[pct-l] Hikertown to Highway 58: road access

[Marian Harmon]

There's no snow up there right now... at present there's a lot(!) of wind,
but that can change daily.

Vehicle access is really tricky in that area, as most of the roads are
unpaved and private. Many are behind locked gates with posted No
Trespassing signs. A regular passenger car can handle the dirt road and
follow the PCT next to the covered aqueduct (I've driven it myself)
starting around 259th and Ave B (mile 521). The PCT follows "Aqueduct Rd"
to about mile 529, where it turns away from the aqueduct for a bit. It is a
drivable road still, but on private property.

You'll see what appears to be close PCT access just north of Rosamond Blvd
and 170thSreet West: See:
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=34.904837,-118.436042&spn=0.001443,0.00284

You can drive up to the end of this paved road, but the area beyond is
gated and posted that access/passage by permission only. That is only about
a mile and a half from the trail via a dirt road to Cottonwood Creek
Bridge. I was last there a couple weeks ago, on a weekend, and the gate was
not only unlocked and open but I saw multiple off-roaders driving out of
the area through the gate. I believe that portion is part of the Manzana
Wind Project by Iberdrola Renewables:
http://iberdrolarenewables.us/cs_manzana.html

That said, people obviously get up there regularly... whether they have
permission or not. OHV traffic has been kind of a big problem in that area.

Oak Creek Rd west of Tehachapi Willow Springs Rd is accessible via car,
too, and home to a lot of cabins and ranches... but again, is a private
access road. It's also gated. If you're determined to access specific
points, I'd suggest contacting the Kern County Sheriff's office in either
Mojave, Rosamond or Tehachapi. They should be able to point you in the
right direction about getting permission as they most definitely patrol the
area. Ask to talk to somebody in the OHV Enforcement Team, as they will
have more knowledge about trail access. They are also VERY familiar with
OHV/PCT issues in that area.

The last 7-8 miles or so to the 58, along Cameron Ridge have a handful of
easy access points starting at Tehachapi-Willow Springs Rd and Cameron
Canyon Rd.


On Mon, Feb 10, 2014 at 1:51 PM, Ron Graybill <rgraybill44 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm exploring the possibility of hiking with several friends from Hikertown
> (Mile 518 on Highway 138 near Lancaster, CA) to Highway 58 (Mile 336).
>  We're mostly older folks, so we'd do it over four days.  We could even
> leapfrog our cars along the way to make life easier.  But here is the
> question: I see quite a number of wind farms in that area, and roads
> leading up to all the wind turbines.  Are those roads blocked by locked
> gates, or can anyone drive up along them to get near the PCT?
>