Hike up to Sitton Peak for my second hike towards the 6-Peaks challenge. Joined on trip by my dog, a 4-year-old pit mix.

Arrived at the parking lot across from Ortega Oaks Candy Store at about 10am. Drive up the 74 was relatively free of traffic, but parking lot was full.  Trailhead took a few minutes to find.  Hike up was moderate, with alternating inclines / declines, shade at the start giving way to more open trails and sun further along.  Most of the trail was not very crowded until the last 1/2 mile, the final ascent to the top.  There a narrow, steep trail combined with many people coming down from the summit made for frequent starts-and-stops.  The final part of the trail to the summit was poorly marked, and some trial and error was needed to find the correct path.

Arrived at the summit circa 1pm.  Sitton is not the highest peak in the Santa Ana Mountains, but provides clear views all the way to Long Beach and Palos Verdes, plus Catalina and San Clemente islands.  Lots of space for people to spread out along the summit ridgeline.

Trail back down was hard for the pup, who found it hard to get down from the summit.  I had to carry her part of the way down – not easy with a 60 lbs dog.  From the bottom of the summit, the trail back towards parking starts with an incline, which also tired her out.  With some water and snacks, she got back her energy and did fine from Four Corners back to the trailhead.  As much of the trail is exposed, very important to bring water.  Arrived back to the trailhead circa 3pm.

Overall, not a difficult hike and one that provides great views from the top.  Appreciate that the hike is further away from LA and so was somewhat less crowded than trails in the San Gabriel Mountains.  No snow at all – elevation isn't high enough.  Temperatures were cool today, but the trail probably becomes harder as temperatures heat up a lot in the summertime.