San Gorgonio Peak
July 1, 2022
Elevation: 11,503 ft
Total Elevation gain: 4,537 ft
Total Distance: 21.7 miles

3rd time summiting San G via the South Fork trail. Gently graded incline compared to Vivian Creek, and more scenic, although about 3 miles longer. When you’re 3.5 miles into the hike you'll see the trail split into Dry Lake and Dollar Lake; either one will take you to the summit. If you take the Dry lake split, you'll come across 3 full-flowing streams for easy filling of your water filtration system. At mile 5 I came across Ranger Dan Scott, who was digging a hole in the middle of the trail, which turned out to be another water source. He dug a hole deep enough for anyone with a pumping system to fill up. Dry Lake is at around Mile 5.5 and is dry as a bone. If you go earlier in the year around March or April it’s filled with water from the rains and snow melt runoff.

There were only 2 people at the summit when I arrived. A few more hikers arrived soon after but never more than 10 at any given time. On the trail I've encountered maybe a dozen hikers the entire 20+ miles. Since the permitting system I've seen far fewer people on the trails where permits are required. I enjoy meeting fellow hikers, but it's nice not to have crowded trails.

It is 12 miles to the summit from South Fork. If you choose to go back down via the Dollar Lake route, it's only another 9 miles until you reach the parking lot. On the descent you'll reach the Dollar Lake trail around 4.5 miles, built the trail is not signed, so if you were planning on checking it out, it's best to just know, or have the map downloaded from a hiking app, e.g. AllTrails. I talked to a couple of hikers who went there for the day; Dollar Lake is as dry as Dry Lake. Adjust expectations accordingly!

Peak # 2 of the SoCal #SixPackofPeaks challenge complete!