Cerro Noroeste from Mt. Pinos

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Historical Significance · Views · Wildlife

This is a very rewarding, yet relatively easy hike along Vincent Tumamait Trail from Mt. Pinos to the summit of Cerro Noroeste peak. It highlights the landscape and ecology of this region, which has great cultural significance to the native Chumash people.

Beginning at the summit parking lot of Mt. Pinos, where there are campgrounds nearby, hike the rest of the Mt. Pinos Road to the summit. From there, Vincent Tumamait Trail continues west, over the rolling ridge line that connects Pinos to Cerro Noroeste. The trail is not difficult, but rather long, making it a great outing to fill the whole day. The ecosystems are largely pine forest and high desert chaparral. Views extend in all directions, including into the Wind Wolves nature preserve to the north, Carrizo Plain to the west, and Los Padres National Forest to the south and east.

This is a trail of Indigenous origin, and the summits of both peaks are sacred to the Chumash. The modern trail was established with respect to that heritage, and named for a recent cultural leader of the Chumash Nation.