| Cram Peak | 4162' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| Brown Mountain | 4466' | 14.4 | 2775' | 8.5 | 148 | report |
| Mastodon Peak | 3440' | 2.5 | 500' | 0.8 | 112 | report |
| Malapai Hill | 4280' | 1.7 | 570' | 1 | 116 | report |
| Monument Mountain | 4834' | 6.3 | 1620' | 3 | 116 | report |
| Mel, Mt. | 3814' | 8.7 | 2000' | 4 | 66 | report |
| Keys Peak | 4484' | 0 | 0' | 0 | 0 | report |
| McKinley, Mt. | 4926' | 19.8 | 4330' | 9 | 178 | report |
| Redrock Mountain Benchmark | 3991' | 12.3 | 2500' | 7.5 | 202 | report |
| Rocky Peak | 2714' | 5.2 | 1400' | 2.2 | 176 | report |
| Mission Point | 2771' | 4.7 | 1266' | 2.2 | 50 | report |
| Mendenhall Peak | 4636' | 7.7 | 2280' | 3.2 | 184 | report |
| Jupiter Mountain | 4498' | 4 | 1485' | 2.2 | 216 | report |
| May Peak | 3948' | 1.8 | 870' | 1 | 172 | report |
| Saddleback Butte | 3651' | 1.7 | 720' | 1 | 300 | report |
| Slide Mountain Lookout | 4631' | 9 | 2800' | 3.5 | 214 | report |
| Nordhoff Peak | 4485' | 11 | 2700' | 4 | 152 | report |
| Echo Mountain | 3207' | 5 | 1400' | 2.5 | 138 | report |
| Montecito Peak | 3214' | 2.6 | 950' | 1.2 | 320 | report |
| Cathedral Peak | 3333' | 3 | 1800' | 3 | 5 | report |
| Ghost Mountain | 3400' | 4.2 | 900' | 2.5 | 240 | report |
| Silver Peak | 1804' | 12.7 | 2800' | 6.5 | 92 | report |
| Gaviota Peak | 2458' | 6.2 | 2200' | 2.4 | 362 | report |
| Cachuma Mountain | 4696' | 7.7 | 1650' | 2.8 | 376 | report |
| El Montanon | 1808' | 9.3 | 2074' | 4.25 | 250 | report |
| Bishop Peak | 1546' | 3.9 | 1210' | 3.5 | 512 | report |
| Cerro Alto | 2624' | 4.3 | 1890' | 2.5 | 22 | report |
| Valencia Peak | 1347' | 4.3 | 1300' | 2 | 20 | report |
| Little Pine Mountain BM | 4449' | 18.7 | 3980' | 8.25 | 344 | report |
| Monument Hill | 2046' | 5.7 | 774' | 1.5 | 136 | report |
| Santa Paula Peak | 4957' | 16.4 | 4681' | 10.5 | 246 | report |
Congrats on the finish!
ReplyDeleteDerek,
DeleteThanks! I am still getting used to the idea.
Wow, congrats teke. Now you'll have nothing to do and end up putzing around your garage mumbling to yourself. Lol
ReplyDeleteMadison,
DeleteThanks! I still have plenty to do. I have 28 left on the San Diego list and a lot of them are very challenging. At least two more years to finish that, then I can retool for whatever is next.
I sure enjoy reading your blog, Teke. You've given me some good ideas lately, and have used your reports for my own trips. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the list completion!
Mike Martin, Riverside, CA
Mike,
DeleteThanks! Providing useful beta is music to my ears. It's the main reason I post trip reports. Hike on!
How are you on your HPS peaks list? I'm only at 23 peaks, and am looking to add to the list in June when school gets out (I'm a teacher). If you are up to joining me for some peaks on the Desert Divide, or maybe up Icehouse Canyon to the Three T's, let me know. I'm on Peakbagger.
DeleteMike
Mike,
DeleteMy HPS count is currently at 72. I'll get back to you through Peakbagger.