Sawmill/Liebre Mountain Road

Name: Sawmill Road General Location: Angeles National Forest Difficulty: Easy. Starts at: 34°40'26"N, 118°27'20"W Ends at: 34°42'57"N, 118°42'39"W Elevation Gain: Starts at 3220 ft, climbs to 5774 ft and drops back to 3928 ft at the end of the 23.5 mile trail.

Comments: From the LA area, take I-5 north to Castaic, exit north at Lake Hughes Road. Drive north on Lake Hughes road until you reach 34°40'26"N, 118°27'20"W. This is about .4 miles before Lake Hughes dead ends at Pine Canyon road. Turn left onto graded dirt road 7N08. Some maps call this 'Discovery Trail #1' or 'Maxwell Road'. As you proceed upward you will pass a few smaller roads branching off to the left, just keep right on the main track. After a little more than 9 miles, you will arrive at a large 4 way intersection at 34°41'30"N, 118°33'17"W. Continue straight across, northwest, onto 7N23. Another 1.4 miles will take you to the Sawmill Campground. There are some GREAT views to the north from this short stretch of road. Continue northwest another 1.8 miles to 34°42'37",118°35'40". Here, a fork in the road leads to 7N19 (Atmore Meadows Road). Ignore it, continue on 7N23. From here, some topo maps call this portion of 7N23 'Liebre Mountain Road'. Continue west about another 11 miles to semi-paved (mostly broken concrete) 'Old Ridge Road' at 34°42'56", 118°42'39". This 'old ridge road' was constructed in the early 1900s, and was the original route from LA to Bakersfield before the I-5 was constructed. Can you imagine chugging across this road in a 'horseless carriage' without power steering? You can take this north, past Sandburg, to Hwy 138. A short drive west on 138 will take you to Interstate 5, where you can head south back to the Los Angeles area.


This guide is for reference only. Always use a real topographic map, compass and GPS.