Jupiter Mountain and Juno Peak

Angeles National Forest, CA Los Padres + Santa Monica Mountains

Trip stats

Distance
3.8 mi
Net Gain
1,600 ft
Time
1-2 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 1
Route
Loop
Peaks
2

Ratings out of 10

Effort
2.1/10
Personality
4/10
Beauty
5/10
Solitude
2/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

  1. Jupiter Mountain
    4,498′ elevation · 1,077′ prominence
  2. Juno Peak
    4,431′ elevation · 311′ prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

34.602350, -118.386210

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Trip report

Apr 23, 2023 — Jupiter Mountain is a peak located south of Green Valley CA within the Sierra Pelona Mountains that overlooks the Bouquet Reservoir. I didn't find it to be a particularly enthralling hike since it's mostly on a dirt road, but the views are great. The peak is positioned in the center of the surrounding mountains, including the bald Grass Mountain to the north, so the hemmed-in feeling was fun. It's paired well with Juno Peak, a less substantial peak to the west.

I set out from a wide pull-off serving as a trailhead off Spunky Canyon Road (what a fun road name), choosing to head up to Jupiter Mountain first. Starting from within a cute pine grove, I located the start of the ascent road, which is initially absurdly eroded, only a thin trail exists for hiking to avoid the deep crevasses. The trail quickly steepens as it ascends Jupiter Mountain's east ridge. My shoes, at the tail end of their life and without any traction, were not ideal for this very steep road. Bouqet Canyon soon came into view behind me, as did the summit of Jupiter Mountain. The majority of the hike was steep, with one short reprieve. I was impressed by the scenery at the summit, which was complete with a little bench.

Juno Peak was next. The dirt road continued along the crest, first descending with similar steepness to my ascent. The hike then calmed down a bit as it passed an unmarked trail I'd be using to return later on. The road ascended a small hump along the way that added a bit of vertical gain before making the push to the second summit. Juno Peak looked pretty cool ahead with the winding ridgeline road twisting up to its summit. Fortunately the road was less steep to reach Juno Peak, and the views were similar on this smaller peak.

I returned to the saddle of Jupiter Mountain and Juno Peak and took the well-carved trail that descended pleasantly along the northern slope of Jupiter Mountain, ultimately leading back to the trailhead. The trail was less interesting since brush blocked the views and the Bouquet Reservoir was only visible from the opposite slope. However, taking this trail was a great way to avoid going back up and over Jupiter Mountain.

Hire me or show some love!

Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

Hire me PayPal Venmo Cash App

Photos

18 photos

  1. Starting up from the trailhead along this eroded dirt road.
  2. Pretty nutty erosion on the dirt road. View back to the trailhead.
  3. Ascending Jupiter Mountain.
  4. Bouquet Reservoir when looking back.
  5. Jupiter Mountain ahead, the dirt road pretty steep most of the way.
  6. View back. Trailhead on the left, Bouquet Reservoir on the right.
  7. Bouquet Reservoir.
  8. Jupiter Mountain summit, Juno Peak seen right of center.
  9. Heading down the steep dirt road on my way to Juno Peak.
  10. Close-up toward Juno Peak. You can see the trail I'll be taking to get back to the trailhead on the bottom right in this photo.
  11. View back toward Jupiter Mountain, as well as the trail descent later carved in the center of the slope on the left.
  12. Along the ridgeline to Juno Peak, just a dirt road walk.
  13. Juno Peak, view back toward Jupiter Mountain.
  14. Close-up toward Grass Mountain and Green Valley CA.
  15. After backtracking, I took the nice trail that hugs the northern slope of Jupiter Mountain.
  16. View back toward Juno Peak.
  17. The trail weaves in and out of the gullies along Jupiter Mountain's northern slope.
  18. Nearing the trailhead, the windy Spunky Canyon Road seen center.

Photo 1 of 1

Hire me or show some love!

Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

Hire me PayPal Venmo Cash App
GPX track

Jupiter Mountain and Juno Peak GPX route and driving track

The complete GPX track is available to download, so you can load the route straight into your navigation app or device. The trip report, route info, photos and planning details stay free.

Add to cart View cart