Hike Log

Running Down from San Bernardino Peak

Trailhead:

Trail 1W07 Via Angelus Oaks Fire Station

Type of Hike:

Day hike

Trail Conditions:

Trail in good condition

ROAD:

Road rough but passable

Bugs:

Bugs were not too bad

Snow:

Snow free

I followed the directions found online regarding the trailhead and fully agree with the comments that the quarter mile dirt road to the trailhead was pretty rough, but doable in a car. I drive a Subaru Outback and was never more happy to have it. I pulled into the trailhead at around 5:20 AM and grabbed the very last regular open parking spot (although I noticed when I got back down that a few people had created some unconventional parking spots, which made exiting the trailhead doable, but a much bigger chore than I though it would. I was a little surprised that the lot was so full so early, especially since I saw very few people on the trail during my ascent. I saw only one other person hiking ahead of me and there 5 people waiting at the summit when I reached it (although I did see some people camping along the way).

I appreciated how the ascent during this hike was more gradual than Bear Canyon Trail on Mount Baldy and made pretty good time in reaching the top. I started right at 5:30 AM and reached the summit around 9:00 AM. On the way up, I occasionally stopped for pictures and would say that the best photo opportunities for the entire hike was at the overlook about a mile from the summit. After capturing pictures from the overlook, I continued to the top passing by the Washington Monument sign about 0.1 miles later, but noting its location for a brief detour on the way back down. Upon reaching the top, I greeted the other hikers already there and took some pictures of the surrounding views. We then took turns taking pictures of each other holding the summit sign with the elevation on it. After joking around about the Spartan races, I headed back down the trail and completed the short side quest to the Washington Monument before grabbing some more pictures on my cell phone from the overlook. From there I was focused on getting down the trail as quickly as possible and ran most of the way back down (while slowing down and walking the more technical sections). I did have to stop and make way for a lot of hikers who got a later start and were still ascending towards the top, but still managed to get down fairly quickly, with most of the miles on the way down clocking in at between 14 to 18 minutes per mile. I noticed that 4 miles out, if I really hurried, I could complete this entire out-and-back hike in under 6 hours like I did last week. I ended up reaching my car and completing the hike at 5:51:39, a feat for which I was proud to accomplish. In order to do this however, I did have to mostly run down the trail and there were some places where I nearly stumbled. Overall, a great hike, and I look forward to the last two in the traditional 6 pack.

Note:  If you want to avoid crowds on this one, start early (around 5:30 AM), I only saw one other person on the trail while going up, but there were more than I could count coming up while on my way down after 9:00 AM.  I would say a lot of people start this one between 7:00 AM and 10:00 AM.

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