I had debated whether to head home the night before or wait until today and was glad I chose to postpone the drive. It gave me a chance to do a couple of interesting summits on the west side of Santa Clarita and Interstate 5 in the hills around Pico Canyon. I spent the night camped along Pico Canyon beyond the last suburban development and found it fairly quiet. Only a few cars came through during the night and none stopped to bother me.
Peak 1,981ft
This summit is the highpoint of the ridge separating Pico Canyon to the south from the Stevenson Ranch development to the north. There are some old fences along Pico Canyon Rd, but I found no signs indicating No Trespassing. Though the whole hike was less than a mile in length, reaching the summit is hardly trivial.
The slopes are steep and sometimes loose, but a beautiful
green during my March visit. I went up one route and down another, the descent
route proving a good deal easier. On the ascent I reached the crest of the ridge
to the west and then followed the ridge from there. The last hundred feet of
gain is along a dangerously crumbly 
sandstone knife-edge which I cannot
recommend. I dropped off the south side of this edge where I could and climbed
easier slopes on the west side. Someone has secured a very 
thin line as
an aid to come up the knife-edge, but it would hardly be sufficient in the case
of a serious slip. From the summit one can 
look south over the Santa
Susana Mtns and pick out Sand Rock Peak, a very distinctive feature in that
direction. 
East and 
west you can view along the ridgeline while
to 
the north are the neatly aligned cookie-cutter homes for which Santa
Clarita is known. I took some time on the way down to marvel at the variety of
flowers found on the grassy slopes I descended.
Sand Rock Peak
The summit is located in
Mentryville Park at the end of Pico Canyon Rd.
There is an entry fee to use the parking lot, though signs don't indicate this
until you've driven the half mile into the park. There is parking
just outside the park, enough for 6-8 vehicles and is a popular option
(I saw no one actually park inside the park, but four other vehicles used the
outside parking). Mentryville is 
the site of California's first
successful commercial oil well in 1876. The park features restored buildings
from the era including 
a barn and 
main house and seems to be
well-kept. One can follow the dirt road up Pico Canyon for about a mile and a
half to visit the old well sites, or to take in trails that continue for some
miles across a collection of city and county parks in the area. My route to
Sand Rock Peak would not go that far, instead taking 
the first bridge
across the creek to a picnic area and the start of the Minne Lotta Trail.
The trail is not long, only about half a mile in length, but runs along
a picturesque side creek with lots of shade that would be most welcome in the
warmer summer months. It leads to a 
picnic bench overlook about half a
mile short of the summit. A 
use trail continues a short distance past
the view spot, ending after a steep drop to the creek. There is some
poison oak here along the creek and in the vicinity to watch out for,
but not overwhelming. Where the trail ends I jumped across the creek to start
up the very 
steep slope on the other side, all cross-country now.
Though there is much brush, it is not hard to weave through it, sticking to
animal tracks and avoiding any real bushwhacking. I eventually reached an old
barbed-wire 
fenceline at a ridge, then 
turned right to follow
the ridge up over one small bump to reach 
Sand Rock Peak. The easiest
route drops off the ridge before reaching the summit, favoring the west side and
Southwest Ridge. Despite its minimal prominence, the peak has a few summit rocks
and nice views overlooking the 
Santa Susana Mtns and the
Santa Clarita area. All in all, a well-worthwhile visit. I was done
with the two peak just after 9a, having spent about 2hrs on the efforts and
it was now time to drive back to San Jose...