Jawbone to Lake Isabella

Total Miles
48.0

Elevation

2,486.79 ft

Duration

5 Hours

Technical Rating

3

Easy

Best Time

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

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Jawbone to Lake Isabella
6

Trail Overview

A long scenic route crosses the sprawling high desert from Jawbone OHV Area, climbs above 8,000 feet across the Piute Mountain Range inside Sequoia National Forest, and then descends quickly to Lake Isabella. There are vast areas of dispersed camping with open riding around Jawbone Station. No green sticker vehicles are allowed on Jawbone Canyon Road. Although Forest Road 27S02 is open to green-sticker vehicles, we don't recommend riding here.

Photos of Jawbone to Lake Isabella

Jawbone to Lake Isabella
Jawbone to Lake Isabella

Difficulty

Easy: We found the road well graded the entire way, but be prepared for ruts and washed-out sections on steep grades. Winter snows may close the road for brief periods at higher elevations. Mud possible in spring.

History

The rusty teepee-like structure you encounter on this trip was used to burn mill waste for a saw mill located nearby. At one time you could find these odd structures all over California. The Clear Air Act 1970 did away with their use and by 1980 all were shut down. Please respect the structure and take only pictures.

Technical Rating

3

Status Reports

Lucas P.
Oct 15, 2024
4x4
Open
Normal
Fun, scenic trail. Nothing too complicated as far as obstacles go. Bring plenty of snacks/drinks.
Kyle Field
Sep 28, 2024
2022 Tesla Model Y
Open
Normal
Dusty
A well-graded county fire road with the occasional section of ruts. very dry and Dusty with the Northwest portion of the road having just been through a wildfire.
Ben Webster
Aug 17, 2024
2018 RAM 2500
Open
This was a beautiful scenic trail. We came in from the Jawbone side. There is one tight spot not far up from the trail head and the rest is all easily navigable. I aired down to 28 up front and 20 out back for comfort since we would be in the truck for a number of hours and we started in the sand. The trail was mostly well groomed and no obstructions. It looks like the forest service has been busy cleaning up the trail. There were multiple areas with stacks of wood that the forest service has placed for assumedly free fire wood for folks. There are significant burn scars from the Borel fire about 26 miles into the trail when traveling from east to west. We saw a few hot spots. There were about half a dozen vehicles hunting for deer. We saw no deer or large wildlife. It is about 15-20 degrees cooler from about 4500 feet up and temperatures fall quick at night.
Alberto Gómez
May 23, 2024
1988 Jeep Wrangler
Obstructed
Mud ruts are still present, just south of the incinerator. There is a side trail folks have made to get around this muddy mess. I went East towards Sorrel Peak, so I don't know how the rest of the road looks heading N/NW towards Bodfish. It may still have patches of snow on the North face of Piute Mtn.

Access Description

From town of Mojave, take Hwy. 14 northeast about 19 miles and turn left on Jawbone Canyon Rd. Continue west 4.9 miles to SC176 on right just before distinctive Blue Point.

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