Slide Mountain Trail is a 10.8 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Castaic, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
birding
hiking
mountain biking
nature trips
trail running
walking
partially paved
views
wild flowers
wildlife
no shade
An Adventure Pass is required for this trail. As of October 2018, the map here has been changed to reflect the closed gate. The trail now starts at the closed gate, so the mileage listed is accurate for the whole out-and-back hike. Clicking the Directions button should lead you to the correct location. A gentle climb on fire road and trail to the sometimes manned fire lookout at the top of Slide Mountain. The trail starts 1.9 miles after the locked gate on the old Golden State Highway and climbs in a gentle but steady grade up along a fire road for 1.5 miles to a turnout where the volunteer fire lookouts park. It continues 2.5 miles at about the same grade to the top of the mountain and the lookout gaining views of deep canyons to the south and west and Pyramid Lake to the north. While the trail is accessible year round, snow can be found in the winter months and scorching temperatures can be found in the summer months.
Road ends at the closed gate and theres a 1.8 mile walk to the trailhead. Very buggy, but the view at the summit is well worth the steepness. Theres a lovely fire lookout with a box of bottled waters waiting for you at the top. Lightly trafficked but the rangers are super nice.
Parking requires a "Discovery pass". I did not have one but Thomas the Ranger was nice and let me through 'just this once'. To get to the trail head I had to walk a mile and a half down a hot unshaded asphalt road (3 mi round trip). Once you reach the trail head it's all uphill. I started in the middle of the day in hot September. It was 89° when I started and climbed to over 100 during my hike. I abandoned the uphill climb after the 1st mile and got into the creek to cool off on my way back to my car. There were some pretty views of the reservoir as I climbed. This would probably be more fun if you did it in the cooler months and or started much earlier in the day.
***Do not follow Google Maps...input Frenchman’s Flat Campground to GPS and start from there***
Best hike I’ve done around LA! Park at Frenchmen’s Flat Campground and walk along paved road to trailhead. Paved road runs along Piru Creek where you can do some trout fishing. Steady climb from trailhead to peak. First half is unspectacular, but once you hit 2,000 feet the surroundings are awesome-amazing views of layered mountains on one side and Pyramid Lake on the other. Temperature cools significantly as you climb higher. There is an awesome fire lookout at the peak-go up on the roof for an amazing 360 view...felt like I was in a National Park. There’s also free bottled water at the fire lookout. Round trip this hike is about 10 miles-I was very tired afterward. I hiked this trail beginning 3:30 pm on a Saturday and was the only one on the trail. Interstate 5 is visible but not audible for most of the trail.
I’ve been doing this trail for the last 5 Saturday’s. I usually start at the closed road and park there for the extra mileage and run warm up. Yesterday’s run was amazing it’s my first time seeing anyone at the top fire look out. Since I usually start at 6am it’s probably the reason why I never see anyone on the trail or at the top. Great intense hike/run to the top. I wish I could run it to the top non stop but it’s not easy. You can hike all day and it’s fine but if you’re running be prepared for a great workout. I don’t usually drink water until I reach the Top and even then I only use 16 oz. at the most before dashing down the mountain. It is super cold early morning especially at the top and sometimes visibility is very foggy up there. Once you pass the 2.5 mile marker be careful if you are alone on a foggy day. It’s easy to lose your footing and eat it up there. Especially running down! On a clear day like yesterday the Views were Spectacular! Picture worthy so I will post a couple for you. Don’t ruin this location! Some areas are single man trail so heavy traffic will ruin the intensity of running down or up. Keep it clean also! This trail is truly well maintained some areas at the top of the trail are starting to look over grown so I’m concerned for fire season. Just FYI.
Denise L.
Isolated, lots of birds chirping and wildflowers. Great views.
Excellent moderate hiking trail once you get to the trail head. Beautiful views from the summit but can get very windy.
Drove up highway 99 until the closed gate at the Frenchman's Flat Campground. There was parking there. Then walked down the closed highway 99 1.6 miles to the trailhead. There is no sign at the trailhead, just another closed car gate. It was all uphill from here. Took me and the dog 2 hours to reach the top from the trailhead going at a steady pace. It was a cloudy day with a nice breeze. There was almost no shade. I would not go on a hot sunny day, but I would come back in cooler months. Enjoyed very much, took 4:45 total car to top and back
I had the dog, so the three miles of round trip asphalt on HW99 would be undoable if the midday summer sun was blaring on that road.
I agree with Ryan Cantwell's review: best to leave your pup at home. My companion on this hike was a GSD in exceptional condition, and we still took it slow, and he drank 3 liters of water -- and this on a cool day.
The hike itself is great! I didn't mind the extra mileage on the old Hwy 99, as there were nice views of Piru Creek. The trail itself is a moderate, steady, and unrelenting grade to the top, with spectacular views of the Sespe Wilderness, Grapevine Pass, and Pyramid Lake.
Best part was the fire lookout tower on top, and the nice conversation with the volunteer. (Hi Evan! Rocket says thank you for making him a member of the "Order of Squirrels," though he suggests awarding an actual squirrel.)
Gate was locked. Posted signs warned to bring an Adventure Pass, but I chanced it and didn’t get a ticket. Took about four hours from the gate to the peak and back. Walking on the road was cool, especially considering it was part of the old U.S. Route 99 before they dammed Pyramid Lake. The trail is moderately steep and strenuous most of the way up. The first vista when you hit the ridge and can finally see west is impressive. I think I enjoyed it more than the peak itself, which includes more man-made scenery than I prefer. Decent hike.
It was a cool experience
Beautiful trail and views. The road was closed about 1.5 miles away from the trailhead as of today Feb 23rd, 2018
Road was still closed as of 27JAN2018 so you'll want to factor the extra mileage it adds on, but that being said, the extra 3 miles and change will probably be the easiest part of the hike. Moderately difficult but you're rewarded with incredible views and the trail does a great job of surprising you with a few of them. Early on a chilly Saturday morning I was the only one on the trail so it can be super peaceful. Highly recommended!
Not an easy trail, hiked in off season, so road was closed (why..) so it was even longer. Amazing views.
A nice steep climb to the lookout tower with great views of Lake Pyramid and Castaic. Very exposed so you wouldn’t want to hike this on a hot day.
We were almost the only ones doing the trail. Up at the fire tower there were 3 volunteers , very nice and welcoming who took us in and gave us a comprehensive explanation.
Gate was closed so hiked ended up being 11.3 miles if you include the distance on road each way. The road part isnt spectacular but the views as you get higher are what make this hike worth it!! As you walk up the road just watch you mileage so you are aware of the trailhead on the left, its not well marked. I was happy with how well maintained trail was for being so low traffic. I was the only person out there this morning besides the fire lookout volunteer. He was awesome and it was fun to learn about the fire tower's history and function. Great 360 degree view up there!
I do this trail for the Angeles fire lookout association and it's not an easy trail. I do not recommend bringing your dog or kids. bring plenty of water. I'll say it again. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR DOG AT HOME FOR THIS TRAIL.
I'm not sure when the "off-season" is, but I tried doing this last weekend with my dog and was not expecting the gate to be closed. It was 93 and super sunny so the pavement was very hot. We walked about a mile in before turning around because I didn't want her get blisters. The scenery wasn't that impressive either. There are so many great hikes within a short drive from this one.
Somewhat challenging climb in the hot heat but definitely DEFINITELY worth the view at the top! Bring lots of water! The trail has been freshly cut back too :)
Nice hike right off the highway. If you plan on doing this hike in the "offseason", then note that the road is not open all the way to the trailhead, which adds a little more than 3 miles roundtrip to your adventure. The grade is steady, and you'll have nice views of the mountains and Pyramid lake as you climb. Take all your water with you, as you wont find any along the trail.
Great view!
Awesome hike. Starts with a 1.6 mile walk on the abandoned road, and then it's around 4 miles up, the trail gets pretty steep at some points so be prepared to sweat a lot if it's a hot day. 2l of water minimum. Views from the fire lookout house at the top are pretty amazing so it's definitely worth the climb.