Pacific Valley to Bull Run Peak

Near: Ebbetts Pass
Trip Type: Hike
Elevation: 7500 - 9500 ft
Surface: Dirt and some loose scree
Distance: 6.5 miles
Vegetation: Forest and Meadow

Last Hiked: August 2015


We were trying to find a campsite at Lake Alpine to swim and watch the Perseids, but we were a bit slow getting out there and predictably it was packed.  We decided to try heading a bit further up Rt 4 and were well rewarded when we stopped at Pacific Valley.  No lake, but it's a very pleasant and less crowded campsite with some friendly local horses and open fields for excellent stargazing.  Directly from the campsite you can hike up the broad gentle valley, then more steeply up Bull Run Peak, or Peep Site Peak.

Trailhead:

End of Pacific Valley Road.  Head up CA 4 past Lake Alpine.  Hwy 4 turns into basically a 1-lane road at Lake Alpine, be ready for a slow windy drive.

The Route:

A simple route straight up the valley.  The trail starts as dirt road.  After the second gate through barbed wire fences, it narrows to single track. A junction here gives you the option to continue south to Bull Run Peak, or break off south east to Peep Sight Peak nearby (about a mile longer and a few hundred feet more climb).

About 2 miles in the woods open up into a meadow with a clear view of the flat plateau of Bull Run Peak 

Add caption

The valley opens up into wide meadows around 9500 feet.

At the head of the valley, the trail crosses over the ridge.  To gain the peak turn west up the ridgeline.  Aim for the the north base of the peak plateau and angle up the scree slope on the use trail.  

The view back down the valley from the summit.

The flat open plateau of the summit block.  Might make a nice campsite.  You could play frisbee up here.

Caltopo map: http://caltopo.com/m/E0MV