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Aspen Grove in San Gorgonio Wilderness

October 12, 2013 By Jeff H 15 Comments

Aspen Grove in the San Gorgonio Wilderness

Spectacular fall color in Southern California? It exists! Just a short distance from Big Bear we found the southernmost aspen grove in California. The quaking aspen (populus tremoloids) are readily identified by the disc-like leaves about the size of a silver dollar. The slightest breeze sets these leaves in motion, leading to that “quaking” effect. It’s beautiful to see and a delight to the ears.

img
Trail Details
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 60-90 min.
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation gain: 518 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Year-round
Our first encounter with an aspen grove was coming down from Bear Ridge on the John Muir Trail. The sight and sound of the wind blowing through the aspen grove is magical, and we had to stop, pause and soak in the experience.

I had heard of this Southern California grove when I was planning my Fish Creek hike on San Gorgonio, but didn’t have time to check it out. Being the first weekend of October, we thought it would be a perfect time to check it out.

Getting There

Getting to the trailhead is an adventure in itself. You take Highway 38 from Redlands up the mountains — about 30 miles to Forest Route IN02 (the sign points to the Heart Bar Equestrian Campground). This Forest Service road is gated and usually closed winters through about May. It begins as a paved road, but quickly turns to a washboard gravel road that made me thankful I was driving my Xterra.

After a few easy miles, we headed right at the fork toward Fish Creek. Here the road narrows to a single lane, and gets very rocky and rutted. You won’t need four-wheel drive, but I’d recommend an SUV or truck. We saw a couple of sedans at the trailhead, but I’d advise against that. The trailhead itself is easy to spot, with a big sign and information about the area. Parking is free and an Adventure Pass is no longer required, but you will need a free permit, which you can pickup at the Mill Creek Ranger Station on Highway 38 at Bryant.

Hiking to the Aspen Grove

The trail begins with an easy downhill jaunt to Fish Creek. As we headed down the trail, we caught glimpses of the aspen trees turning brilliant gold.

First Glimpse of Aspen Color

At the 0.3 mile mark, we reached Fish Creek. In spite of it being early October with very little precipitation this summer, there was still water flowing.

Fish Creek

After crossing the creek, you’ll see a sign marking the entrance to the San Gorgonio Wilderness and noting that wilderness permits are required. Just beyond this sign, the first grove of aspen trees begins.

Entering the San Gorgonio Wildnerness

When you cross the creek, you reach a junction with the Fish Creek trail. To your left, the trail heads uphill toward the Fish Creek Trailhead. We headed to the right, following Fish Creek downhill to the second and larger aspen grove.

Aspen Autumn Color

One of the unique characteristics of aspen is that unlike most trees, a grove is actually a single organism with a shared root system. So the leaves of a “grove” will turn colors at the same time, and generally the same colors. In areas where multiple groves co-mingle, this manifests itself in variations of colors.

We took our sweet time picking our way down the trail, stopping frequently to take photos or simply enjoy the beautiful colors and sounds of the aspen. There are several crossings as you head down the trail, but all easily manageable.

Fish Creek Crossing

At the 1.4 mile mark, it looked like we had seen all of the aspen groves, and turned around. Backtrack up the same trail. We attempted to find an easily navigable route into the larger grove (seen in the featured photo at the top of this post), but the growth along the creek was pretty heavy. Instead, we enjoyed the view from across the creek.

We headed back up toward the trailhead. But before we left, we setup the hammock in the first aspen grove. We laid back and enjoyed the view.

Looking through the Aspen to the sky

Aspen Grove Trail Map

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download file: aspen-grove-trail.gpx

Photo Gallery

Click on any photo to view a larger version. You can also leave comments on any photo.





Hike to the Aspen Grove, you will

NFS signs covered in black plastic

Aspen Grove Tips

  • Getting to the trailhead takes you up a very bumpy dirt road. I’d recommend a high-clearance vehicle.
  • Adventure Pass required for trailhead parking
  • Wilderness Permit required for entry into the San Gorgonio Wilderness
  • Be prepared for cold weather. You’re in the mountains.
  • Aprés-hike libations? Check out Hangar 24 Brewery in Redlands, right off Highway 38

Looking for more fall color in California? My friend Josh has created a list of the Best Places for Fall Color in California.

Angeles Oaks Weather Forecast

Angeles Oaks is the nearest weather station I could find. Note that the temperatures are likely to be much cooler, since you’ll be more than 8,000 feet above sea level.

The location could not be found.

Filed Under: Trail Guides Tagged With: 3-6 miles, aspen grove, autumn, Big Bear, easy, fall color, National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, San Gorgonio Wilderness, scenic, wilderness

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Jeff H

About Jeff H

I'm an avid hiker and backpacker. My wife Joan and I are on the trails every weekend. I started SoCal Hiker to share my passion for outdoor adventure.

Comments

  1. Josh says

    October 13, 2013 at 2:12 pm

    Beautiful photos! So glad there is a place like this so close!

    Reply
  2. mysmartpuppy says

    October 14, 2013 at 4:16 pm

    Fantastic write ups and pix. Shared on twitter. Very nice job, Jeff! What a resource.

    Reply
  3. Jeff HJeff Hester says

    October 16, 2013 at 11:20 am

    Josh: Beautiful photos! So glad there is a place like this so close!

    Thanks, Josh. Yeah, it’s right in our backyard — so to speak.

    Sarah: Fantastic write ups and pix. Shared on twitter. Very nice job, Jeff! What a resource.

    Much appreciated, Sarah.

    Reply
  4. Rob Strain says

    October 22, 2013 at 2:00 pm

    So I went there October 5, arriving at the trail head just before sunrise. There were lots of vehicles (mostly pickups) parked in the space available and other vehicles at many other locations along this forest service road. I saw several men…all with guns on their shoulders and bright hunting vests over their coats. And I am dressed in my buckskin colored hiking clothes! I decided not to see the aspens this time around. Too bad the trees start changing color right at the start of hunting season.

    Reply
  5. Jeff HJeff Hester says

    October 22, 2013 at 2:49 pm

    @Rob Strain — That’s odd. We were there on October 5th (that’s when I hiked this and took these photos) and I didn’t see any hunters at all. Nor did I hear any hunting. We saw other people hiking and photographing the aspens, but that’s all.

    Sorry you missed out!

    Reply
  6. Giovanni Sanchez says

    November 9, 2013 at 12:55 am

    Great pictures! My girlfriend and I will be in Big Bear this coming week. Do you think that the aspens will still look as beautiful by then being mid-November?

    Reply
  7. Jeff HJeff Hester says

    November 9, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    Great pictures! My girlfriend and I will be in Big Bear this coming week. Do you think that the aspens will still look as beautiful by then being mid-November?

    I’m not sure. I will put out a request on Twitter and Facebook and see if I can find out. If you do end up heading out there, please come back and leave a comment to let us know.

    Reply
  8. Josh says

    September 26, 2014 at 11:55 am

    When you going to head up here again Jeff? I would like to tag along!

    Reply
  9. techytraveler says

    October 5, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    Just hiked the trail this morning with my dog. The people at the ranger station told me that a permit is not required if you are ONLY hiking to the Aspen Groves 🙂 If you plan on hiking further they are required (and there is a limited daily supply (usually 3). Just fyi 🙂 It was a great hike and according to the rangers, only a week or so left of good fall color.

    Reply
  10. Daniel Edward Pettit says

    November 3, 2014 at 9:37 pm

    “Hiked” it yesterday and yep Rangers were right, no more Aspen show this year. However apparently a BMW 750Li can make the drive up without busting an oil pan, no info if they made the drive back down, really really would not recommend taking a passenger.

    Reply
    • Jeff HJeff Hester says

      November 5, 2014 at 12:23 pm

      You actually saw a BMW 750Li up at the Aspen Grove trailhead? I guess money doesn’t fix crazy. 😉

      Reply
  11. Hew Murdoch says

    September 20, 2015 at 11:28 pm

    Was making plans this past spring to hike this trail this fall. Then the fire hit and erased what hikers had seen in the past. I was pretty sad but found this article a little comforting. http://www.pe.com/articles/aspen-778537-fire-grove.html

    Reply
  12. Keri says

    April 3, 2019 at 7:21 pm

    Hi Jeff,
    My husband and I were avid weekly hikers for a few years and we loved hiking through the aspen groves. It was his favorite trail. He loved following your posts, admired your life and trusted your wisdom. Sadly, cancer took his life this past January. I am slowly beginning to hike again. It’s where I feel the most alive, the most like myself and the happiest, but it’s also where I miss my other half the most. He was “Scout” and I was (still am) “Trooper”. I have to get back to his beloved aspens and I will. Anyway…I just wanted to send a hello, from Scout and I.

    Reply
  13. Jessie says

    October 11, 2020 at 8:19 pm

    The picture looks awesome! Is there’s way to find out if the Aspen start changing the Color?

    Reply
    • Jeff HJeff Hester says

      October 12, 2020 at 3:49 pm

      Unfortunately, Jessie, the entire area will be closed until October 2021 due to the recent fires. These trees are coming back (they actually thrive post-fire) but it may be years before they are as tall as you see in these photos.

      Reply

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