Time: ~6 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 4,469 ft
Dogs: OK
When to go: Fall-Spring
Download GPX
From the summit, you have views to Catalina island, over most of Orange County and east to Mt. San Antonio, San Gorgonio and San Jacinto. Unfortunately due to the array of telecommunications equipment at the top, you won’t find a 360 degree view; you’ll have to walk around the perimeter of the antennae to see it all.
Holy Jim Canyon is dotted with private residences. Be respectful and quiet as you pass by their homes, and park in the designated areas for the forest. Follow the signs to the trailhead.
You will criss-cross the creek in Holy Jim Canyon several times. After heavy rains, this can be quite a thrill! Rocks and logs can be slippery, and trekking poles can make navigation creek crossings much easier and safer.
As you make you’re way up the canyon, watch for the fork in the trail. You can continue on another 1/4 mile to the Holy Jim Falls, or bear left toward the Main Divide Road and Santiago Peak.
I usually recommend hitting the peak first, then stopping by the falls on the way back to the car — time permitting.
These falls are beautiful, but usually dry to no more than a trickle in the summer.
As you head towards the Main Divide Road, you’ll first ascend miles of single track trail that wind continuously higher and higher.
You quickly catch glimpses out across the canyon and beyond, and find yourself among more and more trees.
It begins to feel like a long, long way from Orange County (although you’re actually still in OC).
When you first reach the Main Divide Road, you’ll see some concrete artifacts from the past. This makes a good place to break and regroup if you’re hiking with others.
From this point, continue to the right, following the Main Divide road as it winds up and around the contours of the mountain. As you make your way around the eastern slope, you’ll catch glimpses of the Inland Empire.
At about the 5 mile mark, watch for the Upper Holy Jim Trail, heading sharply left off of the gravel road. Note that there u to be a sign as shown in the photo below, but SoCal hiker Denis G. reports that the sign is no longer there, making this trail even easier to overlook if you aren’t careful. From here, the single track trail takes up more directly toward the summit.
The trail winds further up the mountain, eventually rejoining the road near the summit. As you catch glimpses of the antennae, you know you are near the summit.
Speaking of which, the “summit” of Santiago Peak is profoundly anticlimactic. There is no clear “peak” to stake claim to or even a clear 360 degree view of the surrounding area. Santiago “Peak” has been leveled off to make room for the telecom equipment, and that has been surrounded by secure fencing.
You can walk all the way around the fence and (on a clear day) get views in all directions.
Be forewarned. Conditions at the summit can vary widely. It can be hot, sunny and clear. It can just as easily be cold and even snowy.
When we hiked this last January, the summit was covered by clouds. It was extremely windy and bitter cold. And there were long stretches of snow on the trail. Yes, snow in Orange County! Don’t take the conditions for granted, or assume that because it’s “nice” down in the ‘burbs it will be the same on Santiago. Weather conditions on Santiago Peak can be very different.
I usually stop at the summit for lunch, then turn around and retrace my steps to the car. On your way back, take a few extra minutes to stop at Holy Jim Falls.
Trail Map and Elevation Profile
Note that this shows one way for this out-and-back.
Getting to the Trailhead
Getting to the Holy Jim trailhead can be an adventure in itself! A high-clearance vehicle is highly recommended. I have taken my 2WD Xterra back there during the rainy season with no problems, but when the creek is running high, 4WD is recommended.
The gravel road to the trailhead is about 5 miles long and crosses the creek several times. After heavy rains, this road can become impassible.
Tips for Hiking up Saddleback Mountain via Holy Jim
- When the creek has water –usually in the winter and spring — it’s worth taking the brief detour to Holy Jim Falls.
- A National Forest Adventure Pass is required to park at the trailhead.
- There is no water available on this trail, so bring plenty.
- These trails are popular with mountain bikers, so keep an eye out for them.
- In the winter, there can be snow at the top. Be prepared!
Photo Gallery
Click any photo for a larger version.
Special Thanks
Thanks to Jim, Joan, John and all my J (and non-J) friends from Hiking OC for joining me on this trek up Santiago Peak.
Great recap! We’re going to hike it after the rains stop and the creek levels go down a bit. Cool pictures too!
Finally found the perfect website for So Cal hiking. We’re training for Mt. Whitney and your site is a great resource for our warm up hikes. Thanks again.
Trabuco Creek Road to Holy Jim is currently impassible by car due to high water level. Creek is very tough to cross, had to turn back just past Holy Jim cabin.
Yes, the road out to the trailhead can become impassable by a sedan. A high clearance vehicle is recommended even when it is dry, but after rain, it becomes essential.
Im glad I found this site cuz it helped me to prepare my hike to Santiago Peak on 02/05/2011. We missed the summit by 1mile cuz of cramps but overall things went well. Thank you for the information (Elevation Profile).
Happy hikin’,
jc
Julio, I know those cramps, and in fact, I had almost the same experience. I was hiking this same trail when I was about 26 years old. I hadn’t been hiking or even exercising regularly, but was young(er) and cocky(er) than I am now. I started cramping up severely just before reaching the fire road. Once on the road, I was able to stretch out my stride a bit and I the cramping mostly subsided. Going down was a breeze, mainly because it used different muscles and it took less oxygen.
I learned a valuable lesson that day: Preparation pays big dividends.
Great website. Would you rank Cucamonga Peak and Baldy higher in difficulty than Santiago Peak? I climbed Cucamonga with no problems, but had quite a bit of trouble with Santiago.
I am wondering if it is due to part of the dirt road being closed. Is it typically open all the way to the Holy Jim trailhead? I walked about an hour from where I parked just to reach the trailhead, and I am wondering if I can expect the same if I try to hike Holy Jim again in the future.
Both Cucamonga and Baldy are higher elevation, so you have that factor. But Santiago has lots of mileage and significant elevation gain (4,000 ft). In my opinion, Santiago, Cucamonga and Baldy are roughly on par as far as difficulty.
The trailhead for Holy Jim should not be miles. I didn’t know the road was partially closed, but that certainly makes a big difference! Normally you can park about 1/4-1/2 from the gate at the trailhead.
Is there any way to get to these falls without having to drive out the long dirt road? We don’t have a high clearance vehicle, but we would like to hike it.
you can hike or bike the 4 mile dirt road if you dont want to drive. Some vehicles may pass you, so just stay on the side of the road. By the way, i’ve done the road without a high clearance so its passable.
That’s a great point, Javed. You can hike or bike it, but it adds 8 miles round-trip to your total. Might be okay if you’re just hiking to the Holy Jim Falls, but if you’re bagging Santiago Peak, that turns a 16 mile RT into a whopping 24-miler! Not that it can’t be done, but I probably won’t do it.
And yes, it can be passable with a regular car, but I personally recommend a high clearance vehicle. Put it this way, given the choice between driving that road in my Xterra or a Honda Civic, I’d pick the Xterra every time. 😉
Just finished this one. Parked a little bit before the end of the gravel road where it turns into dirt due to my car 🙂 So I guess somewhere around 23-24 miles if you add in that dirt road. Finished last 2 1/2 hours or so in darkness but I came prepared. Sore but totally worth it. I didn’t realize upper holy jim trail also reaches the summit where the towers are so I just took the main divide road all the way up. I kept thinking ‘ugh shouldn’t I have reached those towers by now, they looked so close before…” haha. I started about 1:00pm (too late in my opinion – but I underestimated the time) and then got back into my car at about 8:40pm.
DavidR, How were the falls right now? Was It pretty dry?
Jeff, Great website. I’ve hiked in big bear several times about 4 years ago… I miss it and now that I reside in OC it’s sometime hard to get back out to Bear… What kind of wildlife have you seen up here? I have a friend that swears he saw wild boar. Is this possible should I be on the look out?
Wow! That’s a long day! Good for you.
Do you mean up Santiago Peak? I’ve seen deer back there, and a bobcat (once), but nothing more. There are mountain lions. There used to be bears, but those were hunted out decades ago. But wild boar? Not that I’ve heard. Supposedly there are wild boar on Catalina Island, but I haven’t seen any there, either.
Jeff, I am planning a group of 6 to go up to this peak on Saturday, but looking for good info on how to actually get to the trailhead. Like which road do you drive in from. I am assuming somewhere in Rancho Santa Margarita….Lets say I have my group meet at Starbucks in RSM, from there, how do we get/navigate in our high profile vehicle to Holy Jim trailhead, the starting point…..
John, here’s a link to the trailhead parking on Google Maps. Click on the pin to get driving directions — they should be pretty good. Trabuco Canyon Road is a gravel road that starts just beyond the wash/creek (a left turn).
HIHI
HY JEFF I INJOYED YOUR HIKE WRITE UP ON HOLY JIM TO SADDLEBACK. WE DID IT THREE DIFERENT TIMES..BACK IN 1998..AS A CLUB ADVENT. WE SPENT ALL DAY .GOT TO THE TOWERES SPENT AN HOUR..GOT BACK TO THE TRUCKS AT SUNDOWN. ABOUT 18 MILES..ROUND TRIP. BEAUTIFUL SCENERY GRATE HIKE. I FOUNDED THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ADVENTURES MOUNTAIN CLUB.NO LONGER AROUND. AT ONE TIME ABOUT 50 HIKERS.MAIL AN FEMALE. AGE 18 TO 65. IN OUR TIME WE CLIMBED..OVER 100 DIFERENT MOUNTAINS AN PEAKS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. WE ALSO DID MT WHITNEY AN IN AN OUT OF THE GRAND CANYON. THE EAST FORK OF THE SAN GRABEL’S AN BALDY AN THE THREE T’S WAS MY PLAYGROUND. IN MY PERSONAL OPPION..ANY HIKER WHO CAN CLIMB IRON MOUNTAIN FROM HEATION FLATS TRAIL. OR CLIMB IN AN OUT OF ALISON MINE ON IRON MOUNTAIN. HAS JUST DONE THE HARDEST HIKING IN LA COUNTY.IN OUR TIME WITH THE ADVENTURES CLUB. WE HAD T-SHIRTS..HATS..JACKETS..WEB SITE..LOGO..MIMBERSHIP..WITH OFFICERS..WE HAD TRIPS AN WE DID PARTYS. AFTER HIKES AT WRIGHTWOOD..OR IDLYWILD..WE HIT THE BARS AN RESTURANTS..AS A CLUB. WE HAD ALOT OF FUN HIKING. WE WENT EVERY SATURDAY..SOMEWHERE IN ALL KINDS OF WEATHER. NOW IM IN LAKE HAVASU..RETIRED. BUT I STILL LIKE TO HERE ABOUT THE HIKES. I ALWAYS WANTED TO GO FROM THE TOP OF BALDY DOWN AN ACROSE THE SAN ANTONIO RIDGE..UP IRON MOUNTAIN..AND DOWN TO HEATION FLATS..CAR SHUTLE BACK TO BALDY VILLAGE. NEVER GOT ER DONE! HOPE SOME OF YOU GUYS CAN DO IT FOR ME.
I recently hiked this trail with a couple friends. Lots of fun! We totally missed the Upper Holy Jim sign though. Boy am I kicking myself over that one. We started just before sunrise since it was going to be a warm day, and boy was that a good idea!
We’ll probably do Baldy next. We’re debating on whether to take the ski-lift approach or not, but we’ll likely do it from the base.
Three of us hiked Santiago Peak on 01/21/2015. The turn off the paved Trabuco Canyon Rd to Trabuco Creek (dirt) Rd is not marked so beware! Also, the dirt road is in horrible condition virtually the whole way(intentionally, my guess) so be prepared for 5 miles of deep potholes. Going in a car would be a very bad idea.
Although we went mid-winter, it was not cold. Make sure to wear layers. A little windy in places.
The actual distance of the walk from the parking area is not clear as the trail mile markers must measure from the gate where the last cabin is located. From the parking lot to the gate is probably a mile.
Where you go when you hit the gravel road at the top of the lower Holy Jim Trail is not obvious. Fortunately, we went right and were patient enough to have found where the Upper Holy Jim Trail meets the gravel road. Better markers would be nice.
We stopped at the entry to the Upper Holy Jim Trail although we guessed it was probably only another three miles to the top. We got a late start as one of our group came down on the Metrolink train and its earliest train isn’t that early. On our way back, we were going to take the 1/4 mile diversion to the falls but there wasn’t very much water in the creek so we just moved on.
Make sure to prep and start early on this hike. It is not a walk in the park.
Hi Jeff, Do you happen to know about how many vehicles can park at the Holy Jim trail head? Is there parking along the residential area/ road if the lot is full?
Can it be done as a backpacking trip?
Here’s the off road portion of the trail up until it meets the radio towers: https://youtu.be/lQHToB5MHlc
Thanks for your labor of love. Will be hiking it this Saturday with a group. Moved to SoCal in 1977 and have never hiked it. Should help me prepare for the JMT which I’m doing in July.
Again, big thanks for your efforts.
Rob
Do you think it is okay to do this hike solo?
Thanks
~Trevor
@Trevor, you can hike this solo — but you probably won’t be alone. The trail is popular with hikers and mountain bikers.
Bring the 10 essentials and know how to navigate, and let someone know when your plans. Common sense stuff.
Is July a bad time?
Kathleen– depends on the heat. If it’s cool, it’s cool.
Going Saturday. Are trail running shoes okay?
Trail runners are what I wore, and they were fine. Have fun.
Thank you
Me and my 11 year old son are hiking the trail tomorrow. How much water should I bring?
Yes minimum 3L. Plus a Gatorade. We went when it was hot, 100 degrees and blew threw 3L I use electrolytes and amino energy in my water
Gerardo, I would bring 3 liters each, plus snacks. It’s an all day affair.
Jeff have you ever hiked up the obscure trail that starts left of the small Jeep hill as you are making your way up to Holy Jim?. Its about a mile and a half on the left hand side from the paved turnoff and you sometimes see 4×4 guys making a short climb, its a small climb and if you look to your left back you will see a trail. I know it goes to the top-saw a hiker coming down the other day, and its steep, familiar with this trail?-no markers from what i can see.
How much are the adventure passes?
Last I checked, $5 for a day pass or $30-something for an annual pass.
Thank you! Will be visiting soon 🙂
Hello Jeff, I will be visiting Holy Jim Trails this Saturday. I live in Moreno Valley CA and I would like to know what time you recommend to start heading over to Holy Jim. I also have a Honda Civic and would like to know if it will make it thru the dirt road. I heard you can buy the adventure pass at any BIG 5, is this true?
@David — I realize this is a late reply, but here goes….
You should be able to get an Adventure Pass at most sporting goods stores, including Big 5. I got my last Adventure Pass there. If you do a fair amount of hiking, it makes sense to spring for the annual pass.
As for the Honda Civic, you might be okay, but as I’ve described, a high-clearance vehicle is recommended. We haven’t had any recent rain, so if you go slowly and strategically, you can probably navigate the rutted areas okay. No promises. 😉
I’ve taken it in a Hyundai Accent, which is roughly the same kind of car. You’ll need a carwash afterward, but you can reasonably do it. I once saw a Corvette Stingray that had somehow worked its way up that road before.
As for start time, depends on how much you like heat. My friends and I usually drive over there around an hour before sunrise (different depending on how far away you live), start hiking around sunrise, and try to get up and down the mountain before the heat really kicks in.
Is it possible to camp on Santiago peak overnight?
I’ve been looking for a good hike in that area. This sounds like a great hike. I appreciate the post and informative comments.
Do you know if it’s ok to sleep at the top overnight if making it back down by nightfall doesn’t seem like a realistic goal?
Not sure about sleeping up there. Making it back down before nightfall is a realistic goal though.
I’d like to know about overnight camping there too, so I can do some astrophotography.
Just did this one yesterday. I’m definitely feeling it this morning! Some spectacular views! Figured if I can do this one, I can start hitting the Six Pack next year!
Planning to go on this hike next Saturday, July 15, 2017. Planning to start at 06:00 am. Any advise. Is it safe to do this hike in this season?
If you do, make sure you bring plenty of water. Don’t end up like these guys who tried to hike it two days ago.
https://www.reddit.com/r/socalhiking/comments/6lqjs9/saw_a_helicopter_rescue_on_santiago_peak_this/
Thanks for your advice! I did this trail today. I carried 3 Liters of water and 2 Liters of Gatorade. Only thing I would like to mention here is that my Fitbit recorded the total distance of 22.48 miles (out and back) from Holy Jim Trailhead Parking.
Hi Jeff,
Have you been to Vivian Creek Trail? How strenuous Vivian Creek trail to San Gorgonio peak is compare to Holy Jim Trail? Distance wise they look almost the same.
Thanks,
Amar
Amar, yes — you can check out my guide to San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek here. It’s a bit long but has over 1,000 feet of additional vertical climbing, and of course it’s above 11,000 feet, so altitude becomes a factor. It’s a challenge.
Failed Santiago last weekend (hike buddy was running out of water). Once you hit the main divide road, guide says to turn right and walk up Upper holy jim trial. One, that sign is no longer there, and two, we ran into a yellow jacket nest half way up with dozens of bees buzzing around and a few dozen more flying a little ways from it. I said NOPE and turned around. That path is horrible, by the way. Narrow, rocky and endless switchbacks. Would have probably been easier to walk up main divide road all the way up. On the other hand, I’d say this hike is easier than Wilson, Cucamonga or Baldy, albeit longer. I’ve yet to complete the other three on the six pack peaks yet and will return to this hike once I’ve completed them.
I’ve taken both the Upper Holy Jim and the North Main Divide approach to the peak, and honestly I think you’re right. Upper Holy Jim had so much erosion down the middle that there really wasn’t any room to walk at all for some of it. The North Main Divide trail may be longer, but I think it was easier overall.
As you climb out from Holy Jim Falls, most of the middle part of the hike is on the exposed side of the mountain and the sun really beats down on it. It can get pretty hot even if the weather is predicted to be only mildly warm. Also, it’s not uncommon to have little or no breeze going up, either. The best bet is to start the hike as close as you can to first light before the mid-morning sun starts striking and heating up the mountain. That way you’ll have a nice, cool hike up.
Jeff – just a heads up, that sign that points to Upper Holy Jim Trail is no longer there so it’s easy to miss that sharp left turn off the Main Divide road. Just a heads up for anybody going to double check AllTrails map so you don’t miss your turn. We missed it and had to backtrack.
Thanks Denis! Even with the sign, the turn was easy to miss. It’s a section that you need to be mindful of where you are on the map.
Is the April 20 – May 18 closure cited at the top of this article for 2018, or when the article was written in 2010?
2018, I’m afraid. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/cleveland/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5340229
We checked today and Holy Jim Canyon is still closed – Wed, January 9, 2019.