Definitely the toughest hike I’ve done so far out of the SoCal Peaks Challenge. This was the 10th SoCal Peak I climbed this year, only having San Bernardino Peak and San Gorgonio left to do.

We parked at the campsite near the Marion Mountain Trailhead and started our hike at 0630. The first 3 miles are an intense uphill climb. The trail is easily marked, but has many rocks on the trail. Mile 4 is a not too bad  steady uphill with some flat spots. Once you get past the rest rooms at the campground, it’s an another intense uphill grind to the summit. I’d definitely wear pants on this hike because you’ll be walking through some over grown thorny bushes. Once you pass the emergency shelter building, you’ll have to make your way to the top climbing large boulders. Views are amazing with a 360 degree view and definitely worth the effort. We spent 2 hours at the top before we haded back down. We returned to the car at 1830.

According to my Apple Watch, it took us 12 hours to finish, hiked 14.3 miles, and climbed 4300 feet of elevation.