Mt. San Gorgonio is the tallest mount inward Southern California at 11,502 feet as well as is a must create hike for whatever Southern California hiker. Recently, I had the lead chances to hike the South Fork Loop alongside a twosome of buddies from work, Jon Kaplan as well as Kyle Carrolle. The South Fork Loop to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio was an absolutely beautiful hike alongside spectacular views of the greater Southern California area. The San Gorgonio Wilderness, where this hike is located, is the largest high-altitude wilderness surface area inward Southern California as well as is a hiker's paradise. Bottom-line, this is a hike that should hold upward on every avid Southern California hiker's to create list. For to a greater extent than pictures, brand certain to cheque out our
Facebook Page.
Directions to Trailhead: To hike to the top of Mt. San Gorgonio via the South Fork Loop, you lot volition showtime from the South Fork Trailhead. From Orange County, receive got the 91 expressway due east towards Riverside. Stay on the 91 expressway which eventually becomes the 215 freeway. The 215 expressway eventually intersects alongside Interstate 10. At the 215 expressway as well as Interstate 10 interchange, receive got Interstate 10 going East toward Palm Springs. Exit from Interstate 10 on University which is inward the City of Redlands. Make a left as well as follow University (You volition move past times through Redlands University) until you lot come across Highway 38. Take a correct on Highway 38, going toward the San Bernardino Mountains. In several miles you lot volition move past times the Mill Creek Ranger Station (Where you lot obtain the additional wilderness permit if you lot receive got non gotten it early), proceed upward into the
San Bernardino National Forest. Highway 38 volition receive got you lot to the trailhead. Exit highway 38 onto Jenks Lake Road (This route is located earlier Barton Flats as well as tin hold upward easily passed if you lot are non looking out for it). Take Jenks Lake Road a twosome of miles as well as the trailhead is on your left mitt side. It is a large parking lot alongside a large sign indicating the South Fork Trailhead. (A
Forest Adventure Pass is needed equally good equally a gratuitous
Wilderness Permit for the San Gorgonio Wilderness).
Description of Hike: To solar daytime hike or overnight backpack inward the San Gorgonio Wilderness, you lot must receive got an additional wilderness permit (The Permit is Free), inward add-on to the Forest Adventure Pass. You can
Follow this link for the permit. The link volition straight you lot to the wilderness permit application. You tin obtain the additional wilderness permit early on from the
Mill Creek Ranger Station which is the easiest way, or you lot volition receive got to halt at the Mill Creek Ranger Station earlier you lot move hiking. Each trail inward the San Gorgonio Wilderness has a laid quota for the number of hikers allowed on each trail as well as 1 time the quota is reached the Forest Service doesn't number to a greater extent than wilderness permits for the trail. That is why I recommend you lot larn your wilderness permit early on for your hike to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio. You tin obtain a permit upward to ninety days earlier your hike.
Mt. San Gorgonio is located inward the San Gorgonio Wilderness (approximately 58,969 Acres). The full length of the hike to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio via the South Fork Loop is 21 miles roundtrip alongside a 4,601 human foot elevation gain. This loop is a pop trail to hike for many, but is non equally pop equally the vivian creek trail, bottom-line is you lot should await to consider other hikers piece hiking the South Fork Loop. The permit quota oftentimes fills upward for this hike, particularly during weekends during peak summertime months, thence larn your gratuitous wilderness permit inward advance. The hiking trail is good maintained as well as is commonly inward proficient condition. All trails along the South Fork Loop are good marked, except correct past times Dry Lake. This hike is really strenuous as well as entirely gibe hikers should hike to the summit inward 1 day. If you lot excogitation on doing this hike inward 1 day, it is a proficient thought to develop on other hikes similar
Mt. Baden Powell or
Mt. San Jacinto in grooming for this hike.
From the South Fork Trailhead, you lot receive got the South Fork Hiking Trail which passes past times Horse Meadows as well as and thence crosses into the San Gorgonio Wilderness. The South Fork Trail goes to the South Fork Meadow, where you lot proceed on the South Fork the trail to Dollar Lake. Once you lot larn closed to Dollar Lake, you lot volition consider signs for the Dollar Lake Trail. You tin receive got a brusk side excursion of less than one-half a mile 1 agency to consider Dollar Lake which is located at some 9,300 feet. The side excursion is worth it during moisture years when H2O is inward Dollar Lake. After passing the turnout for Dollar Lake, proceed some other 0.7 miles on the South Fork Trail to Dollar Saddle. Dollar Lake Saddle is located at 9,960 feet as well as in that place is no camping ground or feasible H2O sources past times this point. From Dollar Saddle caput toward the Summit of Mt. San Gorgonio which is some v miles from Dollar Saddle. This department of the hike from Dollar Saddle to the Summit of Mt. San Gorgonio is a steady uphill hike.
Once you lot hike to the top of Mt. San Gorgonio you lot volition render via the Sky High Trail which volition receive got you lot to Dry Lake. From Dry Lake, you lot volition proceed all the agency downwardly dorsum to the South Fork Meadow as well as proceed all the agency dorsum to the Trailhead. There is camping ground available at Dry Lake (Water is available almost twelvemonth circular at Lodge Pole Springs, except during extreme drought years), Trail Flats (No H2O available), Dollar Lake (Water available seasonally from lake as well as a restrict to the extreme southward of the lake, both typically run dry out at some indicate during the year). The South Fork Loop is 1 of the most pop hiking routes to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio for hikers to use. In our sentiment this is the most scenic rout to the top of Mt. San Gorgonio.
Further Thoughts: A map of the San Gorgonio Wilderness is ever a proficient affair to choose along alongside you lot when hiking inward the San Gorgonio Wilderness. The
San Gorgonio Wilderness Association Store has 1 for sale. For those who desire to dissever the hike upward into multiple days, which is recommended if you lot desire to taste existence out inward the wilderness as well as because this hike is extremely hard to consummate inward 1 day, several campgrounds are available. During the summertime months ever hold upward on the sentinel for thunderstorms, inward the past, Ashley as well as I receive got encountered several piece hiking inward the San Gorgonio Wilderness. For electrical flow conditions conditions as well as forecasts for this surface area you lot desire to cheque alongside the
San Gorgonio Wilderness Association's website to notice electrical flow trail conditions as well as conditions forecasts. Click
Here for a alive webcam of San Gorgonio courtesy of
BigBearWeather.com.
It took our grouping merely nether 12 hours to consummate this loop inward 1 day. Our fourth dimension included a 1 sixty minutes remain at the top of Mt. San Gorgonio equally good equally multiple stops along the way. To actually taste this hike, it would hold upward recommended to dissever this hike upward into a twosome of days. Fit hikers volition hold upward able to create this hike inward 1 day, even thence it is to a greater extent than enjoyable dissever upward into multiple days.
There are several points of involvement along this hike where you lot tin receive got cracking pictures and/or views, notably Poop Out Hill merely earlier the wilderness entrance, Dollar Lake, the Summit, Dry Lake, as well as the plane wreckage along the Sky High Trail. On the Sky High Trail you lot volition notice an plane wreck from 1953, where a armed services story crashed into the side of Mt. San Gorgonio during a snowfall storm. Most of the wreckage is silent in that place as well as sadly everyone on the story was lost.
During the wintertime this surface area gets a lot of snow. For those that create this hike inward the wintertime ever brand certain to cheque the conditions conditions as well as data provided past times the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association's Bulletin Board. If you lot are doing this hike inward the wintertime you lot volition probable involve crampons, snowfall shoes, as well as proficient wintertime gear. Remember, snowfall tin hold upward introduce for many months of the twelvemonth on the trail to the summit of San Gorgonio thence brand certain to cheque the conditions if you lot are doing this hike inward belatedly fall, the winter, or the spring. If you lot create this hike during the mutual frigidness wintertime months brand certain you lot are prepared alongside proper gear equally entirely experienced hikers should create this hike during the winter.
Rating: Elevation Gain: 4,601 ft. (Strenuous), Distance: 21 Miles Roundtrip (Strenuous), Note: hold upward on the sentinel for Altitude sickness since the superlative of Mt. San Gorgonio is 11,502 ft.
Time to Complete Hike: nine - 12 hours.
Good Training Hikes:
Mt. Baden-Powell,
Mt. San Jacinto,
Saddleback Mountain,
Cucamonga Peak,
Mt. Baldy.
MORE TRAIL WRITE-UPS ON MT. SAN GORGONIO
South Fork Loop (August 2014)(This Post)
Description of Hike: This is an out too dorsum hike upward to Stonewall Peak inwards Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. The hike to Stonewall Peak is 4 miles roundtrip amongst 850 feet of elevation gain. The trail is good maintained too is marked well. You outset at the Paso Picacho Campground too the trailhead is clearly marked across highway 79 straight across from the entrance to the Paso Picacho Campoung inwards Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. The hike is a steady uphill hike inwards the San Diego Mountains. You give-up the ghost on upward the trail through a pose out of switchbacks too approach the summit of Stonewall Peak via a westerly approach. You volition notice the higher you lot give-up the ghost along the trail, the to a greater extent than rocky the terrain becomes. One of the best things virtually this hike is that the peak is visible for a adept percentage of the hike. Once nigh the exceed of Stonewall Peak, you lot scale upward a department of stone to the summit of Stonewall Peak, that has a guardrail every bit the in that place is a pregnant drop-off inwards this location. The exceed of Stonewall Peak inwards Cuyamaca Rancho State Park offers amazing views too is a must produce hike inwards the San Diego Mountains. For a map of the trails inwards Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, click Here.
