Mount Pinos

Gorgeous and lots of hiking trails. The trees are ginormous and the air smells so clean and it just feels great here! You gotta go especially if you live close by because it is really worth it!

A friend and I came here to hike on a recent visit to Pine Mountain Club. We didn't camp, so this review is for hiking only. We took the Tumamait trail to the weather station at the Mount Pinos summit and picnicked at the top by the Iwhihinmu plaque. After returning to the first fork in the trail, we then hiked to the meadow and back. Altogether, this was a full day of beautiful hiking. The crisp mountain air, pine trees, high elevation buckwheat and lichen meadows, and views were all fantastic. As other reviewers have said, the hikes aren't intensely strenuous, but they can be long if you want them to be. Both Tumamait and the meadow paths are partially shaded with sunny patches. Going to the meadow, most of the hike is a small downhill slope, so keep in mind it will be mildly strenuous coming back up. For hiking, my friend and I did not have a parking pass nor could we find a place to buy one at the Nordic Station parking lot (the drive up the mountain to the lot is lovely, by the way!) We were slightly concerned, but nothing happened. No ticket, no ranger presence. Our visit was in late April, 2022. Spending time in this powerful Chumash site was wonderful. We stayed on the mountain peak for at least an hour feeling the wind whip our faces, enjoying our picnic and the views, looking at the trees and plants and snow, and enjoying being at the "top of the world." There weren't many people around, and we said hello to everyone we passed. It felt convivial and isolated at the same time. A pretty cool combination.

A nice hike, not too tough or strenuous but you can definitely get a good long hike in if you want. I came here to hike the Sawmill mountain summit which is actually one of the alternate peaks on the six pack of peaks challenge. Sawmill is around 2.5 miles after you get to the amount Pinos summit, and part of the 3, 2, 1 challenge is hiking over to Grouse Mountain which is about another mile away from Sawmill. Round trip if you do all 3 peaks you'll get around 10.5 to 11 miles with a little over 2,000 of elevation gains.The biggest climb is about 450-550 feet coming back from Sawmill to Pinos. There aren't any major elevation climbs compared to the rest of the hikes on the six peak challenge so this hike won't be brutal in that aspect. On the trail you have beautiful view of trees all around you from within the forest, along with a few open meadows, and far range views of the rest of the mountains out in the range.If you plan on going to the other summits here I'd suggest using the All Trails app & downloading the map in offline mode since there are parts of the trail that aren't marked. Also don't forget your adventure pass when you get to the parking lot.

It's beautiful up on the trails on the mountain. Signage needs to be improved. We went for a hike and got lost. Our supposed 3 hour easy-ish hike turned into a 10 hour ordeal, calling 911, search and rescue was sent out. Thank goodness we had cell service and managed to hike our way 2000ft uphill in snow with some guidance. Very scary and humbling. I will always be more prepared on any hike (in this area and others). Stay on trail (if you can locate it). Make sure your phone is charged. Bring poles if there is snow in the hills. Come prepared for the unexpected.

Located in Los Padres National Forest and the closest nearby town is Frazier Park. Mt. Pinos was sacred land to the Chumash Native Americans. They called it Iwhihinmu, their sacred site. The hike up to Mt. Pinos is now one of the twelve peaks in the 12 pack of peaks you can hike in Southern California. It is probably the easiest one. In order to get to the trailhead you have to park at the Nordic Base. If you have not done this hike I highly recommend it even for a beginner. It is such a beautiful forest even with snow on it.

Beautiful always, mountain landscapes with wonderful fresh crisp air. I would recommend a nice get away day make a romantic picnic or a day hike.

Conquered Mount Pinos via Mc Gill Trail total of 16 miles. Mount Pinos is an awesome easy hike. It reminds me of San Bernardino Peak...long trail and you wonder, "are we there yet" hahaAdventure pass is needed. Must bring enough water if starting from Mc Gill Trail. Some gnats on the trail, try and wear face net to cover. Gnats can be annoying when hiking. Overall...beautiful hike

Great views and a beautiful hike reminding me of Washington! Not a hard hike and perfect to enjoy lots of shade parts through out the hike

This was my first time visiting this mountain. As we began our drive up there was very little snow, mostly dirt and ice so we were very surprised at the amount of beautiful, fresh powder that awaited us as we got Bear the top of the mountain, it even started snowing! The drive was beautiful, but if your car is not an AWD you must chain your tires because you will not be permitted to drive up the mountain. There are restrooms at the very top with a circular parking lot. I went on Sunday and even though it was pretty busy, I found great spots to pull over where there were maybe 1 or 2 other cars. The scenery is beautiful, it's a great place for photos, hiking with your dogs and sledding. I really enjoyed this snowy mountain and love that it's so close to LA. I have always gone to Wrightwood but Mount Pinos is much larger and the snow was fantastic!

Site 15, Mt Pinos CG. Came during the week from San Bernardino area after all of the CG closed due to the fires. It was so quite and pieceful. No road noise. The host was friendly and attentive. I'll definitely be back.