Mount Pinos () ( Samala: '''Iwɨhɨnmu'') is a mountain located in the

Los Padres National Forest Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in Southern California, southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast ...

on the boundary between Ventura and

Kern KERN (1180 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Wasco-Greenacres, California, and serving the Bakersfield metropolitan area. The station is owned by American General Media. The radio studios and offices are in the American General Me ...

counties in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The summit, at , is the highest point in Ventura County. The mountain is the highest point of the

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa B ...

west of

Tejon Pass The Tejon Pass , previously known as ''Portezuelo de Cortes'', ''Portezuela de Castac'', and Fort Tejon Pass is a mountain pass between the southwest end of the Tehachapi Mountains and northeastern San Emigdio Mountains, linking Southern Californ ...

, as well as the southernmost point of the

Salinian Block The Salinian Block or Salinian terrane is a geologic terrane which lies west of the main trace of the San Andreas Fault system in California. It is bounded on the south by the Big Pine Fault in Ventura County and on the west by the Nacimiento Fau ...

. Mount Pinos was named after its

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

timber, "pinos" meaning "pine" in Spanish.

Geography

The summit of the mountain itself is relatively flat and open with several subsidiary summits. Open stands of conifers separated by

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

shrub areas predominate. The view from the summit on a clear day encompasses the southern Central Valley, the southernmost

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

, much of northern Ventura county, much of the

Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria. Santa Barba ...

mountains, the

Caliente Range The Caliente Range is a west-east trending zone of uplift mountains in the California Coast Ranges, in central California. The highest peak of the range is Caliente Mountain at in elevation, located in southeastern San Luis Obispo County. Geology ...

and the

Carrizo Plain The Carrizo Plain ( Obispeño: ''tšɨłkukunɨtš'', "Place of the rabbits") is a large enclosed grassland plain, approximately long and up to across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, about northwest of Los Angeles. It con ...

. The trace of the

San Andreas Fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental transform fault that extends roughly through California. It forms the tectonics, tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, and its motion is Fault (geology)#Strike-slip fau ...

, clearly visible to the northwest, cuts between Mount Pinos and the mountains immediately to the north. The trace extends all the way to Soda Lake in the Carrizo Plain along the Elkhorn Scarp. The lights of

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

and surrounding towns are visible on a clear evening to the north and northeast. 160607 7607bigPine2reyesPinosE-

Geology

The mountain primarily consists of granitic rocks of the southern

, in contrast to the nearby

San Emigdio Mountains The San Emigdio Mountains are a part of the Transverse Ranges in Southern California, extending from Interstate 5 at Lebec and Gorman on the east to Highway 33–166 on the west. They link the Tehachapis and Temblor Range and form the southern ...

, which is primarily made of Precambrian metamorphic rock or Cenozoic sedimentary rock. Mount Pinos is therefore considered a geologically separate formation.

Communities

The small community of

Pine Mountain Club Pine Mountain Club is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in southwestern Kern County, California. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 2,315. It is one of the Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass. Geography Pine Mount ...

lies due north of Mount Pinos.

Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods (french: Lac des Bois, oj, Pikwedina Sagainan) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,55 ...

and Frazier Park are about to the east. Pinos summit

Climate

The summit plateau experiences harsh winters in comparison to most of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. Most of the precipitation falls as winter snow. The area experiences several feet of snow each year with snowfields lasting till early June on the north facing slopes. In heavy snowfall years snowfields can last till late July or later. Temperatures fall to near freezing most days but can drop well into the single digits in the coldest months. Summer months are mild with high temperatures between and . The mountain experiences occasional thunderstorms with some delivering intense, localized downpours.

Ecology

Flora

Habitats on Mt. Pinos include: * Southern mixed evergreen forests *

California montane chaparral and woodlands The California montane chaparral and woodlands is an ecoregion defined by the World Wildlife Fund, spanning of mountains in the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Coast Ranges of southern and central California. The ecoregion is part of ...

Fauna

Mount Pinos is considered by ecologists to be home to one of the most significant populations of

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...

in California. Five owl species, Northern Goshawks, as well as California Condors live in the area. It is also home to alpine endemics such as the

mountain quail The mountain quail (''Oreortyx pictus'') is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. This species is the only one in the genus ''Oreortyx'', which is sometimes included in ''Callipepla''. This is not appropriate, however, as t ...

Clark's nutcracker Clark's nutcracker (''Nucifraga columbiana''), sometimes referred to as Clark's crow or woodpecker crow, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to the mountains of western North America. The nutcracker is an omnivore, but subsists mai ...

Steller's jay Steller's jay (''Cyanocitta stelleri'') is a bird native to western North America and the mountains of Central America, closely related to the blue jay found in eastern North America. It is also known as the long-crested jay, mountain jay, and pin ...

and

pygmy nuthatch The pygmy nuthatch (''Sitta pygmaea'') is a tiny songbird, about long and about 10 grams in weight. Description Measurements: * Length: * Weight: * Wingspan: It ranges from southern British Columbia south through various discontinuo ...

(best seen in campground), as well as

hermit warbler The hermit warbler (''Setophaga occidentalis'') is a small perching bird. It is a species of New World warbler or wood-warbler. They are a migratory bird, the breeding range spanning the majority of the west coast of the United States. Their wint ...

(typical during migration) and

green-tailed towhee The green-tailed towhee (''Pipilo chlorurus'') is the smallest towhee, but is still one of the larger members of the American sparrow family Passerellidae. Its breeding range covers most of the interior Western United States, with a winter range ...

Significance to Chumash people

The mountain is sacred to all Native Americans in California, according to Arianne Chow-Garcia, chair of the Chalon Indian Council of

. John Pryor, professor of anthropology and archaeology at

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

, said that the land "is continuing to be used for ceremony."

Hiking

The summit of Pinos can be reached by a hike along a dirt road from a parking area at the end of Los Padres National Forest Road S349S. The trail continues to the west entering the

Chumash Wilderness The Chumash Wilderness is a wilderness area within the southern Los Padres National Forest. It is located in the Transverse Ranges, in northern Ventura County and southwestern Kern County in California. The wilderness was created by the U.S. ...

and ends at

Cerro Noroeste Cerro Noroeste is a mountain located in Southern California's Kern County, a mile north of the Ventura County border. It is located a few miles southwest of the community of Pine Mountain Club, at an elevation of 8283 feet (2525+ m). The mountai ...

. Almost all of this trail is above .

Snow sports

Consistent snow conditions on Mount Pinos allows for many types of winter recreation. This includes

Backcountry skiing Backcountry skiing ( US), also called off-piste (Europe), alpine touring, or out-of-area, is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas either inside or outside a ski resort's boundaries. This contrasts with alpine skiing, which i ...

, cross country and

telemark skiing Telemark skiing is a skiing technique that combines elements of Alpine and Nordic skiing, using the rear foot to keep balance while pushing on the front foot to create a carving turn on downhill skis with toe-only bindings. Telemark skiing is na ...

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

, snowboarding, sledding, and snow camping. The network of ski trails and backcountry ski and snowboarding bowls on Mount Pinos are documented on several locally produced maps. The ski trails are part of a dispersed recreation area administered in partnership by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres National Forest and the Southern California Nordic Ski Patrol. The patrol operates the Nordic Base facility on weekends only in the winter. It is located at the top of Mount Pinos Road and adjacent to the Chula Vista parking lot. From the Chula Vista parking lot a trail network spreads both uphill towards Condor Point and downhill reaching as far as McGill Campground. Skiing and boarding are also available in backcountry bowls on the north face of the peak and ridges that drop all the way down the mountain to about the level. Popular destinations include Condor Point, 1st and 2nd Meadows, and Inspiration Point. The Overlook trail accesses the North Ridge area which hosted an alpine ski area during the 1960s. The area lifts were rope tows situated on the three fingers of the drainage just north of Overlook trail. More ambitious back country skiing can include trips to nearby Sheep Camp on Sawmill Mountain, Cerro Noroeste and if snow conditions allow a descent all the way to Pine Mountain Club. During and immediately after heavy snow storms it may not be possible to drive to the top of Mount Pinos Road due to the lack of snow plow availability. In such cases it is common for the Kern County Roads Department to close a snow gate lower on the mountain. It is still possible to ski from the snow gate and enjoy the lower slopes of Mount Pinos. Snow at lower elevations also facilitates cross country skiing to Iris Point which provides great views of Lockwood Valley. It is important to note that some of these trails depend on sufficient snow pack. The trails are not declared hiking trails in the summer and consequently a separate hiking map is available from the Forest Service. Other nearby recreational opportunities include astronomy, fishing, off roading, horseback riding and bouldering.

Astronomy

Mount Pinos is considered to be one of the best viewing sites in

due to its relatively low light pollution, dry air and frequently clear skies contributing to good

astronomical seeing In astronomy, seeing is the degradation of the image of an astronomical object due to turbulence in the atmosphere of Earth that may become visible as blurring, twinkling or variable distortion. The origin of this effect are rapidly changing v ...

. It is one of the favorite gathering places for amateur astronomers in the region. The usual viewing area is not the summit of the mountain, but the large tree-surrounded parking area of Chula Vista Campground at the end of the paved road about two miles east of the peak. Mount Pinos from Carrizo Plain

References

* United States Forest Service interpretive plaque near the summit of Mount Pinos

External links

* * {{California Transverse Ranges Pinos Pinos Los Padres National Forest Mt. Pinos Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest Pinos