10 min
Overview
In June of 2015, the Lake Fire burned its way through thousands of acres of forest contained within the San Gorgonio Wilderness area of San Bernadino National Forest. Several popular trails, including the South Fork Trail to San Gorgonio Mountain, are now closed as a result (as of July 2015), leaving some of the more popular routes to the mountain off-limits. For a brief period of time, it looked like trails through the rest of the wilderness would remain closed. However, the forest service quickly re-opened the popular Vivian Creek Trail. As the forest on the north slope of San Gorgonio Mountain begins its long and slow recovery, the Vivian Creek Trail is now the fastest and most scenic way to reach the top. The hike up to Mt. San Gorgonio represents a number of things to SoCal hikers. For some, it is the ultimate local high-altitude training ground for Sierran adventures at Mt. Whitney and beyond. For others, it is represents a milestone as Southern California’s highest point. For some, it’s just a beautiful place to go hiking, with a diverse forest, exceptional views, and an array of options for backpacking. There are a number of ways to reach the summit, ranging from long, but moderately graded routes like the South Fork Trail, to extremely challenging multi-day routes that incorporate the 9 Peaks Challenge. Of all the routes to the top, however, the Vivian Creek Trail is the shortest and steepest of the bunch. Looking west and north toward Big Bear from the summit Vivian Creek Trail rises out of the Valley of the Falls to climb 5,500’+ feet to San Gorgonio’s spacious, flat summit. Along the way, the trail passes numerous backcountry camping sites, making this route a popular destination for backpackers. The steep, nearly constant uphill grade makes this a difficult hike even for experienced hikers, although the rewards of attaining the summit – especially if you succeed in lugging your camping gear to the top for an overnight stay – are more than worth the effort. Sunrise from the summit Like all other fo
Trail Stats
28.3 km
1676 m
3503 m
1847 m
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