San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek

Vivian Creek

San Gorgonio is the tallest mountain in Southern California, and a right of passage for serious hikers in the area. At 11,503′, “Old Grayback” provides an excellent high altitude training for those preparing to summit Mt. Whitney, and an easy drive from most of LA and Orange counties. There are several trails leading up to [...]

Angelus Oaks to San Bernardino Peak

San Bernardino Panorama

One of the best-kept secrets of Southern California is San Bernardino Mountain. Just five miles away from the highest peak in SoCal — San Gorgonio — San Bernardino tops out at a respectable 10,649 feet. Hiking from Angelus Oaks, this 16-mile out-and-back trail climbs over 4,600 vertical feet. It makes for a very long day [...]

A Six-Pack of Peaks

6-Pack of Peaks

Last month I outlined my training plan for the John Muir Trail. In a nutshell, it involves several weekday conditioning hikes, longer weekend hikes, weight-bearing hikes and most importantly, hikes at high altitude with substantial elevation gain. As I researched my options, I settled on a series of six peak-bagging hikes, each progressively more challenging [...]