Ashley and I recently, hiked to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio Via the Vivian Creek Trail. Mt. San Gorgonio, via the Vivian Creek Trail, is one of Southern California's monster hikes. We would recommended than anyone doing this hike train first before attempting the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio via this route. Ashley and I were using this hike as one of our training hikes for our upcoming
Mt. Whitney hike. Mt. San Gorgonio, at 11,502 feet, is the tallest peak in Southern California and is a must do hike for any Southern California Hiker. For more pictures make sure to check out our
Facebook Page.
: To get to the Vivian Creek Trailhead, from Orange County, take the 91 freeway east towards Riverside. Stay on the 91 freeway which eventually becomes the 215 freeway. The 215 freeway eventually intersects with Interstate 10. At the 215 freeway and Interstate 10 interchange, take Interstate 10 heading East toward Palm Springs. Exit from interstate 10 on University which is in the city of Redlands. Make a left on University and follow University (You will pass through Redlands University) until you meet Highway 38. Make a right on Highway 38 going toward the San Bernardino Mountains. In several miles you will pass the
Mill Creek Ranger Station (Where you obtain the additional wilderness permit if you have not gotten it early), continue on up into the
San Bernardino National Forest. Several miles pass the Mill Creek Ranger station, you will make a right at Forest Falls Road. At the very end of Forest Falls Road is where the trailhead begins at 6,080 feet. There are several parking lots at the trailhead (A
Forest Adventure Pass is needed as well as a
Wilderness Permit for the San Gorgornio Wilderness).
Description of Hike: To day hike or overnight backpack in the San Gorgonio Wilderness, you must have an additional wilderness permit (The Permit is Free), in addition to the Forest Adventure Pass. You can
Follow this link for the permit. The link will direct you to the wilderness permit application. You can obtain the additional wilderness permit early from the Mill Creek Ranger Station which is the easiest way, or you will have to stop at the Mill Creek Ranger Station before you go hiking. Each trail has a set quota for the number of hikers allowed on each hiking trail in the San Gorgonio Wilderness and once the quota is reached the National Forest Service does not issue more wilderness permits for the hiking trail. That is why we recommend you get your wilderness permit early. You can obtain a permit 90 days before your hike in the San Gorgonio Wilderness.
Mt. San Gorgonio is located in the San Gorgonio Wilderness (58,968 Acres). The Vivian Creek Trail is the shortest and steepest route to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio. The total length of the hike is approximately 16 miles roundtrip with a 5,600 foot elevation gain. We used this hike as a training hike for Mt. Whitney and hiking to the summit in one day. For those hikers/backpackers looking to enjoy the experience more, backpacking is the definitely way to go. Backpacking on the mountain and spending multiple days on the mountain allows you the time to really enjoy the beauty of this hike. We would recommend camping at the High Creek Camp or the Halfway Camp if you are going to be spending multiple nights on your hike to Mt. San Gorgonio via the Vivian Creek Trail. The time we have backpacked on the way to the summit, we camped at the High Creek Camp which was very nice and only 3 miles from the summit.
One and two-tenths miles from the trailhead is Vivian Creek Camp (7,100 ft.). Campsites are located up slope to the right of the trail after reaching the stream: one is halfway up the slope, and the other is at the top of the slope (There is no camping within 200 feet of the trail or creek). One and three-tenths miles from Vivian Creek Camp is Halfway Camp (8,100 ft.). Water is obtained from the creek approximately 200 yards before camp. Two and three-tenths miles further is High Creek Camp (9,200 ft.). Water is also available at the high creek camp. The summit of San Gorgonio (11,502 ft) is 3 miles beyond High Creek Camp. For Current Water Conditions on Mt. San Gorgonio and water levels in the streams click
Here to go to the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association's website.
The Vivian Creek Trail is a very popular route to take to the summit and you will likely see other hikers on the trail as well as tents in the campsites. The trail is well maintained and is usually in good condition. This hike is very strenuous and only fit hikers should hike to the summit. It is a good idea to train on other hikes in preparation for Mt. San Gorgonio. A list of good training hikes is below.
Further Thoughts: A map of the San Gorgonio Wilderness is always a good thing to bring along with you. The
San Gorgonio Wilderness Association Store has one for sale. This is a great hike which offers sweeping views of Southern California. The hike is very challenging, with one of the steepest portions of the hike in the first mile and a half. Click
Here for a live webcam of San Gorgonio courtesy of
BigBearWeather.com.
Ashley and I really enjoyed this hike. We had perfect weather when we were on our way to the top of Mt. San Gorgonio. We did this hike on a Thursday and only saw a handful of people out on the trail. The first part of the hike on the Vivian Creek Trail, until you reach the Vivian Creek Camp, is the hardest part of the hike. The rest of the hike is a steady uphill all the way to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio. The views of Southern California begin to get spectacular around the 10,000 foot mark. On a clear day you can easily see 50 plus miles in all directions. When we were up top, we had great views of
Mt. San Jacinto,
Saddleback,
Mt. Baldy, and even
Cuyamaca Peak in San Diego County. We were also surprised that there were a couple of small patches of snow on the North facing slops of Mt. San Gorgonio in August. It just goes to show that if you do this hike in the winter make sure you have proper gear and are experiences with winter hiking in the back-county.
When hiking to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio make sure to check trail and weather reports from the
San Gorgonio Wilderness Association. There is snow on this trail much of the Winter and Spring due to the high elevation of Mt. San Gorgonio. If there is snow on the mountain make sure you have the proper equipment before attempting this hike.
Most of the year there is plenty of water on the mountain if you are planning to filter water to drink from the springs/streams. There was plenty of water on the mountain the day that Ashley and I went on this hike. Some summer and fall months though, there may not be as much water in the springs/streams as compared to other years. Water information is provided by the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association. The most deceptive part about this hike to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio is the false summit that is present on the hike. Just remember when you appear to be getting near the summit, you have a little bit further than you think.
Lastly, the Vivian Creek Trail seems to always get a good share of bear activity. If you are doing an overnight hike it is probably a good idea to have a bear canister. The bottom-line is, this is a must do hike for any Southern California Hiker. It is a major hike in our area and will give you bragging rights over other hikers.
Rating: Elevation Gain: 5,600 ft. (Strenuous), Distance: 16 Miles Roundtrip (Strenuous), Note: be on the watch for altitude sickness since the height of Mt. San Gorgonio is 11,502 ft.
Time to Complete Hike: 7.5 - 10 hours.
Good Training Hikes:
Mt. Baden-Powell,
Mt. San Jacinto,
Saddleback Mountain,
Cucamonga Peak,
Mt. Baldy.
Your Blog is the Best!!!Just hiked San Gorgonio Via the Vivian Creek Trail this last weekend-Incredible! Thank You for all the wonderful info.! Bert
ReplyDeleteI have used your blog for planning a number of trips, including an upcoming Mt Whitney hike. Thanks for all the helpful advice. This was a fantastic hike.
ReplyDeleteI have a GPS watch and it showed that from the parking lot, the hike to San Gorgonio Peak is 9 miles (round trip is 18 miles). I confirmed this with the ranger. There is about a 0.5 mile dirt road that we had to walk to get to the trailhead. Since I had planned on a 7 to 10 hour hike we ended up hiking in the dark (with flashlights) the last mile. It took us about 11 hours. A little adventure added to the hike at the end, but without flashlights this could have been a challenge.