San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek

Great place to explore and go hiking. You will need N adventure pass to park. Also, when there is a lot of snow, they close it down. It’s great for picnics. They have picnic tables and restrooms.

Excellent for hikers of various ages and experience. Went today for the first time with another rookie hiker and we were able to just slow down on the steeper inclines and pick up the pace ok flatter surfaces.
Should be fine to bring children that have good balance and can follow safety instructions. I plan to bring my 7 y/​o next time around.

I thought this was supposed to be a hard hike? Nope, it’s not.
People only call this «hard» because your at a higher elevation for a while, and because of the miles. It’s not really hard at all.
It’s pretty much a longer version of Ice House Canyon, but at higher elevation.
Or you could say it’s a longer version of the easier parts of Ski Hut trail at Baldy.
There are no parts that are really even steep. The steepest parts of Devils Backbone or the Ski Hut trail are waaay steeper than any part of Vivian Creek.
Anyways, Do this hike. It’s great. It’s amazing. It’s probably my favorite hike now because of the wide variety of things you see and atmosphere.
Also. Wear pants. There are some parts where the trail is overgrown and more than likely you’ll scratch your legs.

This hike is 18.7 miles roundtrip with 5,644′ elevation gain/​loss.
This is the highest peak in all of Southern CA and is considered one of the 3 Saints — the other 2 are Mt Baldy and Mt San Jacinto.
This is a tough hike, in terms of mileage and elevation. About ²⁄₃ of the way is shaded and there are many loose rocks under foot, It does require some maneuvering over large rocks and boulders, especially towards the end.
The first mile is a pretty steep incline. The middle portion is mostly on an incline, but not as severe as the first part. Even though the length of the hike helps to allow for acclimation to the elevation changes, it is still tough to adjust. It definitely can slow you down, make you feel light headed, or develop a headache. The scenery for most of the way is pretty.
Once you notice the rocks and boulders getting larger toward what is perceived as the peak, you are just short of the summit. Once you reach this peak, you will be able to see the actual summit in the distance — maybe another ¼ mile. The views are beautiful, but not quite as impressive as Mt Jacinto. At the summit, you will have reached 11,503′.
parking — paved lot. Adventure pass required.
tip — free hiking permit required. Call in advance to secure.

2 nights backpacking (9÷4÷15−9÷6÷15)
Distance: 17.3 miles out and back
Elevation gain: 5600+ ft
Highest peak in SoCal: 11,503 ft
Pack weight: 30 lbs each
Is there water? Yes, at Vivian Creek and High Creek as of September 6, 2015
Permit is required through Mill Creek Ranger Station
Along the Vivian Creek Trail to Gorgonio Peak, there are 3 campsites, 1^st) Vivian Creek Camp (1.2 miles from trailhead), 2^nd) Halfway Camp (2.5 miles from trailhead), and 3^rd) High Creek Camp (4.8 miles from trailhead). There is a 4^th campsite at the peak, Summit Camp, which is literally at the peak, but I don’t think you need to RSVP for it. We camped at Vivian Creek and Halfway. Only Vivian Creek and High Creek had water.
We broke this hike down into 3 days since we were backpacking, but a lot of people do it in one day. 1^st day we did 1.2 miles, 2^nd day we did 11 miles, and 3^rd day we did 2.5 miles. The day we did 11 miles, it took us 8 hours to get to the summit from Halfway Camp.
Be prepared! Things that came in very useful: headlamps, gloves, jacket or windbreaker (it gets really windy and cold up top!), and a water filter.
The trail is well marked. Even in the dark, we never went off trail. Plenty of friendly hikers, we came across a lot who were training for Whitney.
At the trailhead there are pit toilets, and water spigots to fill water bottles!
Beautiful terrain!

Came here to do our training for Whitney, and this is a perfect place for us. We started out at Vivian creek to the summit & came back on momyer trail &did a total of 34mi, 9hrs of walking, definitely worth it. if you’re looking to do any training at this place, then i would highly recommend you to start at vivian creek. it’s steep but it’s the shortest of all. At Gorgonio you get it all, steep, long, lots of loose gravel, elevation & altitude gained.

Done it as a day hike, doing it tomorrow. Say the trip is a little much for a day hike is a vast understatement unless you are an olympian that can handle the altitude. Come prepared. You don’t want to die out there. There are some cool pictures and video here:

Don’t do it. Just don’t.
This Vivian Creek area was my first love of hiking/​backpacking. Been fond of this place for decades, until the last couple of years. My background in comparing Vivian Creek trail: I’ve hiked several areas Sequoia, Yosemite including, San Jacinto, all areas of the San Gabs. In S. Cal, nothing beats any part of San G. All the trailheads are good, and they all lead to the trail circle which encompasses the peak. The exception is Vivian Creek.
The more the parking and picnic area is improved, the less the gravel road leading to the actual trail is maintained, which now is like a rock debris flow, with mounds up to 4ft high and the flat areas saturated with rock debris. This isn’t a short 50yd inconvenience, its like a ¹⁄₃ mile obstacle course. It was very bad last spring, its much worse now and not worth the effort to get up to the real start of the trail. Mind you, after the 1/​3mi minefield, you still have cross the creek, another 75yds of the same thing. I just finished a 24mi loop in San G yesterday, starting and finishing in Vivian. Starting and finishing in Vivian made the entire, otherwise awesome experience, a total downer. Definitely not good for kids or anyone who doesn’t have a hardcore, go-​through-​hell-​to-​get-​to-​paradise mindset.
I’ll never do it again. I advise you to go in through any other trailhead. I’ve tried all but one, and they are all great, right from the car door. For a long backpacking trip, go in through San Bernardino trailhead. Don’t like driving, or just like the Forest Falls area? Momyer trailhead is just 1 mile on the road before Vivian, and just as beautiful.

POURING RAIN, PELTED BY HAIL, AND THUNDER MADE US DO IT
BACKGROUND:
Southern California’s highest peak, also known as «Old Greyback». San Gorgonio is a unique Wilderness Area, pristine forest adjacent to the urban sprawl of Los Angeles. The view from the top is breathtaking, or maybe it’s just oxygen deprivation from the 11,490 feet of elevation!
The shortest way to the summit, and the most popular, is Vivian Creek Trail. It’s 9.3 miles each way beginning at the Forest Falls parking lot at 6,080 feet elevation.
STATS:
Distance: 18.6 miles
Elevation gain: 5,422 ft
Difficult: ⁸⁄₁₀ Advanced
Duration: 8 to 10 hrs.
ESSENTIALS:
Know your limits
Experience with altitude (altitude sickness is deadly)-do the research
PERMIT TO HIKE
Comfy hiking shoes with good lugs
Trekking poles
Layered Clothing
Rain gear (regardless of time of year)
Wind breaker
Insect repellent
High protein food/​snacks
At least 5 liters of water
Electrolytes
Camera
THE HIKE:
With nearly 40lbs on our back, energy to burn, and uncontrollable excitement we begin our ascent to the top of San Gorgonio. The trail starts with a gentle gain along the Mill Creek for less than .5 mile. From the foothill, the trail immediately takes a steep ascent to Vivian Creek camp (7,100 ft.).
Between camp 1 and camp 3, you can see the majestic beauty of
the forest and greenery. The trail runs along the Vivian Creek with the gentle
flow of water between Vivian Creek camp and Halfway camp. Upward and onward to we made it to High Creek camp. This is the last campsite to the summit and the last water source. However, due to the lack of rain, there wasn’t any water available.
The trail continues upward through a series of switchback for about 1.5 miles. The view started to open up as you ascend above the treeline and get closer to the summit. As we were making our way through the switchbacks it began drops of water started to fall from the sky. Then we were pelleted by hail. Off in the distance we could hear thunder. As we looked toward the summit, we could see an ugly storm butting up against the backside of the summit. With rain gear on, hiking in the pouring rain, we pressed on in hopes the thunder would pass. Unfortunately the thunder got worse and after some hemming hawing, we decided it wasn’t safe to continue, so we reluctantly turned around.
With our heads hanging low in disappointment, we headed back down the mountain. Within a couple miles of heading down, we were dry and peeling off layers of clothing as we approached the clear sky hangin’ around the front side of the summit.
POURING RAIN, PELTED BY HAIL, AND THUNDER MADE US TURN BACK!!!
Once at the bottom we went off trail for a bit to poke around at the now abandoned Horse Meadows Camp. Envisioning horses waiting for Ranger Rider to mount them and ride off into the wilderness put a smile on my face and gleam in my eyes. So sad that the camp had to be shutdown due to funding issues.
Although I’m not neither a trail or an elevation gain hiker, unless the elevation involves rock climbing and scrambling, I found this hike pleasant. Trails need to be reconstructed, need to avoid building trails that go uphill. The scenery is amazingly beautiful and the trails are well marked… would be a very bad thing to get lost since it isn’t a well traveled hike and cell reception is sketchy. A second attempt might be in the forecast, as long as rain, hail, and thunder are not. Until the summit is reached this review and rating are both pending.
DISCLAIMER:
Hiking is not something that can be taken lightly. It can be life-​threatening as you see and hear on the news, people die or get lost all time. Please, if you are going to hike, never go alone and prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Remember when going for a hike, no matter how short you think it may be, always be prepared. Carry at least two liters of water for every five miles (more if the weather is warm), protein bar, nuts, and electrolytes. Wear sturdy lug sole shoes and protective clothing. Some areas the weather can change quicker than a fireman can put on his gear. It is also very important, always always always let a family member or friend know where you are going and when you expect to be back. Lastly, have fun when you hike it up.
#HIKING #SANGORGONIO #SANGORGONIOPEAK #ADVANCEDHIKER #HIGHPEAK #MAJORELEVATIONGAIN #KNOWYOURLIMITS #ALTITUDESICKNESS

Wow, what a great day hike to test your conditioning and endurance levels as well as your mental toughness.
PERMITS: Yes, it is done via fax or mail. I called the Mill Creek Ranger Station (909) 382‑2882 to inquire if there were any permits available on a particular date. Then soon after faxed my permit application. If you don’t have access to a fax machine, there are a number of websites you can upload a file and have it faxed. I used
to set up a fax number where I can receive the approved (or denied) permit back.
WATER: My pack was heavy with 5.5 liters of water. Since we started early and weather was cool, I didn’t drink much water hiking up. But back down, I used a lot more water as the sun was out and temps got higher as elevation got lower. So don’t dump that excess water!
BACKPACK: It’ll help your back and shoulders if you get your bag fitted correctly (try REI) and make sure the weight is slightly above your hips not on your shoulders! For this reason, I used my 45 liter backpacking pack instead of my regular Camelback daypack since I could do more strap adjustments. While others complained about their back and shoulders, I felt fine. No back or shoulder soreness!
MY EXPERIENCE: Our group of 9 hiked on the Sunday after 4^th of July, arrived 5:30am and no one checked for permits when we started at 6am. The Vivian Creek parking lot was open.
I’m very direction-​ally challenged and not afraid to off-​road it, so I managed to get lost 3 times. First time I crossed the wrong log across Vivian Creek when i should have followed the trail and crossed the right log. I saw a couple of my fellow hikers who directed me to the correct way.
Second time was at the sign at the junction of Halfway Camp and High Creek. Wasn’t sure which route to take so I backtracked it to be on the safe side and saw the same fellow hikers again. According to Ron R. you could go either way, but the direction toward High Creek is the shorter switchback shortcut and that’s what we took.
Third time lost was at the High Creek sign. I continued along the divide. BIG mistake. Wasted too much energy and time until I reached a dead end. I should have continued on the right side to the switchbacks.
For me, the most difficult part of the hike was the rocky trail toward the two junction signs before summitting. By then, you’re quite tired. And combined with the higher altitude, this tests your mental toughness. It reminded me of the last 1.5 miles summitting Whitney.
Thankfully, I encountered another hiker who was also training for Whitney. We chatted while hiking and it took my mind off the grueling task at hand. Eventually we see the last sign before the summit. I run toward it to finish strong, relieved to see fellow hikers in my group at the top!
It’s chilly and windy at the summit so bring a rain jacket or windbreaker and maybe a change of shirt so you’re not both wet and cold from your own sweat.
Going down, you definitely feel the heat and we took a couple rest breaks including a nice SHADED spot near the sign at the junction of Halfway Camp and High Creek where there was a rock you could lie down on. The rest really invigorated me, and next thing you know I felt like running most (OK, some) of the way back to trailhead and parking lot.
It’s been a almost a year since I’ve done Whitney, and this hike seemed easier. But I’d like to think my conditioning level has improved in a year. We’ll see when I do Whitney a couple weeks from now!

Did this hike about a month ago (May 2014) with 5 other guys: we are in our mid 20s.
Prior to Gorgonio I’ve done Cactus to Clouds and Mt. Baldy, so steepness-​wise I didn’t find this too bad.
We started 10pm Friday evening.
As others said, the first mile or so is probably the steepest. Then you can smash to Vivian Creek pretty quickly, but we stayed at the next camp. Forget the name… (High Creek I think). I wasn’t the planner on this trip, just along for the ride.
That was a totally badass campsite. It said don’t camp within 200feet of so and so but we camped right there (apparently other people had before, given layout of the little area). Got there about 2am, rose about 630−7am.
No issues filling up water at the creek. Nice water filter from REI, roughly $ 100. We had 2 filters in our group of six.
I had a Camelbak 3L: filled that up and an empty 2L which I also filled up, so 5L total. Note that when we begun the hike I had just the 3L filled up and in retrospect I would NOT have done this (starting at 10pm and such). As we all know, water adds quite a bit of weight.
Now the switchbacks begin but you can kinda cheat them if you’re so inclined. As someone else mentioned on here, it’s quite shaded but then it becomes totally exposed. There’s one part before the summit that is quite grueling, not insanely steep, but still fairly brutal. Straight and a continuous grade for like 20minutes, maybe longer with breaks.
Hit the summit at like…1pm? Maybe 2, can’t recall. We did not come down the same way we went up, we went ‘around’ and camped at another camp site: think it is called Dry Lake View? Not sure on elevation but pretty high up there.
It got cold as all hell at this camp site, and it’s not really your typical site: the 6 of us were all spread out. Very peaceful though, not much wind.
So Sunday morning we start our final descent. Literally all downhill but very mild. Just long, quite long.
Now, shit got a little hectic here. Like I said there were 6 of us. We have 3 very quick hikers, 2 pretty slow-​ok hikers, and I’m in the middle. The 3 quick ones were anxious to get to the car, so they went ahead. The 3 of us somehow got split: not good but I wasn’t too worried.
However, I’m not sure the name of the camp site on the decline but it’s where the trail veers off to the right (there’s a creek just above the campsite, and a pretty nice one).
I’m on the trail and before I know it, the trail has gotten extremely thin and very very steep downhill. Then I come to this MASSIVELY steep hill. I look to the right/​left, don’t see much of a trail so decide to go down the hill (idiotic). This took me to a creek. Followed the creek the whole way down and eventually got back on the trail. Very scary though, thankfully I had a water filter with me.
Also: we had parking passes but not an actual pass to camp. It’s absolutely moronic you have to fax/​mail it in: didn’t realize it was 1996. We attempted to fax/​mail but never heard back, so fuckem.
Anyways, badass hike, will be doing Whitney in the coming months. Lots of kooks on this mountain but a great hike overall.

I completed this hike on 06/​09/​2014 and it was a much more difficult hike than I expected! I am an experienced hiker who did Mt. Whitney twice last year, so I kind of expected this to be a breeze, but I was surprised at how comparable it was to the Mt. Whitney trail. The Vivian Creek trail to the summit of San Gorgonio took me about 14 hours, from 6 am to 8 pm, and I was sore for two days after.
I pretty much agree with most of the information already posted on here, but I would just add a few extra pointers and opinions for those who are interested:
1. The water levels were low in the creeks (I’m assuming because of the low snow this past winter, but I haven’t done this hike before so I’m not sure what the normal levels are), so be careful and bring lots of water with you. I personally drink a lot of water on the trail to stay hydrated. I’m 6’2″ and 230 lbs., and I probably need more water than most other hikers, but I went through about 8 – 9 liters on this trip. There is water available at the first camp (Vivian) and the last camp (High Creek) but not at Halfway camp, just so you know.
2. The bugs ate me alive. I came back with some nasty bites all over my legs, much worse than most other hikes in the area. Bring some bug spray and spare yourself the discomfort!
3. If you are doing this hike to prep for Mt. Whitney or some other high trails in the Sierras, this is a perfect hike to see if you’re ready. In my opinion, this hike is very comparable to the Mt. Whitney hike in terms of distance and elevation gain. I did both hikes in about 14 hours. In some ways, the Whitney hike was easier because of the ample water available there, so much in fact that you don’t need to carry nearly as much water in your pack thereby saving you a lot of weight. The obvious difference is the elevation of Whitney is much higher, but if you acclimate properly it’s not as big of a deal (at least for me it wasn’t).
Overall, I would say this is a very worthwhile hike. A great SoCal milestone to achieve. The takeaway from this is that it will probably be harder than you expected it to be, so be ready! You will only make it to the top if you have a no-​quit attitude. It’s really mind over body. I only gave it 4 stars because of the water situation, and having to carry most or all of your water makes for a heavy pack. But it’s still a great hike and I highly recommend.

Man, what a hike! We didn’t make it to the top because we came unprepared but we had a great time tackling this beast. The views along the way are fantastic and it isn’t too demanding but a good workout. The next time I’m back I will make it to the top!

This is a great and challenging hike to the highest peak in Southern California, at an elevation of 11,502 feet! The round trip is a long 17 to 18 miles long, depending on if you take one of the steeper switchback shortcuts. One is just 0.1 miles above Halfway Camp. I hiked this with my loyal mountain dog and we decided to hike this in one day. It is a very ROCKY trail and on the descent is where you will feel it. I thought I would be falling asleep on my return drive to Orange County, but the feeling of such an accomplishment is such a natural high that I kept on thinking about hiking it again!
First, you need to apply for a hiking permit. The easiest way is to fax in the application and have them fax the approved permit back to you. Or you can have them mail it back to you, it just takes longer.
If you take the I-​10 Freeway, take the Orange exit and head north. In 0.6 miles turn right onto 38/​Lugonia Avenue. From here, drive 13.9 miles and take a slight right towards the ‘No Outlet’ sign onto Valley of the Falls Drive. Be aware that you will not be able to read that name on the sign! Don’t miss this turn or you will get a late start. It is hard to find the exact address for the trail head, but you can use the address for El Mexicano Restaurant. 40 977 Valley of the Falls Drive, Forest Falls, California, 92 339. Once you reach this restaurant, continue on Valley of the Falls Drive for about a mile where it dead ends at the Vivian Creek Kiosk. The upper gated parking lot is never open, but the Big Falls parking lot to the left seems to be open all of the time. Just make sure you display an Adventure Parking Pass.
Once you enter the Big Falls parking lot, there is a trail at the far end on the right side that leads through the picnic area to a ‘Welcome/​Information’ sign. The trail continues on the right side of that sign and becomes the wide gravel Falls Road that parallels a wash on the left side. 0.57 miles from the parking lot, you will find a trail sign with an arrow pointing left. It is here where you cross the wide wash.
But before you cross the wash, look straight across for another trail sign on the other side of the wash. Just past that sign, is where you start up the STEEP switchbacks! By 1.3 miles, you will have gained 1,022 feet in elevation as you climb up the ROCKY trail. At 1.65 miles you reach the Vivian Creek Camp. At 1.72 miles you will cross over Vivian Creek on top of a fallen tree. This section is very nice as you can hear the creek as you pass under the tall amazing Redwood and pine trees. Then you pass through a meadow of Manzanita bushes just before reaching Halfway Camp at 3.14 miles. About 0.1 miles above the camp the trail spits. You can go either way. The trail to the left is a steeper switchback shortcut. At 5 miles you will reach the High Creek Camp at an elevation of 9,281 feet. It might be hard to see the trail here but just continue past on the right side of the tree with the High Creek sign on it. The trail will cross over the small High Creek then follow up a gully on the rocky but not too steep switchbacks. At 6.2 miles you reach a ridge at 9,980 feet.
Off to the right as an awesome view of the San Jacinto Mountains. But to continue to San Gorgonio Peak, head north to the left up the STEEP rocky trail above the clouds. At 8.05 miles there is a sign at the San Bernardino Peak Divide Trail junction.
Head to the right and in 0.2 miles you will see the last sign as you go straight ahead towards the 11,502 foot peak. The sign shows Mineshaft Flat is off to the right; this is the Sky High Trail that meets up with the Fish Creek Trail. Do not take this. Once you get to the peak, its just a huge pile of rocks! A little let down… but still AWESOME!
To keep track of my mileages I use the Runkeeper application on my cell phone. If your fingers aren’t too cold, you can open the trail map on the app and follow the trail on your phone. It works off GPS so you don’t need cell phone services. Since this trail is so long, carry a battery charger such as the ‘Anker Astro 5600mAh Backup External Battery Pack Charger’ for all cell phones ($ 30).

Great hike. Similar results as the others that have reviewed this hike. One thing I would recommend is sunscreen and reapply. The sun is very strong up there.
My day hike was on April 12^th, 2014. We started around 5:45 from the parking lot outside the gate. The main gate doesn’t open until 6:00 and seemed to close before we got back so I was very happy to not be parked inside the gate parking lot or I don’t know how I would have gotten my car out. Also don’t forget your Adventure pass.
The first leg of the hike is tough going up but it seemed worse on the knees coming down. Once you get to halfway camp, there is a sign post that will show you, right to the camp and straight to high creek: follow the trail to High Creek.
Once you get to High Creek Camp then the fun begins, switch backs as far as the eye can see. It felt like they would never stop and because it was on the shadow side of the mountain, there was ice and snow on the trail the whole way. Although the way back, once the sun hit the snow and ice it was even worse with the slush and all. Some of the switchbacks seems a bit pointless because they were not that steep. They could have made them a bit steeper and had less of them in my opinion.
Once at the top of the High Creek Switchbacks is a wonderful view of palm springs an San Jacinto. Great place for a break. Then back to the switchbacks going to the summit. Once you got past the tree line better reapply that sunscreen then it is off to the summit.
You will come to two signs where most on the train said people get lost. remember the one you came from (Vivian Creek) and you will be fine. One more sign and you are on your way to the summit. This one is the mineshaft and other trails, just head straight and before long you will be on the summit (Half Way Point.) There is two places, one that is a bunch of rocks with a summit sign and another that is a wall of rocks. The rock wall is a nice place to rest and take a break. The wind was pretty bad so this will give some break from it. Then do the hike in reverse and you are home.
There is a Mexican restaurant not far from the trail head that isn’t too bad. Have a beer and celebrate a safe and successful hike. Good luck and climb on.

Did this trail as an overnight backpacking trip with 6 others on July 6 – 7.
Quick Background:
My group including myself are not hikers of any sort, nor any walking/​jogging/​running type of people. We just decided to try out «backpacking» and pick up the gear for it. I had most of the «appropriate» gear for an overnight backpacking trip (of course, not the high end-​light gear or trekking poles, which was a huge mistake). I packed a bit too much, but it was my first major hike so it wasn’t too bad.
The Hike:
To put it blunt, this hike is DEFINITELY not for beginners like myself and my group. It was HELL going up. I never thought that 3000 feet elevation increase over 5.5 miles was big, but its effing HUGE! It took us roughly 7 hours to hike from the parking spot all the way up to High Creek where we camped at. Remember, my whole group are beginners! We passed by numerous day hikers on the way up. I can’t describe it more but it was really hell for all of us.
The Nature:
Amazing! It’s so nice to get out of the city and be far up in the mountains where the air is fresh and it’s so quiet. The scenery everywhere is lovely and so peaceful. It’s just so relaxing and peaceful being in nature.
Anyways, just to keep my post review a bit shorter than I usually do, I highly recommend this hike to everyone. Maybe not beginners, but give it a shot anyway. Would I do this hike again anytime soon? No, but I will definitely aim to do it just as a day hike in the far future when I get more into backpacking/​hiking.
My goodness though, 7 hours to hike 3000 feet increase in elevation over a span of 5.5 miles. MAD props to all you day hikers that make it to the very top and back down in one day. Shows that my group are total beginners haha, but we gotta start somewhere. At least we can mark down in our books that we completed the hardest trail of the San G trails :)

Unbelievably, in 2013, the San Bernardino National Forest’s Mill Creek Ranger Station only processes permits via Fax or Mail. These two archaic methods of transmitting information obviously have limitations. Primarily, there is no documentation of receipt on the other side of a faxed or mailed permit form.
Which brings me to my complaint; I followed the Mill Creek Ranger’s permit process to the letter. I even took the extra steps to follow up on my faxed permit application. In speaking to a person at the ranger station, I’ll leave their name out; I was met with complete incompetence, indifference, and a lack of professionalism. I won’t bore you with the details, but I would expect a four year old to continually yell at someone in the background during my telephone conversation with them. I did not expect someone staffing the ranger station’s front desk to behave that way.
I understand that sometimes paperwork gets lost. However, I expect the person or persons making the mistake to take corrective action. In this case, I was simply met with a repeated, «Yup, can’t find your paper work and we’re booked solid now.» No apologies, no offered alternatives. I attempted to move forward, asking if any other means of gaining the mandatory permit was available. I was open to any other trail, any other campground, in any other part of the San Bernardino National Forest. Unfortunately, the clerk’s answers were demonstrative of her complete lack of knowledge about the area. Ultimately, I was told to re-​submit a faxed permit application. When I asked how I could verify its receipt and processing, it was like starting the conversation all over again.
Bottom line, if this was a privatized business, these employees would be out of work. However, since it’s the government, everyone keeps their jobs, incompetence reins, and my friends and I cannot enjoy our tax payer funded public lands.

Good conditioning hike for those who want to do more high altitude hikes (above 10K). If you plan to go all the way to the peak, my advice is to start as early as you can, have your ten essentials, and be physically ready. Dress in layers since the mountain has its own weather. There are a lot of parking spots, but the lot gets full during peak hiking season (spring-​summer).
Lots of info on water sources and current trail conditions can be found on
(San Gorgonio Wilderness Association). I’ve always done this hike from Vivian Creek, so I can’t comment on other trailheads. Even though there is a well-​marked trail, I’ve known of people who have gotten lost. Pay attention to trail junctions and have a headlamp with you. San G is the highest peak in SoCal, so the view is a doozy. There have been numerous break-​in at the parking lot, so don’t leave any valuables. Have your adventure pass handy.
I don’t recommend this for beginner hikers. If you’ve done Mount Baldy from Manker Flats or San Jacinto from Humber Park with no problems, then this is the next logical step in your hiking adventure. Most people take 6 to 10 hours doing this hike. Enjoy and be safe!

Great hike!
We started this hike at 6am on 11−11−12. It was a very cold morning 26 deg @ 6500 ft. We probably saw 15 degree temperatures an hour or two into the hike. Be in top shape for this one, it doesnt let off one bit until the top. Half the people we ran into turned around before the top. I have heard many different answers on how long this trail is, from 7.8−8.9 miles long. We met a hiker at the top that said his GPS recorded 8.6 miles. The top is cold and windy, but has beautiful views, you can see Big Bear lake, Coachella Valley, and the Inland Empire. In total we were on the trail for 13 hours from 6am to 7pm.
Here was the best website i found for weather conditions, we found it to be very accurate.
Do:
Bring a headlamp, We used ours for 2 hours
Keep water topped off, keep hydrated even if it is cold
Bring warm clothes
Bring a map
Get an adventure pass, they can be bought at big 5s, it needs to be displayed in your vehicle.
Try to have the next day off because you will be sore!

At 11,503 feet (3,506 m), Mount San Gorgonio is the highest peak in Southern California… and our group successfully hiked to the summit.
Initial climb was steep. The switchbacks made for a maddening journey. Overall, this hike was very, very strenuous.
We’re on our way to Whitney!