Cloudburst Summit to Cooper Canyon Campground to Winston Peak Overnight

View of the trailhead for the Pacific Crest Trail at Cloudburst Summit (3-29-2017).

Trip: Pacific Crest Trail to Cooper Canyon Campground, return via Winston Peak.

Day One: Follow the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) down canyon crossing the dirt road about a mile along the trail and continue past the saddle on the north side of Winston Peak, past the unmarked junction with the north hiker’s trail around Bump 6903 (the small peak that shares the saddle with Winston Peak) to Cooper Canyon Campground and set up camp: 2.6 miles, 300′ gain, 1060′ loss.

Return up to the off-trail ridge (see map) to watch the sunset: 1.2 miles, 620′ of gain and loss.

Track Map for Cloudburst Summit to Cooper Canyon Campground to Winston Peak Overnight, day one in July 2018 using Backcountry Navigator (US Forest Service-2013 map) from my phone.

Day Two: Hike back up the PCT to the saddle between Winston Peak and Bump 6903. At the saddle, follow the steep north hiker’s trail (780′ of gain over half a mile) up to Winston Peak and return to Cloudburst Summit by taking the more gradual south hiker’s trail back down to the parking area: 2 miles, 1,350′ of gain, 590′ of loss.

Track Map for Cloudburst Summit to Cooper Canyon Campground to Winston Peak Overnight, day two in July 2018 using Backcountry Navigator (US Forest Service-2013 map) from my phone.

Campground: Cooper Canyon Campground

Water: Seasonal water runs along the stream at the campground early in the year. Year-round water is present at the stream crossing (or sooner) where the Pacific Crest Trail meets the Burkhard Trail just over a mile down the PCT from the campground or at Cooper Canyon Falls about 1.2 miles down from the campground. All water should be filtered. Note: for this trip, my friend and I carried enough water so that we didn’t need to filter if we chose to hike straight out on day two instead of going to the falls.

Peaks: Winston Peak

Trip Stats: 5.8 miles, 2270′ of gain and loss.

Last Hiked: 7/1/18 to 7/2/18

View from Cooper Canyon Campground (7/1/2018).