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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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Hiked 12/15/22 - Vivian gives you a solid cardio workout for the first mile with the snow stepping it up a bit. No tracks on trail after halfway camp but I was able to pick 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 for the last 1/2 mile up and then 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. Logged 12.2 miles/3262 feet.
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10/11/22 Hike - Trail is in good shape except for standing water on lower part near Horse Meadows after brief rain and a few easily navigated fallen trees previously mentioned. Didn't see anyone from trailhead to summit all day. Awesome vista points especially above 10,000 ft. Dry on the way up with snow pellets,rain, and infrequent lightning on way down. If you do hike this route in the rain, the lower trail forces you through standing/flowing water so waterproof boots are the way to go. My GPS trackers averaged the out and back distance as 19.6 miles Was a fun, scenic and adventurous hike.
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Perfect weather, great trail conditions. Wore pants and gators expecting brush and my usual snake friends but both were absent. Still one of the most scenic trails in San Gorgonio, Now is the time to do this hike before the weather changes. Only saw one person all day on the way down (started at 5:30 am). All water crossings easy for anyone. Watch Cris Hazzard's Hiking Guy video on YouTube to prep and you will avoid a few wrong turns at junctions. This trail is like being on the John Muir Trail including the waterfalls near Dobbs Cabin
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July 23rd - cloudy most of the way up kept us cool - still warm and a wonderful summit to old gray back - what an adventure....
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If you enjoy a Sufferfest hike, with amazing views this is it. It’s approximately 18 miles with 5k ft elevation gain. This is a great training hike for Whitney or other long treks.
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Arrived on a Sunday at 6:15am and there were still a few parking spots left. Vault toilets at the parking lot. Bugs weren’t too bad, but were more plentiful in the afternoon. Took me 10 hours to complete with all my stops and at moderate pace.
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To start, you definitely need a high clearance vehicle to get to the trailhead. I mean, if you’re mad at your car you could try it, but don’t be surprised if after the beating it takes getting in it decides to quit or get stuck somewhere!
This is a long hike, with almost constant sun exposure and high elevation, you start at about 8100ft and end at 11500, but all things considered, it’s not that hard. Lots of burn scars from recent year’s fires, but still a beautiful hike with lots of wildflowers and wildlife. A couple very small stream crossings in the beginning, but not anything you should depend on for water as it’s too early in the hike. Farthest stream was less than 3 miles from the trailhead.
You will not encounter many people on this trail, but will encounter groups at the summit coming up from the other trails. So if you enjoy the solitude, this is a great hike! I did this on a Saturday morning and saw 6 people the whole way up. There were dozens at the top and more streaming in constantly from the other side. On my way back down I did not see another person until the end of m hike. If that’s still too many people for you, try this hike mid week and you’ll likely have it all to yourself!
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Beware of possible mountain lions and trail conditions! We diverted down this route yesterday after trail (lack of) and snow conditions along the ridge stopped us from descending down to foresee creek via Anderson peak from San Bernardino mountain.
Unfortunately we got to the summit late which meant we were forced to go down this section in the dark. For the most part the trail is in better condition than the other side of the mountain, however it is extremely overgrown and some times challenging to find the trail..
However what we were not prepared for was the multiple possible mountain lion sightings. In our headlamps we came head to head with a very large animal with big eyes and moved like a cat, which we’re pretty sure was a mountain lion. Not long after we saw another smaller one cross the trail which was possibly a cub or bob cat. And finally further down the trail we saw another two large ones, which looked like mountain lions. They watched us then ran away after we made ourselves very loud and big. Please be careful!
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Pretty short hike less than a mile but very much worth it. Especially in the summer heat, the water will feel great.
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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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Major Bucket List hike accomplished. I chickened out and climbed the tallest mountain in SoCal from the easier of the two ascents. The Vivian Creek Trail is longer steeper and harder. That is not to say this was easy by any means.
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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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My favorite desert hike, with water crossings at the beginning and a place to sit and have lunch or a snack by the water next to the Red Dome. We’ve done this multiple times, and with facility closures (including the parking lot here), we had to park on the road at the last river crossing and hike from there, but there were no crowds and we loved it.
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Great hike- did this in mid October, ample water in all three creeks and the cedar seep. The fall colors were amazing, watch your step on the trail as the millions of acorns were like walking on rollers. Thank you to the hiker who left a note about the wasp nest- we both still got stung, not badly. Both Dobbs and awger has great sites for overnighting.
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Nice like ride up Canyon House Road. A lot of views of the low Desert and Mission Creek
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