San Bernardino

[Joseph]

We attempted a summit yesterday. About a half mile above Limber Pine Campground, the trail gets lost under 3′ of snow and ice. It’s impassable without knowledge of where the trail goes to and the right equipment and knowledge of how to use it. We’ll make another attempt in a month.

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[Jeff Hester]

Thanks for the trail report, Joseph! I know that there are a few people who have summited San Bernardino, but they all reported having (and needing) mountaineering gear to get it done.

Usually by June it’s down to patches of snow. The good news? The mountain will wait for you.

[Craig W]

You should only take the San Bernardino Peak Trail beyond Limber Pine Bench during the summer months when there is no snow or ice. Right now I strongly recommend crampons and ice axe if you decide to go that route. If you want to summit now, the best way is to go to where the Limber Pine creek bed (that flows down from San Bernardino Peak area when the snow melts) crosses with the trail. Work your way up the east side of the creek bed until you reach the ridge. It is a steep climb but not too long. Once you get to the top of the ridge, walk a couple hundred yards east and you will run right into the peak. I still recommend at least micro-spikes for this, but there are enough places along the east side of that creek where the conditions aren’t too bad. I also recommend looking at the San Gorgonio Wilderness map and studying the terrain in advance. You’ll see exactly what I am talking about on the map with the creek bed that runs southeast up to the peak.

[Gregory]

Anyone tried to summit recently? Are the conditions still pretty rough?

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