Tripeaks via the Western Ridge Trail from Newbury Park

This loop hike will take us along some nearby beautiful and isolated trails in the Boney Mountain State Wilderness Area of Point Mugu State Park almost to the Boney Mountain Summit, and then just a quarter mile further to the spectacular rock formations of Tripeaks. The Western Ridge Trail has beautiful overlook views of Sycamore Canyon, La Jolla Valley and beyond. After lunch at Tripeaks, we’ll head back down via the Upper Cabin Trail after pausing briefly at Boney Summit (Peak 2701) , past the old cabin site (Danielson Memorial) and back to the cars.

The Western Ridge trail gets quite a bit of use but is not officially maintained so it is very narrow in places. Overall it is quite steep, climbing 1200 feet in 1.2 miles, and it has some short and very steep sections. Long-sleeved shirts and long pants are strongly recommended to help protect against scratches from the chaparral. A few scratches, however, are worth the outstanding views we’ll have to the west and south. The trail back isn’t quite as steep, but it is loose in many places and therefore more slippery.

Tripeaks is a jumble of sandstone formations with huge boulders, caves and a nifty crevice to traverse. We could spend hours exploring just this little area, but we’ll only have enough time to look at a few main features.

Don't forget to bring your lunch to eat at the top! Don't forget your camera, either!!

Statistics: The hike is about 10 miles round trip with about 3000 feet of climbing. Because of the roughness of the terrain, expected duration is 6 to 7 hours.

Level: Advanced. There are some short sections where you may need to climb the rocks on hands and knees.

Photos: Photos of the previous Trailblazer hike up to Tripeaks (http://www.venturacountytrails.org/RecentPhotos/2010-06-15BoneyTripeaks/_Page.html).

Where: At the main parking lot for Rancho Sierra Vista at the south-east end of Via Goleta, off of Lynn Rd in Dos Vientos. There are bathrooms there. View this Google map for location of the park entrance and driving directions (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=&daddr=34.156562,-118.973265&hl=en&geocode=&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=15&sll=34.155888,-118.966699&sspn=0.025427,0.017767&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=15)from your location. Note that the Google Map will get you to the entrance of the driveway to the parking lot. Continue on from there to the end! Briefly,

From the west,

Head east on the 101
Take exit 47B for Wendy Dr
Turn left onto Wendy Dr, continue 2.2 miles
Turn right onto Lynn Rd, continue 1.7 miles
Turn left at Via Goleta into the park and drive to parking at the end

From the east,

Head west on US-101
Take exit 45 for Lynn Rd
Turn left onto Lynn Rd, continue 5.6 miles
Turn left at Via Goleta into the park and drive to parking at the end

Note: This hike is cross-posted with the Calabasas Day Hikers (http://www.meetup.com/calabasasdayhikers/events/17007327/).