Double Mountain 7981′ and Tehachapi Mountain 7960′
Sierra Nevada
Total Time: 5:30
Elevation Gain: 4200′
Distance: 10 miles
Crux: Class 2
Trailhead: Tehachapi Mountain County Park, full services
The Tehachapi Mountains are a small range of mountains between the Southern Sierra Nevada and Transverse Ranges to the south, separating the Central Valley from the Mojave Desert to the east. Initially featuring 7 summits on the Sierra Club’s Hundred Peaks Section List, these were systematically delisted due to private property and access issues until just Tehachapi Mountain was the last remaining, just outside the boundaries of Tehachapi Mountain park. In 2021, this final hold out was removed from the list as well due to access concerns, although the mountain is still climbed with a good deal of regularity. Immediately to the south and just a few feet higher is the range high point- Double Mountain at 7981′. With over 3,000′ of prominence, it’s the 22nd most prominent mountain in the state and although delisted in 2001 due to property issues, it is also still routinely climbed. I had long planned on summiting both a snowshoe with good winter access via the county park, and had even attempted it in 2013, turning back shortly from the trailhead due to a pretty bad cold thanks to my Medical School Pediatrics rotation. With heavy snow in the Sierra and messy roads making snow outings in the main Sierra difficult, this seemed like a good time to bag the two summits. There was thick fog leaving the Central Valley and climbing Route 58 into Tehachapi, the low clouds breaking on the Tehachapi Mountains like waves on the shore with clear skies to the east. I was surprised to find no snow in the County Park, although the upper gate was closed necessitating an extra quarter mile of hiking to reach the trailhead proper.
I started up the trail to the left of a small stream, quickly reaching a fire road with patches of snow. Although I had snowshoes with me, the coverage was so patchy and morning snow still firm that taking the time to put them on hardly seemed worth it. I quickly reached a notch in the ridgeline at 7,000′, a sign indicating the summit was less than a mile away.
On the ridgeline, the snow coverage became more consistent, although still firm enough to hold my weight. I reached the summit of Tehachapi Mountain about 1.5 hours from starting out, the tree covered summit offering little in the way of views aside from obscured views to the south of Double Mountain.
After a quick snack, I dropped off the summit to towards Double Mountain, the south facing slopes of Tehachapi being mostly bare of snow after a brief warm spell the weekend prior. I dropped to the connecting ridgeline and started a descending traverse across the intervening drainage, aiming for one of the northern ridgelines of Double Mountain. I needed to cross a small stream, finding a random spray painted refrigerator that seemed to be used for target practice.
The northern slopes of Double Mountain were completely covered in snow and with morning temperature starting to rise, I needed to don my snowshoes for the first time all day, relying on the built in crampons for a few steeper and icier spots.
The ridgeline eventually intersected the fire road that services the summit towers and I followed this briefly before cutting up directly to the summit, taking a bit under 3 hours from the trailhead despite the mixed conditions. I was only about 1,000′ above the thick clouds in the Central Valley and Western Sierra, which obscured many of the lower landmarks from the summit. I assumed the snowy summits directly north were the mountains near Mineral King, with the sloped south face of Olancha Peak to the right. Many summits of the Southern Sierra were shrouded in cloud, although I felt like I could pick out the pointy Owens Peak to the northeast. The towers on the east summit obscured views in that direction, with nearby Covington Mountain blocking the San Gabriels. To the southwest was the Grapevine and surrounding summits still covered in healthy snow.
After an early lunch, I snowshoed over to the eastern summit covered in communication towers, with both summits listed as equal height on most maps. Satisfied I visited the high point, I started back down the fire road, deciding to follow it a bit longer as it descended to the connecting ridgeline with Tehachapi Mountain. I continued on the road as it worked back towards Tehachapi, but swung a bit too far west causing a bit of snowy side hilling to get back on track.
The steep climb back up and over Tehachapi was as painful as I expected, utilizing steep pine duff to avoid the loose and soft snow patches. The snow was now quite soft on the north ridge of Tehachapi Mountain, and I was able to boot ski most of the way to the fire road and signed trail below. From there, it was a short hike back to the trailhead, taking about 5.5 hours despite the mixed conditions. I contemplated adding on nearby Bear Mountain, another California P2K, but felt I would be cutting it too close with an in person meeting that night back in Fresno. So I grab a quick bite to eat in Tehachapi before dropping back into the Central Valley and heading home.