Tehachapi Mountain
  • Tehachapi Mountain
  • 2430 m
  • Primary factor 256 m
  • California, USA.
  • Location: North 35.04691, West 118.48454 (GPS on the summit.)
  • Difficulty: YDS class 1
  • Climbed September 15. 2018

Information:


How to get there:
Locate the small village Tehachapi on Hwy. 58 running south-east from Bakersfield to Mojave. From LA, one can drive I-405 then fork east on Hwy. 14 to Palmdale. Continue past Palmdale to exit 61, Backus, drive through an impressive wind-mill farm (many hundreds of them), then enter Tehachapi. turn left on Hwy. 202 and continue to a local hilltop where a road forks left, signed for Tehachapi Mountain Park. Enter the park and follow the road as high as it get. Park here. This location is N35.06585, W118.48260, elevagtion about 1825 meter.
Route description:
From the trailhead/parking given above, go left (when facing uphill) and find a small trail that enters a narrow valley, cross a small wooden bridge and ascend out of this tiny valley on its left side (still facing uphill). This trail will soon connect with a forest road that one also may follow all the way from the park (starting a bit lower).
Follow this road until it ends. A clear trail continues uphill. There is a sign saying summit trail and specifying that the remaining distance to the peak is 0.88 miles.
However, slightly inconsistent with the former sign, a new sign (much bigger!) is posted higher up, well before the summit, reading "Park Boundary - Private Property" (and the usual NO Trespassing). The trail certainly cannot read as it continues directly past the sign, along the ridge to gain the summit.
Comments:
I climbed this peak twice, first on my way to Double Mountain, then on my way back as well. The assumption (likely true?) is that Double Mountain is the highest in the area. However, the available information to me (at the time) was not conclusive. My GPS supported this, it was consistently higher on Double Mountain.
I started at 0830 after an early drive from LA. The hike was straightforward and I was on the summit at 0930. Surprisingly, I met a man on the top. His name was Jed and he had arrived even earlier. I spent about 15 minutes on this nice summit before I continued to my main objective.
I was back at the summit by 1150, then returned to my car in 40 minutes, at 1230.

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