The 1,350-acre Valley Fire near Forest Falls and Highway 38 continues to burn, but containment has increased to 82%, prompting the San Bernardino National Forest to issue a new order that reopens access to San Gorgonio mountain via several popular trails as of August 15, 2018. You can now hike San Gorgonio via the Vivian Creek […]
Backpacking San Bernardino and San Gorgonio Peaks
One of the best way to enjoy the mountains of Southern California is on an overnight backpacking trip. I have hiked both San Bernardino Peak and San Gorgonio Peak both as day hikes and as overnight trips, but since many of the trailheads closed by the Lake Fire were reopened in 2017, I wanted to […]
The Nine-Peak Challenge
The Nine-Peak Challenge is a really intense route that took two SoCal hikers up nine (yes, NINE) peaks including San Gorgonio — the highest in Southern California — in one really long day hike. Thanks to Jen and Dave for sharing their photos and this epic trip report. Dave and I met at the Starbucks […]
Aspen Grove in 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 […]
Muir Monday: All the Wild World is Beautiful
All the wild world is beautiful.” – John Muir The wilderness has a beauty that cannot be replicated. It is forever changing; familiar, yet always new. Nowhere is that more evident than when the leaves begin to turn colors in the fall. The experience changes day by day and even hour by hour as the […]
San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek
San Gorgonio is the tallest mountain in Southern California, and a rite 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 San […]
