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| Hiking | 17.49 Miles |
5,123 AEG |
| | Hiking | 17.49 Miles | 9 Hrs 49 Mns | | 1.98 mph |
| 5,123 ft AEG | 58 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Last hike of our SoCal peaks tour. This hike was basically on the same ridgeline as San Gorgonio but they are separated by about an 8 mile divide trail connecting the two. We considered doing both as a single day hike but that was a bit more than we wanted to tackle.
We started from the San Bernardino Peak trailhead which is sort of difficult to find and even Google was unsure. So we scouted it ahead of time in daylight since we would arrive before sunrise. Basically find the Angelus Oaks firehouse and then follow the signs. Once at the trailhead there was one other hiker headed up by headlamp ahead of us. Just like some of the other hikes this trail is front end steep so much of work is out of the way in the first 3 miles.
Unfortunately this area suffered from the El Dorado fire in 2020 just like San Gorgonio but it's much more severe on this side. According to the fire info the forest service hotshot performed a backburn to save the community of Angelus Oaks which is right next to the trailhead. Basically the fire damage starts within a few hundred yards of the trailhead. However, amazingly the trail is in awesome shape and the best trail we had seen since Cucamonga Peak. It's steep but the switchbacks make it manageable.
First goal of the day was Manzanita Flat trail junction at about 4.2 miles. There were some pockets that didn't burn along the way but most was a pretty hot burn. We took a break at Manzanita Flat which was the flattest stretch of the whole trail. After the break we continued on to Limber Pine Bench campground about another 2 miles. Surprisingly the camp did not really burn which was good to see.
From Limber Pine the trail has some long and mild grade switchbacks to the summit. The views were really cool on this section the whole way. Eventually we reached the short spur trail to the summit where we caught the lone hiker from the parking lot. He was pretty cool so we didn't mind sharing the summit and chatting about other summits. Took a really long break to enjoy this one before starting the hike back down the same trail.
Not long after we started the descent some serious clouds started to roll in. The forecast had mentioned the possibility of afternoon drizzle to light rain. However, what we got was a really cool cloud show with the clouds constantly rolling over the ridges. We passed some backpackers heading up to the Limber Pine campground and chatted with them for a bit. Pretty much everyone we saw were backpackers hiking in since it was Friday and start of Labor Day weekend.
By the time we reached Manzanita Flat it was completely socked in. Also, because of the burn there was no shade so the clouds were a welcome relief. It was really like a different hike from the morning. Eventually we arrived back at the trailhead with only a few sprinkles on the descent. However, looking back up the ridge it was definitely raining on the backpackers. Another great hike and cool way to end a fun week of hikes! |
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