The weather was perfect and the views hiking up were beautiful. As we got close to the top and once we reached Santiago Peak, there were a lot of clouds so we actually did not get to see the views from the top of the peak.

Rather than parking at the Maple Springs Trailhead, we accidentally parked at the Maple Springs Visitor Center. So instead of this being a nice, easy, breezy 9.5 mile hike, it turned into a 17 mile hike for us. Lol it would have been a 24 mile hike, but some very kind bikers took us down the mountain for our last 7 miles so that we wouldn't have to hike in the dark lol, so definitely make sure to park in the right area! Or, if you want to do a 24 mile hike, then start as early in the morning as you can.

This was definitely a great hike with my best friend. The mountains were so green after the rain Socal has received lately.

During our whole 8 hour hike, we ran into only 3 other hikers – everyone else was in a truck (and there were a few bicyclists as well). A lot of the drivers thought we were crazy hiking from the very bottom of the mountain to the top, bit we made it lol! We will definitely come to Santiago Peak again when there are less clouds so we can see the views from the top of the peak.