Modern Hiker

A short, meandering trip on the Silver Moccasin Trail into an historic horse-thief hideout. Plenty of incredible boulder formations, pine forests, and nice views of the interior San Gabriels.

In order to qualify for the Sierra Club’s Hundred Peaks Section, I need to provide them with a list of 25 peaks over 5000 feet that I’d already bagged. I’d been hovering at 24 for a long time and wanted to cross off number 25 before the year was technically half over, so I braved the sweltering temperatures and cloudless skies and went into the interior of the Angeles National Forest.

Lucky for me, at least I was up high enough to get a bit of shade from the pine trees.

This trail starts off right next to an access road, and picks up on a short, flat, sandy stretch of the Silver Moccasin Trail, a National Recreation Trail that runs 53 miles from Chantry Flats to Wrightwood. It meanders through a short section of forest that - unfortunately - has a few telephone wires strung across it.

After crossing beneath the wires, the trail starts some gentle switchbacks through low brush. The sand gives way to some uneven, rocky ground - which is much nicer to hike across.

After a short stint through the shadeless chaparral, the Silver Moccasin Trail splits off into the Hillyer Trail, which makes its way through thicker stretches of pine on its way toward the summit. I wouldn’t call this trail ’shaded’ by any means, but there are lots of chances to hide out beneath the shadow of a tree if you ever start overheating. It’s a nice place to gaze at the boulder-strewn Mount Hillyer in the distance.

After treading on the outskirts of the Horse Flats Campground, the trail makes a steady ascent into Mount Hillyer itself. This place used to be an old horse thief hideout, and as you make your way through the boulder maze, it’s easy to see why. As far as I know, there are no more banditos today, but there are plenty of great scrambling rocks and little vistas to take in.

I should note here that this trail seems to be pretty popular among the mountain biking set. I didn’t see any other hikers when I was up here, but I did have to dodge about a dozen bikers. They were all kind enough to give me plenty of notice as they came down the trail, but just know this probably isn’t a hike you want to take your headphones on. Especially if you don’t have good reaction time.

While the pine forest and boulders make for great scenery, the actual summit of Hillyer is pretty underwhelming. It’s just a forested bump near a flat section of the trail, with no real viewpoints worth writing home about (note that the summit is actually .3 miles southwest of where it’s usually marked on topo maps. No idea why, but there it is).

After you hit the summit, you can can continue back down the way you came, or make a trip across the mountain’s northeast side. I took this trip just because I hate doubling back on trails if I can avoid it, but the scenery’s not all that different and you’ll be hiking on pavement for a good stretch.

And so ended Peak 25. Just 75 more to go…

The Basics:

- Distance: 5.76 miles
- Elevation Gain: About 950 feet
- Time: 2 and a half hours, with breaks.
- Trail Condition: Very good. The Silver Moccasin Trail starts out very sandy, but gets a bit more solid once you start encountering the boulders. This trail is heavily traveled by mountain bikers, so be aware of what’s coming downhill at you.
- How to Get There: From the 210, take the Angeles Crest Highway about 26 miles to the turnoff for the Chilao Visitor’s Center. Continue on this road about .6 miles, past a few government shelters and the visitor’s center. The Silver Moccasin Trail crosses the road at a clearly marked sign. There’s a small parking area right next to the intersection. Display your Adventure Pass.

- Map It

The Notables:

- Quick, easy summit in a relatively secluded area of the Angeles National Forest.
- Lots of incredible boulder formations and pine groves.

More Pictures:

- On Flickr.