This was our first time hiking San Bernardino Peak. The road to the trailhead was rough and we turned back to an opening along the road the first time we parked. We saw a car going further in and decide to follow. That did the trick. We started a 5:00. It was nice not being able to see what was coming ahead. By the time the sun was coming up we were mostly through the initial switchbacks. This is a beautiful hike. The views are incredible. We finally reached the summit at 10:30. We got nice temps all the way to the top and back down to about 9000 ft. Then the heat came. That advice about plenty of rest and hydrating the day before definitely apply here. We will definitely be back.