We parked in a neighborhood close by and walked 1/2 a mile. Then we headed up a steep use path to a ridge and climbed on top of our first rock outcropping. There was no trail sign. (It was just one of those trails that people know about) After that, it was a continuous rollercoaster path along the ridge. As we continued on we had views of Las Virgenes reservoir and Eleanor lake. Our next destination was the cave. To get there we bushwacked down a steep firebreak to cross the street below and then ascended another steep use trail to the cave. The cave was interesting with lots of graffiti and it looked like someone lived there.
After a break, we walked a short distance around the cave before we started hiking up a vertical rock face. This was tough. There is an easy way to go around it or the fun, hard way that a few of us climbed up. Once on top, we had 360-degree views. After posing and a snack break, we began the grueling, trek to the Sentinel. a cool rock that overlooks Westlake. We stopped at another rock outcropping first to have lunch and rest up for the next portion of the hike. It is here where we got our first view of Sherwood Lake. Then we descended another steep, use path that was slippery, rocky, and once again bushwacked until we reached a saddle.
Next, the final climb up to Sentinel rock was very tiresome. It was a continuous steep climb to the top with several spots to stop and rest. As we got closer to the top we had to carefully climb up the rocks with sheer drop-offs. The nice thing about most of these rocks is all the rock holds. However, if you are not confident in your ability then this hike is not for you. On the summit, there was a register but no benchmark. Breathtaking views on top made it all worth the effort. not to mention the blood, sweat, and tears that came along with it. Unfortunately, no one took a cool shot of me climbing up the rockface but I managed to get one of my friends. Naturally, we watched out for one another and a friend took some rope just in case but we never used it.
The crew normally completes this loop in 4 hours but this time it took longer. There were some inexperienced rock scramblers that were very frightened and intimidated. They eventually made it with our assistance. Anyways, I was told there is a shorter route to the Sentinel only. Perhaps that is the route for newbies.
I was exhilarated that I was finally able to attend this hike after numerous attempts and bad timing. The Sentinel loop consists of class 2/3 rock climbing. Lots of cool rock formations in this area. I will add more pics. As for the mileage not much but it seemed like a lot with all the adventurous hiking we did.
First view of Sentinel rock from across the ridge.
View of the cave from across the street
One of the rest spots before the final push to the summit and a view of Sherwood lake.
On top of one of the sentinel's.