San Gorgonio Mountain via Vivian Creek Trail
8.3 mi
Distance
3 hrs 34 min
Time
terrain
5,184 ft
Elev Gain
Overview
This is a difficult one way trail to San Gorgonio Mountain in San Gorgonio Wilderness.
This trail goes by Halfway Camp and High Creek Camp.
Sights to See
Rate this Hike
★★★★★
I’ve done the standard Vivian to SG Mtn Trail frequently this year so the first part of this post is really for anyone looking for something a little different from the Vivian trailhead (Gaia really doesn’t cover the cross-country stuff). Solo day hiked Tues 11/21/2023 – First hike in SoCal after spending the last 3 months in the Sierra and this was a good choice for a shorter, hybrid hike before Thanksgiving which covered new ground for me. Cross country southward climb up to the Yucaipa Ridge from the Vivian Creek Trail and then up Wanat, Little San Gorgonio and Wilshire peaks plus Wilshire Mountain. First week of the year not going across snow in perfect, warmer weather with little wind at altitude. While the 360° views off the ridge line were all spectacular, those to the south including the sunlight reflecting off the Salton Sea were very striking – my first time on the Yucaipa Ridge. The class 3 line up Wanat Peak was the most fun while the ridge trek was very peaceful. Followed the old, lesser traveled use trail down which was nicely cairn marked on the mid to upper parts (much thanks to those responsible) which made for an easier descent back to the south drainage and Mill Creek. Have to say it’s nice to be back in warmer weather right now before gearing up for the winter. Recommend taking advantage of the last of the warm weather while it’s here! Logged 10.6 miles/4127 vertical ft. with Gaia _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Solo hiked Thurs 09/14/2023 – Now is a great time to hike the Vivian route before the seasonal transition. Mill Creek is a trickle and easy to cross while Vivian and High Creek are flowing well and easy to filter from. The trail has a few standing water spots, High Creek Camp being the most notable but all are easily navigated as are several blow downs blocking the trail. Extended my day out with a scramble up the south face of Jepson from the SB Trail and then a scramble further south to Little (east) Dobbs Peak. Went back over the Big Draw rock pile and rejoined the Vivian trail for the route back. Very nice weather with a cooling breeze down to High Creek Camp before running into the bug fest on lower Vivian (could’ve put my net on but swatting was good enough). Met a lot of nice people on the way down who picked up the trail trash before I got to it on my way out. Hard to believe somebody drinks Starbucks while hiking, first, and then tosses the cup into the Manzanita grove. Logged 22 miles/6317 vertical ft. with Gaia ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Solo hiked Fri 08/25/2023 – Momyer Creek TH-Vivian Creek Tr-SG Mtn-Big Draw/Jepson Pks- Little Dobbs/Dobbs Pks-SB Pk Tr-Falls Creek Tr-Momyer Creek Tr. Bugs and bats in the dark on Vivian to make an interesting start. Nice to see High Creek Falls still roaring this late in summer with nice cold water upstream. Gusty on the ridge line but not bad on the summits with very nice weather/views. Spectacular views of Big Bear Lake, Dry Lake, San Jacinto Peak, Yucaipa Ridge and Lake Perris from Jepson and Little Dobbs were just a mentionable few. Going down the Falls Creek Trail was quite an adventure with a few jungle/oasis zones. The 3 lush green oasis areas were like being on a Hawaiian hike with many plant types, flowing strongly with cold water to filter while the White-Buck Thorn/Manzanita jungle zones were easily traversed but make it a “long pants only” trail. As others have said, there are several new blow downs across most of the trails, along with several new washout areas. They were all easy to deal, just requiring a little more care and effort to traverse (like being in the wilderness in general). Crossed Mill Creek easily on the Vivian start but it was not so easy to cross at the Momyer finish. Didn’t see anyone all day on any of the 4 trails I used. Now is a great time to hike these trails with lower fire danger, better weather and still-viable water sources. Trail crews have done a great job this year clearing blow downs and bush trimming but it’s definitely a game of “catch up” after an extraordinary winter and now Hilary. Logged 25.8 miles/6872 vertical ft. with Gaia _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Solo hiked Thurs 07/20/2023 – A very nice day to hike Vivian Creek in the middle of a heat wave. Early morning views from the summit of San Gorgonio were definitely worth the effort in cooler air than I had planned on. Spent a little time afterwards going over to the northwest slope marker looking at the remnants of the 1945 Raytheon microwave test installation (cables, footings, metal test equipment parts). But the real fun was climbing Peak 9782 out of High Creek Camp. I had originally planned on using the old USGS use trail going up the south-southwest slope but saw that it was non-existent, at least from the Vivian Creek Trail. Luckily, I spotted a deer slowly traversing a Chinquapin/Manzanita grove up the south face above High Creek which allowed me to navigate the animal use trail to the rocky scramble at the top. Very pleasant noontime weather on the peak made it hard to want to leave it. Went around this peak all winter so it was nice to finally go up it. Mill Creek was a trickle of its former self but High and Vivian Creeks are still flowing strongly with plenty of cold water to filter. Bugs were out in force by midday. Still a lot of lemon lilies, monkey, Lupine and white elder flowers blooming along Vivian. Logged 19.5 miles/5905 vertical ft. with Gaia ............................................................................................................................................................................................. Hiked Thurs 06/15/2023 solo – Vivian Creek Trail to the north-south ridge above High Creek, trace trail down to base of Dragon’s Head, direct ascent - NW face of Dragon’s Head (snow), down NE spine to “The Tarn”, direct ascent – north face of Bighorn Mountain (on the dry rocks). Mill and Vivian Creek water levels are noticeably lower than what I experienced 2 weeks ago. Vivian Creek Trail is in great summer shape with a few snow patches of soft snow above High Creek that can be safely crossed in trail runners (poles are your friends). The trace trail to the base of Dragon’s head is marked with cairns and leads directly to the creek at the base of Dragon’s Head. Used mid boots/crampons for the snow covered NW face of Dragon’s Head but the alternate NE route up the spine is free of snow. The Tarn is amazingly still a dry lake bed which was a surprise to me and neat to cross/stand in the middle. Bighorn Mountain was a direct scramble from the north but could be done in an easier/gradual hike from a NW direction. A very fun day – great views, perfect weather, bugs that respected repellent and the relaxing sound of Vivian Creek in the late afternoon. Payback for all the snowshoe miles this winter! Logged 18.4 miles/5447 vertical ft. with Gaia ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hiked Friday 06/02/2023 solo – Nice trek to summit with great weather and crossing Mill, Vivian and High Creeks was easier than a few weeks ago. Thanks to whoever redid the Mill Creek logs – they’re rock solid and easy to across with trekking poles. Bare boots to high creek and crampons to take the winter route to the N-S ridge line (one last time on this as the snow is melting fast). Snow fields at the summit are now sun cupped and forming penitentes like the higher Sierra peaks and walking across them early in the day was really cool. You don’t need crampons or even micro spikes to go to the summit on the current boot packed trail but sliding around on the descent isn’t the most fun. Bright sun and very little wind for almost the entire day. Even though the trail is dry to High Creek Camp, I would recommend higher SPF sunscreen and polarized sunglasses for the glaring snow after High Creek. Now is a great time to hike this beautiful trail along Vivian Creek and you can turn around at High Creek if you don’t want to deal with snow. Watch out for the poison oak where the trail parallels the creeks as it is in full bloom. First time seeing litter on the trail this year – picked up what I could carry out. Logged 15.5 miles/5449 vertical ft. with Gaia ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................Hiked Friday 05/18/2023 solo – Lightweight mid boots from Mill Creek to High Creek and then mountain boots to the summit. Used micro spikes on a few sections after halfway camp and crampons beyond High Creek. Opted to ascend direct to the north ridge line out of High Creek as the snow is still good enough to hold points and we’ll all be trail bound in another few weeks. There are well defined tracks to the summit, starting from the north ridgeline and crossing the slope just below the eastern ridgeline- will be useful on warmer days to avoid postholing. After a 30 minute hail storm on the summit, the weather was sunny and warm with little wind. Careful around High Creek Camp as there are numerous snow bridges right now in the bog areas. It’s like a mine field (I was able to avoid most but fell through a small one that took out a pair of socks). Thanks to the trail crews for removing the bigger fallen trees from the first couple of miles of the trail – no more detours. It is possible to cross Mill Creek using a tree that spans most of the way across that I crawled across with a full pack. Bring several pairs of socks as Vivian and High Creek are really moving right now and it’s possible to get your feet wet numerous times. Logged 15.8 miles/5537 vertical ft. with Gaia..........................................................................................................................................................................................Hiked Friday 01/27/23 – Used the Vivian Creek Trail to cross Vivian Creek and then start on a cross country ridge climb to Dobbs/Little Dobbs Peaks. An early start provided nice firm snow for 70 percent of the climb up with crampons and only one small ice zone to axe through. The last 30 percent of the trip up was more work in softer snow thanks to the clear blue skies and very sunny weather. Summit views of the neighboring peaks, the San Jacinto range and the southern valleys were spectacular. The wind carved snow ridges with underlying blue ice were unique. While traveling between summits, 8 F-35’s flew over in formation which was really cool on a blue sky day. Heading back, the softening snow was helpful at first on the steeper descent but then the postholing started. The steeper angle and melting snow kept me from using my snowshoes and so I just took it easy back to the Vivian Creek crossing, avoiding potential wet avalanche areas that can take you for a small ride. A very enjoyable route worth the effort, even if it is a leg burner all the way up! There are a few fallen trees across the Vivian Creek Trail that have to be bypassed but it’s evident that trail crews are working hard to remove them. Most of the rime ice in the trees has fallen so no helmet hits today. More enjoyable and a great alternative to hiking down ice at Baldy right now. ********************************************************************************************************* Hiked 12/15/22 - Quick trek to High Creek Camp and back. No tracks on trail after halfway camp but I picked up the trail to high camp with very little GPS help. 8-10 inch post holing on the slope traverses with the snow firm but soft enough to cake my spikes so I switched to snow shoes 1/2 mile from high creek camp and then for the first 3-1/2 miles down. Snow turning to slush in the afternoon on the last 1/2 mile down. Weather was nice with little wind and clear skies for most of the day before the clouds descended.
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This was an excellent trail to the top of the highest peak in Southern California! The trail was easy to follow, with ample signage at all forks in the trail. The beginning of the hike certainly caught our attention as it is a steep, unforgiving mile before entering the San Gorgonio Wilderness. A steady climb from there passes three campgrounds along the way as we ascended towards the summit. Water was readily available at High Creek Camp, where we chose to fill up during our descent. Be sure to always filter your water. We begun the hike around 5:30am and summited just after 10am. It is certainly important to note that the summit is only half way! We completed our descent at 3pm and passed three uniformed rangers along the way down.
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The highest summit in Southern California a brutal hike, but great training for higher peaks. Just a relentless uphill slog, one that is seemingly endless on the way down. I’ve done San Gorgonio twice from the Vivian Creek trailhead and I’d say the total hike from the parking lot is about 18 miles round trip. The trailhead is actually 1/2 mile up a dirt road from the parking lot. There are several water sources on the mountain, depending on time of year, so bring a filter if you want to refill. Otherwise bring at least 3 liters of water per person. Give yourself an early start, no later than 6:30 am, and remember to bring an Adventure Pass for the parking lot.
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For a 19 mile hike that ascends 5,500 feet, it feels unaccountably pleasant. Ok. Ok. Ok. The first mile is punishing. And there are some sections there at the end that remind one this isn’t a gimme. But, get there at 6:30, throw back some pre-workout, sip on some protein powder during, and you’re good. I did the hike on a Wednesday and finding a parking spot wasn’t an issue. Even though it was 93 degrees in LA, I was cold at the start of the hike. Light pants and a long sleeve cool max shirt over a T for the ascent. T and shorts for the descent. Choose a day where the weather report has the wind under 10mph. You’ll be happy for that. Oh, and you need an Adventure Pass to park.
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The weather was perfect for this hike. A bit chilly at first, but by the time we got up to the peak it was cold and windy at 1 p.m.
The first mile could be considered a gate keeper, as it can lead you to think that the hike will be brutal for the remainder of the trail. Also the last mile could be daunting, but one foot in front of the other gets the job done.
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vivian parking lot closed (covid?) so add another mile to the round trip. we got to lot at 0600 and there were four legal spots left. halfway camp is really third way to summit. took is almost 6 hours to summit including a few breaks. couple guys passed us and brisk hike made it in just under 4hours. if camping plan on halfway camp since high camp (which is more like halfway up) only has 3 to four spots and was full (Saturday). trail was clean but we picked up two water bottles along the way and there was a cigarette butt in the rocks at the peak.
my knees are killing me as the super steep part of Vivian from the river to halfways really a challenge on the way down for this 55uear old. took us almost 12 hours for the round trip. felt good to soak knees in the cold water at the bottom
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Public Tracks
Hike San Gorgonio
Everyone wants to hike San Gorgonio. At 11,503 feet, it's the highest peak in Southern California, and a challenging hike, not only in distance, but in climbing. This San Gorgonio trail guide goes via Vivian Creek, which is the quickest (yet hard) way to the summit, doable in a day.
Hike San Gorgonio
Everyone wants to hike San Gorgonio. At 11,503 feet, it's the highest peak in Southern California, and a challenging hike, not only in distance, but in climbing. This San Gorgonio trail guide goes via Vivian Creek, which is the quickest (yet hard) way to the summit, doable in a day.
Hike San Gorgonio
Everyone wants to hike San Gorgonio. At 11,503 feet, it's the highest peak in Southern California, and a challenging hike, not only in distance, but in climbing. This San Gorgonio trail guide goes via Vivian Creek, which is the quickest (yet hard) way to the summit, doable in a day.
San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek
Peak #6 of 6 in the SoCal Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge.
Get all the details on this hike plus many more photos here: https://socalhiker.net/hiking-san-gorgonio-via-vivian-creek/
San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek
Our 6th peak in the six pack of peaks! Awesome hike. Very windy at top. Spent night at halfway camp. No water there. Get water at Vivian creek. Hike w/ Mark and Bev.
San Gorgonio MTN via Vivian Creek Trail
San Gorgonio Mountain via Vivian Creek Trail
San gorgonio summit via Vivian creek out/back
Forgot to pause at camp for 30 min
San Gorgonio (9/1/19, 8:24:04AM)
Never again. Hiking is the worst.
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