Hike Palomar Mountain via Oak Grove Trail Cleveland National Forest, CA

Apr 18, 2024 — Palomar Mountain is known to most visitors mostly because of the observatory near the summit, a world-renowned astronomical research facility owned by Caltech that houses the Hale Telescope. Although it would have been nice to see, I was in the area to reach the high-prominence SoCal summit. Access to the observatory is from the opposide side of the range anyway, using a shared approach road to Palomar Mountain State Park. Instead of coming from that direction I decided to hike the Oak Grove Trail, a longer approach starting from the mountain's northeatern base. The summit of Palomar Mountain seems to be known as simply as "High Point", based on online resources and on-trail markers throughout the hike. Unfortunately most of the hike is along a dirt road, but the views are nice.

The parking situation was annoying since the west side of CA-79 across the street from Oak Grove Campground appears to be not intended for the public and the campground doesn't permit parking except for campers. The Oak Grove Fire Station sits next to the road, and residences stretch beyond that, plus signage is unclear for accessing the Oak Grove Trailhead. The unsigned trailhead lot was currently closed, so I parked near the fire station and didn't have a problem. I began hiking along the trail, which winds through a residential area on dirt roads. The correct sequence for navigating these roads is well-marked with "Oak Grove Trail" signage since there are many spur roads that would otherwise be confusing. Eventually I reached the short singletrack portion of my hike, a stretch of under two miles.

I was enjoying the switchbacks along the Oak Grove Trail, which ascended pleasantly along a spur ridge that clearly needs regular maintenance in order to prevent too much brush from encroaching. The Oak Grove Trail ends at the Oak Grove Truck Trail, marked by a large sign. I ascended along the Oak Grove Truck Trail, which is closed to motor vehicles. Fortunately this road has expansive views, otherwise it would be a slog to the top from here. As far as SoCal road walks go, it doesn't get any better than this.

The Oak Grove Truck Trail gently makes it's way up to the tallest fire lookout tower in California, and there's not much else to say since it's just a road walk. Along the way it passes a junction with the High Point Truck Trail, which was ungated and had tire tracks, so I assume this can be driven to nearly the summit. A gate blocking vehicles marks the last stretch to High Point, where there are excellent views to the surrounding valleys and toward the Observatory nearby. I pulled the following from a sign at the summit, if you're interested.

Welcome to the highest point on Palomar Mountain, site of one of the few remaining active fire lookout towers in the country. During the fire season each year, this tower is staffed by volunteer members of the Forest Fire Lookout Association, working in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, Cleveland National Forest. For safety reasons, the public is prohibited from ascending High Point tower. However, you are encouraged to visit the Boucher Hill Lookout Tower located in Palomar Mountain State Park, where free tours are provided during the fire season.

The lookouts are required to perform a 360-degree scan of their visible terrain at least every 15 minutes throughout their 8-hour shift. During times of high fire danger, the shift is often extended. When a smoke is spotted, the lookout lines it up in the sights of the Osborn Fire Finder. This specialized device provides the compass bearing (azimuth). A map of the forest is mounted on the top of the device, and the lookout uses the map to determine the distance to the smoke. The lookout then uses a radio, powered by solar panels on the roof, to call in the azimuth, distance, and a nearby landmark to U.S. Forest Service dispatchers, who then direct firefighters to the location.

The first lookout tower on this site was erected in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps for the Forest Service. The structure was a 7 X 7 foot cab on a 45-foot tall tower. It was replaced with the current tower in 1964. The tower before you has a 13 X 13 foot cab on a 67.5-foot tower, and is the tallest fire lookout structure in California.