Distance

7.8 mi to summit

15.5 mi total

Elevation

4,700 ft start

Vertical

3,700 ft gain

Time

7 hr 0 min to summit

12 hr 30 min total

A buddy from work and I took the Burkhart Trail from Devil's Punchbowl County Park, rounding Cruthers Canyon and Creek and took the long slog up the east slope under Will Thrall Peak leading to Burkhart Saddle. There is a faint but generally evident use trail that leads to the summit (and beyond to Mt. Williamson and PCT). The use path is steep and slippery, so a cautious ascent, and especially descent, is prudent. It is a tough hike! You start at the Punchbowl, and gradually ascend several hundred feet around Coulter Pine clad slopes, and then descend several hundred more down pinyon and manzanita slopes down to woodsy Cruthers Creek, with a quick crossing thereof. Then begins a steep and continuous uphill slog up sunny east facing slopes with sparse shade, even hot at 8 in the morning in winter!! Then as you near the saddle, the tough slog is tempered by the shade of more pines, and now some firs leading to the saddle at roughly 7 miles. Then it is about 3/4 mile to the summit. The summit high point is hard to find, as there is only a tiny rock pile with an old rusted can (old summit register holder) with no logbook. We searched the summit plateau for about 20 minutes trying to find the high point!! On the way back out, the climb out of Cruthers Canyon will feel eternal, so beware! This may be a strenuous hike for sure, but the scenery is absolutely breathtaking, with views panning out through the Antelope Valley, Tehachapi Mountains, Mojave Desert, and even to Owens Peak in the southern Sierra Nevada, and to the Panamint Range in Death Valley. Again, this is a tough hike, but worth the scenery, great botanic variety, and the workout you get with the climbing and descent! Normally this route would be snowed in above 6000', but due to record warm and dry weather, I saw only 2 tiny snow patches enroute. It was even a tad warm on Pallett Mountain at 7,780' in the 60's F (in February!!!!!)!! The breeze at Burkhart Saddle and along Pallett's ridge can be refreshing. I would recommend fall or spring (with some snow equipment), as summer would probably be insufferably hot at the bottom and sunny slopes! Overall, the hike was near 15.5 miles round-trip, with about 3,700' elevation gain (including the climb back out from Cruthers Canyon).

Obstacles

stream crossing, rockfall/loose rock

Key gear

no info yet