Sunday Peak

Overview

Sunday Peak is the highest point of the Greenhorn Mountains, a small range at the southwestern end of the Sierra Nevada. The Greenhorns are seperated from the Sierra, by the Kern River canyon, on the west side is the San Juaquin Valley and Bakersfield. The Sunday Peak Trail is real nice, with an easy grade and lots of shade from the tall pine trees, it passes the Giant Seqouia National Monument boundary within the first mile.

The summit was once the site of a Forest Service Fire Lookout, built in 1921, it replaced the earlier Tobias Peak lookout (built in 1912). But then in 1935 they decided Tobias Peak offered a better view, so the Sunday Peak look-out was abandoned. In 1954 the Forest Service burned the building.

Getting There

Driving
From Wofford Heights take SR 155, 7.7 miles to Greenhorn Summit. Turn right onto 24S15. From here it's 6.6 miles to the Sunday Peak Trailhead along a dirt road.

~I-5 North to Bakersfield, exit 178 east. Go to Lake Isabella and exit on SR155, follow signs to Wofford Heights.

~From Ridgecrest, Hwy 14 to 178 west, follow signs to Kernville, then go west on 155 to Wofford Heights.

~From 99 southbound, take 155 east to Greenhorn Summit, turn left on 24S15.

Hiking
Follow the trail (31E66) 1.7 miles to the summit.

Map

Red Tape

No red tape, although this area is within the Giant Sequoia National Monument, so the trees are protected :)

This is not a wilderness area, so permits are not required.


Greenhorn Ranger District
4875 Ponderosa Drive
P.O. Box 3810
Lake Isabella, CA 93240
(760) 379-5646

Tule River Ranger District
32588 Highway 190
Springville, CA 93265
(559) 539-2607

Camping

Camping is allowed. Campfire permit required for campfires.

Not much in the way of developed campgrounds, but there is plenty of good primitive car camping sites along the 24S15 and near the trailhead.

External Links

Fire Lookouts of Sequoia National Forest
Trees of Kern County
HPS page
Kernvalley.com
Webcam. Sunday Peak from Tobias Peak.

Season and Conditions

Season: The normal route via road 21S15 is closed during winter, so access from there is May through October.

Weather at Johnsondale
Sequoia National Forest current conditons

Additions and CorrectionsPost an Addition or Correction

Images

View Sunday Peak Image Gallery - 23 Images