Slide Mountain Trail is a 7.4 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Castaic, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and birding and is best used from February until November. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
dog friendly
birding
hiking
nature trips
walking
views
wild flowers
bugs
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.
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.