TREKS : Skiing Near the City
CROSS-COUNTRY skiers, or those with a yen to try, need not trek all the way to the Sierra Nevada to find good cross-country terrain.
One of the most accessible Nordic ski areas is freeway close at 8,831-foot Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest. The Mt. Pinos turnoff is at Frazier Park, north of Gorman (on Interstate 5, halfway from Los Angeles to Bakersfield). The area provides 14 miles of set track and 21 miles of marked wilderness trails, ranging in difficulty from easy to advanced. One moderate 3-mile trail with a 600-foot elevation gain reaches the Mt. Pinos summit.
Although Mt. Pinos primarily is a day-use area, snow camping is available in established campgrounds. Facilities are limited, but cross-country rentals and lessons, food and some accommodations are available in Frazier Park.
Recorded information on snow and road conditions is available by calling (805) 245-3449; but the Forest Service will answer specific questions at (805) 245-3731.
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