Hogback Ridge southwest slope

Overview

 This is a direct hike up the Clear Lake side of out of the town of Nice to the 2,881' middle summit of Hogback Ridge (2,979'). It's pretty much a straight up grunt up an old abandon fire road so steep I pondered what vehicle could make a go of it. The views from the ridge are truly exceptional. One of the finest of the northwest end of the lake. Figure 2 miles round trip and 1,300' gain.

Getting There

 From Upper Lake: From the junction of Hwy 29 and Hwy 20 take Hwy. 20 east 4.7 miles to Lakeview Drive. Go left on Lakeview .9 mile curves around right to Plumas. Take a left on Plumas which curves around to the left to Yuba. Got right on Yuba up the hill a short distance to the gate by the watertanks. Park off to the side.
From Clearlake Oaks: From the junction of Hwy. 53 and Hwy. 20 a few miles east of Clearlake Oaks take Hwy. 20 23.2 miles to Lakeview Dr. and follow the directions above.

Route Description

   Starting elevation is about 1,600'. Walk around the gate and go straight up the use trail (sans fireroad) to the left of the house on the right. Continue climbing to about 2,500' where it levels off a bit and goes to the right. It comes to an open hillside then up the last 300' to the top.
I hiked off to the side in the grass most of the way to avoid slipping on the steep crumbly rock of the trail itself.
Once on the ridge you can hike along to the other high points. The main summit 2,979' is the next one to the east. A brief descent and walk-up brings you to the top covered with low brush but still possessing excellent views.

Essential Gear

  Warm clothing in winter. Winds can pick up across the lake hitting Hogback Ridge first.
Plenty of water, hat and sunscreen in summer. Even though it's a short hike it is an open slope getting very hot in summer.

Few more pics

   

Images

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