Looking west to some of my favorite summits in Ventura County: Santa Paula Peak, Hines Peak and Cobblestone Mt.
8 MARCH 2026 W6/CT-169
| Elevation: | 3,784′ |
| Route: | Equestrian trails |
| Hike Distance: | 2 miles round trip |
| Elevation Gain: | 400′ |
| Navigation: | Easy |
| Steepness: | Moderate* |
| Vehicle: | Passenger car |
| Road: | Paved road |
| Cell Coverage: | Excellent Verizon |
Another activation that almost didn’t happen. Originally I was thinking about Zaca Peak up in Santa Barbara County, but I had the good sense to check the road conditions. It seems all of Figueroa Mountain was closed due to the rains earlier this year. It had been extremely windy the last couple of days in Los Angeles County and up Santa Barbara way it was forecast to be less so.
Then I thought about so-called “Nellie’s Mountain.” Usually if the wind is bad here in the flatland, it is much, much worse in the Escondito Canyon/Highway 14 corridor. But I was primed and ready to do an activation and I figured I could always blow it off (if you will forgive the expression) if the wind proved to be too much.
As it turned out the wind wasn’t too bad and there was a sheltered spot to set up behind a big chunk of basalt on the summit. This activation turned out to be quite enjoyable.
The hike up is pretty straightforward. I found a variety of equestrian trails the avoided the steeper OHV tracks. The high desert floor was carpeted with a multitude of minute and colorful flowers and green grass. This hike would probably get two stars from me if the noise from the Antelope Valley Freeway wasn’t ever-present.
As Dan NA6MG said previously park at the sign that says “6808 E.C.R” and head up that dirt road. The route goes across land that is part of the old Red Rover Mine land. It’s all private property but there are no fences or signs to indicate no trespassing.
Radio conditions were decent on 40m and 20m. A contest had 15m packed end-to-end, so I didn’t try and do battle with the big guns.
KG6MZS 
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