W6/SC-347

 After activating Ladyface I drove a few miles down the road to the Phantom Trailhead on Mulholland Highway. There is a good size parking area on the opposite side of the road here. I didn't notice the trailhead at first, and parked at the far end of the pullout. There was at least one other trailhead here, so I imagine the area can get busy on nice days. 

Start of the trail.

The trail is obviously well maintained, and the beginning is a few switchbacks to get up to the ridge. There were lots of footprints and bike tracks in the dirt, so it must get a lot of use. Compared to the steep climb up Ladyface I had just done, this trail seemed super easy. 

Flat, brushy area on top.

It is just under a mile to the summit, all easy hiking. On top I found a small clearing in the brush, and decided to sit there. I set up the antenna, sticking the pole in a bush, and was on the air. This summit had great cell service. The highlight of this activation was getting two Japanese stations on 20m. One of them was very weak, but I was able to pull him out enough to complete the contact.

Late afternoon in the Santa Monica Mountains.

It was getting late in the afternoon, and as the sun started to get low, the light became excellent. It was simply beautiful in the mountains. I could've spent hours enjoying the view, but I still had some driving to do, so I packed up and retraced my steps. 

Another view of the mountains.

I didn't pass anyone on this trail, to my surprise. Back at the car I took a few more pictures before heading up to the desert.

Trailhead: Google Maps calls it the Phantom Trailhead, on Mulholland Highway.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route:  Follow the trail to the summit. Easy hike.
Red Tape: None. 
Video: hamBitious YouTube

W6/SC-285 Ladyface

 This peak is in the Santa Monica Mountains, just south of Agoura Hills. From 101, go south on Kanan Road to the bend, and park in the pullout. The unsigned trail goes up the hill here.

Parking area.

The trail to the top of Ladyface is steep and sandy. The start is fairly wide, but it quickly becomes single track around the first flat spot. 

Heading up.

As you climb, the views of the area get better. In mid-October, the mountains were simply beautiful in the afternoon. The climb is somewhat spoiled by the road just below the hill and all the loud cars and motorcycles going up and down. 

False summit.

It appears that the summit is a blocky area with a flag, however as you get close it is easy to see that this is not the high point. The trail stays on the south side of the hill to skirt around the cliffs and rocky outcroppings. The trail joins the ridge before it reaches the high point.

Setup on the top.

The actual high point is a bit cramped and rocky, so I went back down the ridge a short way to a flat section with some bushes. This was the perfect spot to put up my antenna, and I was quickly on the air. I had decent cell service on top, so no issues spotting. HF seemed good, with the usual crowd of chasers. 

Since it was already mid-afternoon, I didn't spend to long on top. I took the same route back down. I was surprised to pass some people heading up, I figured the area wouldn't be that popular. At the car I drove over to my next peak of the day, Peak 1470.

Trailhead: Kanan Road, about 1mi south of US101. Pullout is on the inside of the first big curve, before the road starts going uphill.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route:  Follow the trail to the summit. Steep and sandy in places, but it does go around all the scary looking rock outcrops
Red Tape: None. 
Video: ham_bitious YouTube

W6/CT-274 Saddle Peak

 After activating Calabasas Peak I headed up to get Saddle Peak. The trailhead for this peak is at the top of Stunt Road. There is a very sharp turn at the end of the road, and to the left is a small parking area and view point. I parked here. The trail goes up between the roads. There is a steep embankment, then it is pretty pleasant.

Looking down at the parking area.

The trail to the summit is mostly the Backbone Trail, a long distance trail that crosses the Santa Monica Mountains. Follow it up to the paved water tank access road, then follow the road uphill past the left side of the tank, where it re-enters the woods. I found the signs in this area confusing and unhelpful.

Water tank with the summit.

There are a few more junctions below the summit, but it was obvious which way to go. I went up to the East Peak, since it looked nicer with fewer towers. There seems to be confusion to which peak is actually higher. Sources differ, but both seem to be in the activation zone.

Saddle Peak West.

I found that I only had cell service on the north side of the peak, so I set up there to make spotting easier. I made a few contacts on HF, then got out the HT. Two meters was hopping, and I made lots there. Even on that peak I put on the BPF, and I'm sure it helped cut down on the interference.

Heading back down.

It was starting to get late, so I packed up and headed back. At the car I braced myself for the long drive in traffic up to the desert. Overall, a great day in a new area!

Trailhead: Calabasas Peak Trailhead, south of the peak on Stunt Road.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route:  Follow the backbone trail to the summit.
Red Tape: None. 
Video: hambitious YouTube

W6/CT-214 Calabasas Peak

 Back in Southern California for work, I decided to head to a new mountain range to get some peaks. This time I chose the Santa Monica Mountains, west of Los Angeles. Most of this area is in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and counts for WWFF/POTA as well. My first summit was above the city of Calabasas and appropriately named Calabasas Peak.

Parking area on the side of Stunt Road.

I drove up Mulholland Highway, then turned onto Stunt Road. Google Maps has a point called "Calabasas Peak Trailhead", which is where I parked in a decent size pullout. There were some cars there already, and I passed a number of people on the trail. After crossing the road and going around a gate, the fire road begins a steady climb up to the summit. 

On the way up.

As you climb the views get better. Saddle Peak dominates the view to the south, but in the other directions there are great views of the mountain range. There was one intersection in a small col, but it was obvious which way to go. Around the high point of the road there is a use path that goes up to the high point. I went up to the very top and signed the log, then went down a little to a flat open area just below.

Summit. The log books were all full.

I had decent service on the summit. The trailhead did not have service. With my end fed in the air, I started calling CQ. 17m was open, and I got lots there. I also tried 20m and 40m, and made a few on those bands. I thought about trying VHF, but decided it would be better from the higher Saddle Peak.

Antenna in the brush. Looking north.

Having finished operating, I packed up and retraced my steps back to the car. It was a quick descent, with good footing on the road back down. Back at the car I drove up the hill to the Saddle Peak trailhead.

Trailhead: Calabasas Peak Trailhead, south of the peak on Stunt Road.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take the fire road up to the top, then follow the use trail to the high point.
Red Tape: None. 
Video: ham_bitious YouTube

W7O/WV-096 Mt Sylvania

 We were up in Portland for a long weekend, and decided to do some SOTA wile exploring the area. We had a bit of time before lunch, so decided to grab an easy summit. This peak is in a residential neighborhood, with a small park around the high point. We drove up, and parked on the side of the road to the south of the summit. From there it was a quick walk up the path to the park on the summit. 

You could even sit on the bench for the activation!

We assumed that it would be an easy activation, and we were right. We only brought up the HT, and quickly got four contacts each on 2m, in less than 5 minutes. With the activation complete, we unscrewed the antenna, walked back to the car, and drove down to the city for a tasty lunch.

Easy to find people on 2m

Trailhead: Road in the activation zone.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Drive into the AZ, then walk up the path to the summit top park.
Red Tape: None.
Video: ham_bitious YouTube