San Bernardino Peak – The One That Started It All – Seriously!

I wouldn’t be on this peak challenge journey if not for San Bernardino Peak. I moved to Angelus Oaks in 2022, looking for a new beginning. Driving home up the highway meant driving towards San Bernardino Peak until it disappeared from view. I wasn’t going to be satisfied until I made it to the top. Fast forward to 2025 and I have gone up 2.8 times (deep snow stopped me at Limber Pine on one attempt). I have also begun documenting Colonel Henry Washington’s journey up the mountain in 1852, where he and his crew established the Initial Point from which all of Southern California was planned (at Washington’s Monument, 0.5 mile shy of the peak). So I’ve gone up this trail as a backpacking trip, day hike, and with recording equipment to get footage for my story (which will air on radio and digital platforms in November 2025, so stay tuned).

I love San Bernardino Peak. Yes, much of it is burned, but it’s still beautiful, in a dark, eerie kind of way. A lot of people I ask say it’s the hardest one. It does feel very long and it’s very exposed most of the way, but if you ascend when it’s not too hot, it’s not so bad. After a recent storm, some of the trail is washed out. A section just below Limber Pine requires scrambling – doable for sure, but watch your footing. This trail keeps getting banged up, but I have a soft spot for it, forever. My home peak – the peak I always talk to on my long drive home. San Bernardino Peak knows all of my secrets (yeah, allll of my secrets ahem) … and I love it. So that I don’t sound too terribly biased, I will admit that the actual peak is not as exciting as some of the other SoCal peaks – it’s small and there are a lot of trees blocking some of the view, which is why Colonel Washington opted for a bald ridge further down to set up the survey point, which is where Baseline gets its name, by the way. But by the time you get to the camp, the stone bench, and then the monument, where the better views are – you’re gonna want to finish the hike. You’re almost there!

I’m rambling, but let me say, please respect San B! It’s not San Gorgonio as some people insist because of its prominence when you look to the east from the valley, it should be included as one of the Saints (let’s call them the Four Saints!), and it’s worth hiking! It’s especially impressive in late srong/early summer because of the plethora of wildflowers. Also, you can still access this trailhead, even with Hwy 38 washed out because the trailhead is before that. There’s a spring just above camp. Limber Pine is one of my favorite camping sites! So gorgeous. Then after your long day hike or overnight trip, eat at The Oaks Restaurant in Angelus Oaks and say hi if you see me in town! Long live San Bernardino Peak! I LOVE YOU! Haha ok… ok. Sorry. Fangirling.

10,649 feet / 4,691 elev gain / 16 miles