SOTA Summit: W6/CT-010, Mount Islip
Trail: Short steep use trail and traditional trail.
Hike: 3.0 miles round trip.
Elevation gain: ~1000 feet
Self Spot: AT&T with some effort
2-meter FM: Yes
Files: GPX / CalTopo map
Plenty of trip reports have been written about W6/CT-010, Mount Islip but I wanted to post the route that cuts the hike down to roughly 3 miles round trip. I had heard about the shortcut but was not able to find a quick how-to with maps. So here it is:
Rather than entering the trail at Islip Saddle or via the jeep road, travel along Angeles Crest Highway (Hwy 2) until you reach mile marker 68.37 if coming from the La Canada side. (68.38 if coming from the East/Wrightwood side.)
Park in the turnout adjacent to the ravine. Enter the ravine on the southwest via the left hand side. There you will find a short and somewhat steep use trail that will quickly take you right up to Windy Gap. Total distance in under a 1/3 of a mile. From there follow the trail/signs up to Mt. Islip.
Using this route it is a quick ~45 minutes to the summit.
Paul, W6PNG, and I activate this summit on a December morning before the snow really hit the Southern California mountains. (Great way to get the +3 point winter bonus.) We found this route to make it a quick and easy summit leaving plenty of time to pair it with another summit or two for the day.
Mt. Islip is an easy summit for a 2-meter only activation as it has unobstructed views looking out over the LA Basin. In addition to the great views, Mt. Islip has some interesting sights including the old fire tower foundations and the remains of the fire tower staff cabin. All in all a fun summit.
Thank you to all the chasers who helped to make this a successful activation.
Files
Hike: CalTopo Map & GPX
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