I underestimated San Gorgonio! It really kicked my butt but I made it! I have done 6 of the Six Pack of Peaks already, but honestly, San G is in a league of its own compared to the ones I have done (Baldy, Cucamonga-Etiwanda, Ontario-Bighorn-Timber, Baden Powell- Burnham-Throop, Strawberry, Sitton). For reference, Baldy took me 9 hours. San G via Vivian Creek took me a whopping 15.5 hours!!! Keep in mind that I am not a fast hiker and that also includes a lot of breaks.
My advice for those who haven’t done this hike yet would be to start as early as possible. Approximately 0.5mi to 1.5mi in is a pretty steep incline but mostly shaded. For me, the last two miles to the peak are the worst. It has no shade and has significant incline. I was hiking significantly slower due to high elevation. Lucky for me there was cloud cover through a large chunk of it. I brought 6L of water and drank 5L. Without cloud cover, I probably would have drank all 6L.
On the way back,the last section before Mills Creek is a steep downhill with steep drop offs and loose rocks and a real doozy to do in the dark. Try to time it so you finish the hike in daylight, but I would still bring a headlamp just in case.
The route is pretty well labeled except at one junction. At that spot, take the split that is labeled “High Creek” and not “Half Way Camp”.
An Adventure pass is required for parking and a free wilderness permit is required for the hike if doing it from Vivian Creek:
Fun facts:
-San Gorgonio is the highest peak in Southern California.
-Official elevation is 11,499’, but a 1989 survey using GPS determined it’s elevation to be 11,501.6’
-It was named after Saint Gorgonius of Nicomedia, a Christian martyr who was killed by the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
-It is also referred to as Old Greyback because it looks like an high hill from far away
-There were multiple attempts to build a ski resort here but conservationists won out.
-It is the highest of the Three Saints, the 3 ultra prominent peaks in Southern California named for Catholic saints. The other two being Mount San Antonio (Baldy) and San Jacinto Peak.
-You can see it from Mount Whitney which is 190 miles away.
-It is called Kwiryakaite by the Morongo Indians.
-Luiseño Indians called it Pewipwe meaning grey head
-Serrano Indians called it Akyana.
-Cahuilla Indians called it Kwiria-Kaich meaning smooth or bald.
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