Sawtooth Peak (South), not to be confused with Sawtooth Peak (North) in Mineral King, is an easy hike off the Pacific Crest Trail in the Chimney Peak Wilderness in the southernmost part of the Sierras. It was on the Sierra Peak Section list and it was too early in the season to get out to the High Sierras, so I did this one as a day trip. I knew this wasn’t going to be “epic,” but it was a lot of fun just to get out.
The one thing that impressed me about this peak was the large grove of old oak trees along the ridge that were all torn up by their roots from a wind storm. There were at least 50 trees affected along a 100-yard section of the ridge. It was a sober reminder of the power of nature and the potential for things to go completely bonkers in fierce Sierra storms. The downed trees made the hike harder than expected but I made the rocky summit in a few hours and caught a nice view of the area.
I had driven up that morning and I was able to make it back by early evening. California has plenty of downsides, but being this close to the Sierras makes up for a lot of them. :)
Elevation Profile
