Piute Mountain Road via Jawbone/Claraville

Curious if anyone has climbed Piute Mountain Rd from the Claraville side via Jawbone?

I was there yesterday and I got as far as a water crossing near private property (these people are true mountain folk living off the grid!!!!) just before what appeared like a BRUTAL climb. The map says the peak is 8,000’+ Just curious because the switch backs from afar as we were getting near looked absolutely gnarly. Snow is melting from above and making things sketchy no doubt. So late Spring/Summer with higher temps, it most certainly is taxing on the Taco.

Btw, I saw the Three Amigos in fine looking 3rd Gens heading down Jawbone Canyon Road. Nice looking rigs.

 

I had a feeling not many have possibly tried. I was super curious how far we got before we decided to turn around. That was at Cottonwood Creek. There was a visibly large boulder in the crossing and although it was on the left side, sliders would save the day if the Taco got sideways. Claraville is further up. Crazy to think there was a U.S. post office up there at one time.

These are the switchbacks I was referring to. They look steep as you’re driving towards them from the valley. Wintertime, there is no crossing to Lake Isabella without a snow cat at the least. Spring time, snow is melting and it must make the crossing super tricky. Road is possibly washed out or partly. Then Summer temps, having to cross Jawbone’s desert heat, and then having to climb Piute’s altitude to cross over on to Lake Isabella…kudos to those of you crazy enough to have tried and conquered.

 

I’ve done it a couple of times. I do some Deer hunting in that area. There’s no way I would go now with the winter we had. To much snow and it’s all melting!

 

Good stuff. That’s good to hear.

Yeah, particularly with the snow pack this year, it’s going to be gnarly for some time.

Thank you for your response.

 

Went there a couple of years ago. Would probably be a good challenge now with the current conditions.

 

I'll have to look more specifically where that is.
I've only been through Jawbone once, a friend has a property somewhere up there and I didn't always know exactly where I was.
I thought it was Claraville adjacent. Don't think it was 8k high, and it was near PCT.
An area that needs more exploration by me.

 

Good stuff hometowns. And good to hear a 3rd Gen made it through with the talk about the white smoke coming out of the tail pipe. Those switch backs look brutal. The angles look severe. I have to say you guys are an inspiration!

The challenge is there no doubt as there is still a good amount of snow up there. I maxed out the crossing at Cottonwood Creek, so once the melting starts hardcore, I can just imagine the roar.

Crazy Claravillians, the true mountain folk.

 

yeah no doubt being up there is away from everybody. Probably how they like it. No smoke from my tailpipe doing this. It’s not that bad. I did have a that happen to me when I did hell’s gate last month in Moab. Everyone panicked except me.

 

I whole heartedly agree, as in my case, I’m exploring the last of the Sierra Nevada granite rock. Beautiful country to own land.

These are the coordinates just before the Cottonwood Creek crossing.

35.37296° N, 118.27443° W (Copy and paste into maps if you have an Apple phone.)

Edit: crap photo, PCT noted by red circles. Pen pointing where we stopped. Dang, I thought we got farther up and into the Sequoias.

 

Ahahaaa, that’s right, Captain Taco in control! Good you got through that and it didn’t shut down. Yeah, I figure the drive down or up from the Lake Isabella side is just as fun. 4WD Country. Good stuff, thank you for sharing.

 

OK, found my buddy's place.
About a mile and a half East of Claraville at about 6400 feet.
I've only been there once, in July. Drove up through Jawbone (where it was like 108) then Kelso Valley to Piute Mt Rd.

He's pretty big into Moto's and seems to know and be known by everybody.

 

That’s cool indeed. I’ve heard and read that place is bad ass for riding. Thank you for sharing!

 

We made the complete crossing from Jawbone, Claraville to Lake Isabella May 29th last year in our Tacoma. We took the switchbacks that you were looking at, steep but not impossible.

 

Good stuff, didn’t see your post. The switchbacks were a concern more for the infamous 3rd Gen white smoke. But good to know it can handle it with no issues in that regard.

Curious if you would attempt the crossing at this point in the season?

 

You will only make it to just past Claraville, before the first closed snow gate just below the above pictured Piute Peak campgrounds. Most of the mountain trail up there is in almost constant shade this time of year, add this years heavy snow fall to it and you have closed gates/blocked trails into the beginning of May. Maybe we'll run into each other up there, we'll bring the beer.

 

Gates. That would make sense being in a National Forest and keeping people safe. Good stuff to share, thank you.

If some of you are up for a camping weekend up there some time, or a passer by status instead, I’d be down.

 

I've driven Jawbone Canyon Rd to the top a few times. Never before Memorial Day or when there was much of a stream crossing. I never thought it was any worse than any standard forest road. Maybe just a few ruts and above average sized water bars.

The road 29S02 on the map was the crazier one IMO. It was in good shape and nothing technical about it. But it is narrower, almost doubletrack, with very sharp switchbacks on a very steep slope. Had to do 3 point turns a number of times. Was glad to not run into any vehicles on it...one of us would be backing up.

 

That Cottonwood Creek must be rolling by now. Good to know about the water bars. And good to know about 29S02!

The melting and run-off is the hardcore stuff. I remember one day many years ago in the Lower Tujunga area, just after the snow pack started to melt further up, I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. A roar of water rushing by so fast and strong it was intimidating to say the least.

The back end of Lockwood Valley gets like that also.

 

I've been up and down the Jawbone switchbacks many times, zero issues, low gnarly factor. Of course snow and mud changes things a bit.

At the top of the switchbacks, headed down:


Just south of Claraville:

 

Low gnarly factor equals a pass!