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Submission
5,200-foot elevation. 7 campsites. No toilets. Campsites are first come - first served. Adventure Pass required for vehicles parked at this campground. Trash pick up is not available, so please help by taking your trash out with you. Treat stream water before using, if it is available. Please call the Acton Work Center at (661) 269-2808 for current road information.
From Interstate 5 in Castaic, turn northeast on Lake Hughes Rd. and drive 27 miles to the town of Lake Hughes. Turn left on Pine Canyon Rd. and drive to Sawmill Mountain (northwest) on Sawmill Mountain-Liebre Ridge Rd. and drive about 10 miles to the campground.
Cute and quiet. No bathroom. No one was around. A lot ants. A lot rodents.
Hiked in on the Pacific Crest Trail from Sawmill Campground. The trail in between Bear and Sawmill Camp is in decent condition, with one spot slightly washed away part from rain and a little bit of overgrown plants in other areas. The campground is clean, but barren. LOTS of Bumble Bees and tiny insects, be ready for that if your camping. The forest service obviously has not had the resources to give it a second life as seen by the information board broken on the ground. The campground in of itself is a great site. I was likely the ONLY person on the entire mountain. If you want a primitive and quiet experience, hiking or camping, bear campground is for you. Hardly anyone visits this campground, there we no visible footprints or activity other than tractor marks from the forest service.
Road conditions as of 8/1/2023:
Road (7N23) is in good condition. Ridge Route from the West is closed due to storm damage, East entrance is open. My Ford Fusion got up with no issues. Recommend an SUV if you want "zero fuss" but any car can make it up if you just be careful. Dry roads, not to many ruts, lots of sharp rocks / gravel. The gate to Bear Campground is closed about a half mile down the road from Sawmill (likely do the forest service not having adequate resources). Though I'd argue that, that portion of the road is actually in better condition than the beginning of 7N23. So to get to Bear Campground, its hike in only as of August 2023.
Give it a visit if your a hiker, its a LONG and steep hike. As always, LEAVE. NO. TRACE.
