Distance: 10 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 5957' (Lawlor), 5626' (Barley)
Prominence: 757' (Lawlor)
Elevation Gain: 2464'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.0
Round trip time: 5 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 72 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass at Red Box Gap
Difficulty: Moderate (combined)
Until the night before, my plan was to attempt Lizard Head in Santa Barbara County. But the 9 hour round trip drive for the somewhat plain looking peak made me look for something closer. My friend Madison wrote a glowing review of Mount Lawlor (HPS #190) and it's one I hadn't hiked. I got a late start and made it to Red Box Gap around 9:30 AM. The air was cool and crisp. I started up the Strawberry Peak trail and soon passed under the infamous south face firebreak. I continued on toward the Strawberry-Lawlor saddle, meeting several parties on their way back. The west ridge had a nice use trail and one short section of class 2. Some of the granite had a black and white marbley look. On the summit, I found neither marks nor register. There was a wooden pole and dozer tracks. I snapped a few photos, then started down the east firebreak toward Barley Flats.
The firebreak was overgrown in spots, but easy to follow. Some gutsy dozer operator drove up the ridge at high angles to clear it. A faint use trail came and went. Just after the firebreak met a dirt road, I stayed left onto another overgrown firebreak to reach the Barley Flats High Point. A poor use trail cut through grass and dead vegetation leading to the water tower. There wasn't much of a view. Also no marks and no register. I returned to the road and continued up toward Barley Flats. A paved road leading up was gated, locked, and signed. I expected it to be an abandoned military site, but the cabin was occupied by at least two people I heard talking. I followed an ungated road around the back, then some animal trails up to the heliport. The heliport sat a little higher than the cabin so I don't think I was noticied. I got a photo of the large LA Sheriff rescue helicopter, then started back.
I took the dirt road back, not knowing a section of it was feral. Instead of a boring road walk, I got more than a mile of washouts, rock slides, yucca, buckthorn, and deadfall. Some of the yucca had been cut back, so other people had been using the abandoned road. For one of the washouts, I had to down climb about 10' into a gully, then back out. It was actually kinda fun. It intersected the Strawberry Trail at a major switchback, then it was a short hike to Red Box.
I've wondered about that old road. Your description of it is consistent with what I imagined it might be like - washouts, rock slides, yucca, buckthorn and dead fall.
ReplyDeleteMadison,
DeleteI was worried I would not be able to get back that way until I saw some of the yucca cut. Then, I thought people have been using this so it probably goes. Some of the washouts were a little dicey.