W6/NE-002 Warren Peak

This was the first peak on day two of my Warner Mountain expedition. I had spent the night at Pepperdine Campground, at the north end of the South Warner Wilderness. After scaring a few deer away when I got up, I had breakfast and got on the trail.

Heading up the trail in the wilderness.

The trail starts out climbing, and goes up about 1000' before leveling off a bit. The trail gets a lot of use, and was easy to follow. I enjoyed the views to the west, which were hazy but generally smoke free.

Squaw Peak.

On the south side of Squaw Peak the ridge levels out, and traverses and exposed section. This was the first point I had views in all directions. At the end of the cliffs, the trail drops a bit, then starts climbing up to Cottonwood Lake.

One of the pleasant shaded sections.

After passing the small lake, there is more climbing up to Patterson Lake. This is a very pretty lake, and seems to be a popular spot for camping. I said hi to some, as I continued up to the ridge on the other side.

Patterson Lake and Warren Peak. The peak is just to the right of the outcropping.

At the high point I left the trail. Others on Peakbagger had described a route around the back of the peak from this ridge, and I followed their suggestions. There were some steep, class 3, slopes to traverse and ascend, but I made good time. I passed a small group of people also making their way to the summit. The top had spectacular views.

Looking south towards Eagle Peak. Emerson and Hat Mountain might be visible.

I opened one log canister, and found it wet, so I set it out to dry some. When the others arrived, they had a tool to open the paint can, and we all signed the log in that one. We took each other's pictures, and while they snacked, I got on the air.

On the summit with Patterson Lake. Squaw Peak on the right.

My Verizon phone had great service on the summit, and I put out my spot, and got a few contacts. Rex, KE6MT, was able to get a summit-to-summit with me just before he had to leave his summit. Overall I got fewer contacts than I had expected, but plenty to activate the summit.

Cliffs surrounding Patterson Lake.

Before I had left, Jamie, N6JFD, had suggested that a better route to the summit might be along the top of the cliffs. I decided to try this route for the descent. I was a little hesitant because the forest looked very thick at the summit, but I quickly found that it was open if I stayed a few yards away from the edge. This route turned out to be very pleasant, and I enjoyed my walk down the woods.

Looking back at the summit.

Cottonwood Lake.

The line of cliffs ends at the trail, at a point I had noticed on the way up. Either way to the summit is good, but if you don't like heights or steep slopes, following the cliffs through the woods is probably the better route. Back on the trail I headed back to get Squaw Peak.

Trailhead: Patterson Campground. Day use lot just before the CG, after the equestrian CG. 

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Take the Summit Trail to the ridge past Patterson Lake. Stay to the left of the cliffs and follow them to the summit (class 3). Alternatively, where the cliffs end at the trail, follow them up to the summit through the woods.

Red Tape: None.

First view of the summits on the way up.