We did an epic 18.5 mile hike to bag San Bernardino Peak, and also wound up bagging San Bernardino East Peak and Anderson Peak. We did what's known as the ‘Forsee Loop'. Started out at the Forsee Creek Trailhead 1E06, which is about 5 miles past the Angelus Oaks trailhead 1W07. Took this trail up for about 6.25 miles where it ends at the San Bernardino Peak Divide Trail. From there we hiked straight up to summit Anderson Peak which still had plenty of snow on the northern slope. We didn't have microspikes on this hike but they would have come in handy when we summited Anderson Peak. Note that there is no trail to this summit so you basically need to blaze your own trail going up and back down. Nonetheless it is a peak worth bagging and it's taller than San Bernardino Peak.
After Anderson, we headed westward for about two miles to bag San Bernardino East Peak which is much smaller and rockier than its daddy. With that done, we hiked a little over a mile to bag San Bernardino Peak, our final summit. I especially liked summiting SB Peak coming from the east. The ascent is much more gradual than the more straight-up ascent coming from the west.
We still encountered quite a few sections of snow for the first mile heading back down the divide trail, but these sections of snow were easy enough to get through without microspikes. I also made it a point to visit Washington's Monument and also take in the incredible views at The Bench. A lot of people bypass these little gems but not this hiker. Once we got down to the junction at Limber Pine Springs, we proceeded to complete the loop and headed east for about three miles on the trail through Johns Meadow. Regrettably, we got a late start on this hike and had to navigate the last couple of miles, via headlamp, in the dark.
Regarding Johns Meadow Trail, it was interesting to experience but it's not something I'd like to do again, especially after you already have almost 16 miles of hiking behind you. The trail meanders its way around, has a lot of uphill and downhill stretches, and crosses Forsee Creek, and one other unnamed creek, all before you finally reach the Forsee Creek Trail junction and back down to the car.
Responses
Great loop, @bighike! I’ve done the part from John’s Meadow up to the San Bernardino Trail, but not the Forsee Trail. I’ll have to try that one of these times.