LET’S GO HIKING – Pilot Rock Trail: Part 2

By TIM WILCOX

Special to the Alpine Mountaineer

Where: North of Lake Arrowhead

Length: 7-mile round trip (partial transit) 

Elevation gain: 512 feet (return leg)

Challenge: easy to semi-difficult

After a “prelude hike” last week, we’ve returned to this remote and rocky neighborhood to venture onto the Pilot Rock Trail itself. This route is situated near the far northern end of Highway 173 in an area dominated by The Pinnacles. Its starting point is the Metate Trailhead parking lot, across the highway from the Forest Service’s Rock Camp station and slightly more than eight miles northwest of Lake Arrowhead Village.

Secure your vehicle in the lot and walk a few steps south to Pilot Rock Road. You won’t see a street sign there, but it’s the only paved route branching to the west off of Highway 173. 

On the Road and Trail

The pavement ends about half a mile from your parking spot. First, though, you’ll pass an impressive Lake Arrowhead Community Services District facility: the Grass Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant. If it weren’t so assiduously maintained, the plant would be a blemish on the neighborhood.

Now the real trek begins. Amble past the iron portal we entered last week and head downhill. It’s important to bear in mind from the outset that this is an official U.S. Forest OHV roadway. You’ll need to watch and listen for dirt bikes and four-wheel off-highway vehicles – hence the OHV designation. The issue for hikers isn’t only safety and noise. It’s also dust. On weekdays, however, recreational traffic is less intrusive.

While this is a road, from our hiking perspective it’s a trail. Let’s prefer that primary term, then.

OK, the trail is initially quite steep. About three-tenths of a mile from pavement’s end, you’ll see a deep canyon on the right and hear a creek rushing toward Silverwood Lake, which lies about 10.5 miles west.

The route continues steeply downward. At exactly one mile from your starting point, you’ll encounter a fork. Take the right branch, which is Forest Service Road 2N33 (FS 2N33). Here the route narrows and approaches the robustly running creek. Not far below the fork, in fact, water completely covers the roadway before continuing along its rocky bed. Cross this flow nimbly and quickly, and you may get your hiking boots or shoes only moderately wet.

Now the trail takes a turn upwards, tracing a hairpin curve, then passing a tributary to the principal creek on the right. (Its trickling supply should last for another few weeks.) The route becomes steeper, then moderates before entering a level section at about the 1.5-mile mark. Another ascent leads to a deeply rutted stretch that’s manageable for hikers but must be more challenging for OHVs.

Nearing its two-mile point, the trail opens up and offers views of boulder-strewn formations on the right and tree-covered hills on the left. The darker greens are pines and firs, while lighter greens testify to spring’s annual “renaissance” of deciduous trees.

A considerable length of level trail provides welcome respite from previous ascending portions. At about 2.2 miles, you’ll cross another small creek on naturally placed stepping stones. Then, a tenth of a mile farther, another fork presents itself. Go left there on FS 2N34, which leads to the Miller Canyon recreational area.

Here the trail proceeds upwards once again. At 2.8 miles, it opens up to sweeping views of lush-green hillsides in several directions. Then, three miles into your outing, you’ll come to a third fork. FS 2N34 extends on the left. Instead, take FS 2N37 on the right, which continues Pilot Rock Trail quite steeply downhill into Miller Canyon.

You’ll probably be surprised to come upon a sign reading, “PAVEMENT AHEAD.” At this stage of your adventure, it’s time to make a decision. How much farther do you want to go – especially with distance covered, time invested and energy expended in mind? Pilot Rock itself is another mile or more down the trail. So unless you have time and energy to spare, consider hiking for only an additional 15 or 20 minutes. These final steps should take you to the 3.5-mile mark. Turn around there, and you’ll achieve a round trip of seven miles. As for “time invested,” expect two and one-half to three hours.

NOTES: This is quintessential mountain-lion country, so hiking solo is not recommended. While encounters with the big cats are rare, they do happen from time to time. Even the more aggressive felines are much less likely to attack a party of two or more hikers. But if you’re typically a solo act, keep your head “on a swivel,” checking frequently behind you in particular. Later in the day, especially around dusk, is more dangerous, while hiking at night is nothing less than foolhardy. Note, too, that midday temperatures here soar into the 80s and low 90s during peak summer weeks.