Grueling San Bernardino Peak hike

Started at 7 am. Access road to the parking lot is a bit rough. Go slow and it should be fine. Not a lot of crowd.

I thought it would be much hotter, but it wasn’t that bad. There was the occasional shaded areas to take breaks. There was a cool wind and it got much better as you gained elevation.

There’s a lot of overgrown thorny bushes. You will get scratched if you don’t have full pants.

Flowing water at 6.2 mile point. Roughly 3000 ft ascent in. Needed all the water and electrolytes.

Views are stunning all around. It was a very clear day. You can see the whole valley towards the ocean. Behind you can see Bug Bear. To one side you see the Angeles NF with few other 6 pack peaks and to the other side the huge bulge of San Gorgonio, and you can also see San Jacinto a bit to the side.

The trail itself is in okay condition, few trees fallen. Some areas with loose rocks that you might want to look out for. The trail goes straight up, a gradual incline but always going up. The whole 4600 ft of ascent while going up only involves around 50 ft of descent. A small section of about 0.5 miles that is flat or downhillbof about 50 ft. Otherwise it’s all just uphill. It’s not bad but beware, downhill was brutal. Without much uphill or flat respite, your knees and toebox will be pushed to the limit while going back downhill. I would suggest a well cushioned, a size up shoe maybe.

Stats:

Distance : 16.2 miles

Time: 7h 48m

Moving time : 6h 56m

Total Ascent : 4690 ft