Category Archives: Strenuous Hikes

MT WHITNEY DAY HIKE

06 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes, The 10 Essentials, Waterfalls

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OC Trail Hikers on the summit of Mt. Whitney 14,508 ft!

Where do I begin… Lets see..

This was the biggest hike of my life and it was far from easy… It wasn’t physically tough but more mentally challenging. The hike to the summit is 11 miles with an elevation change of around 6,000 ft. The hike itself is relatively easy but the higher you get the harder it becomes to breath… and you get really high! In fact, at 14,508 ft., its the highest point in the lower 48!

The Fantastic 4

Our plan was to start hiking at midnight so that if we encountered any difficulties along the way we would still have plenty of time to recover. That idea I was fine, but the idea of getting to the portal and sleeping during the day before our hike totally backfired on us! We spent all day trying to sleep and couldn’t even squeeze in a minute of shut eye. Before we knew it it was already 11pm !

We geared up and hit the trail by 1130pm. Hiking in the dark is something I had only done a couple times before but only for 2 hours at the most… This was going to be a 7 hour hike in the dark until sunrise. It was nice to hike under the cover of darkness but the only downfall was that we missed all the nice scenery on the way up.

Sunrise at Trail Camp

We arrived at Trail Camp just in time to see the sunrise. After a quick break we refilled our water and continued on to the infamous 99 switchbacks. The switchbacks arent so bad on the way up.. The way down is a different story!

Switch-backing it up to Trail Crest

As you can tell by the look on my face the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll…

When you reach Trail Crest you are overcome with this feeling of accomplishment and joy and you almost feel untouchable!

Finally reached Trail Crest!

That feeling lasts about 2 minutes!… as you make your way down, yes down, Trail Crest you begin to realize that getting to the summit is going to require a little more work than a measly 99 switchbacks! If you made it this far, there is no reason to stop here although you might be slightly discouraged, just keep on trekking!

Along the Trail Crest/JMT you will have amazing views into Sequoia National Park. The views are like no other that I’ve experienced on any of my hikes Just plain amazing!

A look into Sequoia National Park

My lovely wife and myself on the Trail Crest / JMT Trail. Sequoia National Park in the background

On Trail Crest/JMT

The final push to the summit is an amazing feeling… Knowing that all your hard work, training and sacrifices are about to pay off, makes that moment one that you will never forget!

Me making the final push to the top!

This was a wonderful journey I was fortunate enough to share this experience with my beautiful wife Martina and my hiking buddies Neal and Scott.

Our total hike time was 19 hours including breaks and stops to regroup. The altitude played a big roll in our long trek. Dealing with elevation sickness and the extreme headaches was something that required us to slow down and take lots of breaks,very frequently. It took us 11 hours to summit and 7 to return back down.

A permit is required to hike to the summit of Mt Whitney. Click here for info on entering the lottery.

Permits can be picked up at the MT Whitney Ranger Station/Visitor Center

Click here for directions to the trailhead

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  • Elevation 14,508 ft
  • hike time 10-20 hours
  • 22 miles
  • 6,000 ft elev. gain
  • Whitney Zone permit required
  • start early and take your time. THE MOUNTAIN ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE!

MOUNT BALDY (via the Ski Hut Trail)

27 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes, Waterfalls

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SAN ANTONIO FALLS

With my Mount Whitney hike fast approaching I decided to get serious about my training. Already have done Mt Baldy (via Old Baldy Trail) which was a butt kicker I decided to try out the shorter but equally as hard route to the summit. At 4.2 miles and with a gain of 4,000 ft. This is the shortest and quickest way to the top.

The trail begins at the intersection of Mt. Baldy Rd and Falls Rd. there is plenty of parking and a Forest Adventure pass is required. The first mile of this hike is on a road. At .5 miles you will reach San Antonio Falls. On this particular May day the falls were less impressive than I had imagined.. but hey it was a pretty dry winter.

After making a sharp right turn past the falls the roads turns to the left and at about .8 miles  there will be an unmarked steep  single track trail to your left. This us the Ski Hut Trail. If you aren’t paying attention, you will miss it. We almost did if it wasn’t for a fellow hiker.

The next 3.5 miles are unbelievable, amazing and breathtaking! (Especially the breathtaking part) As soon as I started I immediately knew it was going to be a tough hike. I caught myself stopping more frequently than ever before.

It felt like the torture would never end!

What seemed to be an eternity was really only like an hour and a half of hiking… Finally through the cover of the clouds I got a glimpse of the ski hut.

FIRST VIEW OF THE SKI HUT ON A CLOUDY MORNING

Finally! The halfway point… great place to rest, re-energize, take a bathroom break and carb up before continuing on the final half of the hike.

ONE OF THE MANY PLACES TO REST AT THE SKI HUT

After a nice 30 minute rest. We geared up and continued on our mission! Just 2 more miles! Sounds easy but there is still one last hard section before the final push!

My buddy Neal

Winding our way up the mountain through a series of boulders and pines. There was no snow left on the mountain but there was a lot of ice covered trees. Which made for great photos.

After the last hard part the trail becomes relatively easy and the blue skies begin to open up indicating that the top of the ridge is getting closer. This usually gives me that extra motivation to keep on trekking!

NEARING THE TOP

YOURS TRULY, ON THE SUMMIT

This is probably the best 4.5 mile hike around. It offers a bit of everything.. A waterfall, a steep incline, beautiful scenery and an amazing view! Definitely a must do for all serious hikers!

  • 4.5 miles to the top
  • Difficulty – strenuous
  • 4,000 ft elevation gain
  • beautiful scenery
  • waterfall
  • 10,064
  • highest point in LA

RETURN OPTIONS:

  1. Return the way you came (9 miles)
  2. go down the devils backbone which will take you back to the trailhead with an added 2 miles on the return (apprx. 11 miles  r.t)
  3. go down Old Baldy Trail (6.4 miles) requires a car shuttle (11 miles r.t)

MOUNT BALDY (via Old Baldy Trail)

10 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes

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Plaque on the top of Baldy

This past April our group decided to hike up to the summit of Mount Baldy (officially Mt. San Antonio).  There are 4 ways to reach the peak. With Mt. Whitney just a few months away, we decided to challenge ourselves and take the Old Baldy Trail which is 6.4 miles long and has a gain of about 5,800 ft making it a very challenging and difficult hike.

The parking lot for this hike is located right next to the Mt. Baldy Village Church. A forest adventure pass is required.

After a quick bag check we started up Bear Canyon Rd for about .4 miles to the trailhead.

Trailhead at the end of Bear Canyon Rd

After enjoying the the sounds of the creek and sights of the cabins for .4 miles we left the paved road behind and continued on the dirt single-track trail that is Old Mt Baldy Trail. Our next destination was Bear Flat (1.8miles) here we regrouped and took a short break before continuing on for the remaining 4.6 miles.

The First 1.8 miles are the easiest…

The rest of the hike has a gain of 900 feet per mile making it very difficult.  As soon as you leave Bear Flat you start to switchback up the south side of the mountain leaving you exposed to the sun , so bring a hat and pack on the sunblock! Views of Ontario Peak are all you can see from here.

Ontario Peak

After about 2 miles we hit the end of the switchbacks and continued up the ridge. This is where SoCal began to reveal itself.

getting higher and higher.. The Santa Ana Mountains are starting to reveal themselves!

If you make it here.. Just keep on going as the hardest part is now over. My favorite part of this hike(other than reaching the peak) was when we I reached the Narrows Ridge This was an Amazing experience with awesome views!

My Wife making her way up Narrows Ridge

View of Mt Baldy from Narrows Ridge

When we reached the top of the ridge my jaw dropped!

Jaw is Dropped! top of the Narrows Ridge

Up until here we were on a dirt trail which was easy to follow and easy to walk on.. This was a first for me.. hiking in the snow.. it sounds nice in ones head but the fact of the matter is this stuff was slushy and knee deep in some places.. With Baldy in our sights we had no choice but to fuel up and keep on trekking!

Once we hit the saddle between West Baldy and Baldy we had a choice to visit WB but we were just too drained, so we continued to the right and made the final push up to Baldy!

WE MADE IT!!!!

My krew and I on the highest peak in LA

Happy Trails,
Alex G.

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  • 12.8 round-trip
  • 6.4 miles to the top
  • 900 ft of gain per mile
  • 5,800 ft of gain
  • 10,834 ft peak
  • Tallest peak in LA
  • 3rd tallest peak in So Cal
  • adventure pass required
  • Difficulty– Very Strenuous
  • start early to beat the heat 6 or 7am
  • total hike time 7-11 hours depending on pace

LIMESTONE CANYON GRAND TOUR

02 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Strenuous Hikes

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Early this week I was lucky enough to be able to join the IRC on their Limestone Canyon Grand Tour hike. This hike covers all trails exterior and interior within the boundaries of Limestone Canyon Open Space Preserve . Totaling a little over 16 miles this is a long hike with multiple ups and downs. The trailhead for this hike is located at the Augustine Staging Area just off of Santiago Canyon Road. This hike is only available by signing up on the Activities page on the IRC website.

The Sinks from East Loma Ridge

This is a great way to see the whole park in its entirety with limited distractions. You will have the whole park to yourselves!

Dripping springs


The IRC hosts an open access day once a month for self guided tours of the park, although not all trails are open one can still see most of the park within 7-8 hours.

Along the way you will make multiple stops
1. To catch your breath.
2. To visit Box and Dripping springs which have water year round (great opportunities to see wildlife).
3. Stop on Limestone Ridge and Loma Ridge to check out the views of The Santa Ana’s, Orange County and Catalina and the San Gabriels on a clear day.
4. Last but not least, to visit The Sinks! A natural landslide that occurred millions of years ago!

CLICK HERE FOR MAP AND HIKE DETAILS OF MY HIKE

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  • estimated hike time 7 hours
  • 16 miles
  • only available through IRC
  • over 1,500 ft elev. gain

 

BLACK MOUNTAIN -HENDERSON,NV

20 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Moderate Hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes

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Trailhead

Black Mountain is located just 30 minutes from the Las Vegas strip and at just under 7 miles this hike offers a great workout that can be completed in just a few hours, leaving you plenty of time left to enjoy the nightlife of Vegas.

This is a beautiful place to hike. The landscape is like nothing I’ve seen before. The mountain itself is volcanic in origin and that is evident as soon as you step foot on the trail.

The trail has a variety of desert plant life such as Joshua Trees, cactus and  Creosote bush.

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The hike itself is rather easy except for the last half mile or so. For the most part the ascend is gradual all the way up to black hill, it is from here that you will see the ridgeline before you and then the final push begins.

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The Ridge line to the Peak!

This part of the trail has the potential to be pretty dangerous as the ridge line is very rocky and steep at some points. I had my trekking poles which I recommend for this hike.

Once you reach the peak you will hopefully see an American flag flapping in the wind, (it wasn’t there on this hike) and a military ammo case filled with notepads and geocache like items.. I signed it as did many other hikers before me

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Looking East from the Peak

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Looking North West from the peak

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Mt Charleston in the distance

The views from the top of the 5,092 ft peak are amazing. Red Rock Canyon, Mt Charleston and Lake Mead are visible from here. The 360 views from here are breathtaking!

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Black Mountain Peak 5,092ft
Las Vegas Valley, The strip is in the upper right hand side

Click here for directions

• 7 miles roundtrip
• 5,092 ft peak
• Trekking poles recommended
• 2,100 foot elevation gain

Happy Trails,
Alex G.

TOP OF YOSEMITE FALLS

16 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Outdoors, Strenuous Hikes, Waterfalls

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This past weekend my wife and I packed our bags and headed to Yosemite. Since it was our first time going we had no idea what to expect or what trails to hike. We had recently seen an episode of Motion and decided that climbing to the top of the falls would be a great day hike and a good way to see Yosemite Valley from above.

Trailhead

The trailhead for this hike is located at the Camp 4 parking lot. At first glance one would see this sign and think 3.5 miles is a piece of cake, well, this hike is far from that! This 3.5 mile hike on the Yosemite Falls Trail consists of 60 switchbacks and over 2,500 ft of elevation gain. This hike was not easy! I’ve done some pretty tough hikes that were well over 15 miles and this hike was right up there with them in the difficulty level.

The beginning of the hike is rather easy. (in comparison to the last part) The trail starts to switchback out of the campsite. You will be hiking under the tree canopy for a good portion of this beginning section of this trail.

After about a mile and 20 switchbacks later the trail levels off for a little bit and you will come upon a lookout point named Columbia Rock. This is great place to take some pictures and enjoy the views.

view from Columbia Rock

From here the trail starts descending a few hundred feet and soon you will have your first look at Upper Yosemite Falls

First view of Upper Falls

By this time you will be in such amazement and might even think to yourself that this hike isn’t too bad.. well at this point id say you are about 2/3 of the way to the top.. but the last part is the hard part.. the last 40 switch backs are tough but if you’ve come this far there is no way you are turning back.

Don’t let the massive cliff walls intimidate you as the final push is only about a mile long.

Once you reach the top  you will have to drop down some steps along the cliff side HOLD ON, be careful and enjoy the sights ans sounds!

The effort will be well worth it as the views from the top of the 2,425 ft waterfall are unbelievable!

Top of Yosemite Falls

 

Yosemite Valley

 

my wife and I at the top of the falls

We averaged around 1 mile an hour and and made it to the top in 3 hrs 20 min. This included a 15 minute break and tons of stops for pictures. The trail takes you straight to the top where you will hit a junction for Eagle Peak trail(left) and Yosemite Falls (Right)

Happy Trails

Alex G

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  • 3.5 miles (7 miles roundtrip)
  • 2,500+ ft elevation gain
  • 3-4 hours to reach the top
  • difficulty – strenuous
  • trekking poles recommended
  • amazing views

BLACK STAR CANYON TO SILVERADO CANYON

01 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes, Waterfalls

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This 20 mile hike begins at the Black Star Canyon Trailhead and ends at the Maple Springs Trailhead. We used the car shuttle system to complete this hike, meeting at the Maple Springs Trailhead, leaving a car there and carpooling to the beginning of the hike.

This is a great hike with lots of points of interest: A coal mine, school bus, historic Indian site, Beeks place, doppler radar, Pleasants Peak and amazing views are things that you will experience along the way.

The hike begins at the parking lot just past the large steel gates.This is Black Star Canyon Rd. The first 2 miles are on a wide level fire road. Along the way you will see a closed off coal mine on the right and shortly after an old abandoned tractor and an old school bus in the creek are visible on the left.

New Bridge on Black Star Cyn Rd

School bus in the creek

A little past the the 2 mile mark you will see a house to your right, this is Black Star Bills house. If you see him say hi and keep on walking. When you reach the large concrete cylinders make a left and continue up the road. Making a right and dropping into the creek will take you to Black Star Waterfall

The next 3 miles are a gradual climb consisting of a few switchbacks and several hundred feet of elevation gain. (aprox 800ft) for the most part this section of the trail is exposed with very little shade and hardly and trees but around the 5 mile mark you will notice a bunch of Oak Trees on the right. This is the site of the Historic Indian village. This is a wonderful place for a break and an even better place to do some exploring. There’s a large amount of grinding rocks here which indicates that there was a large group of Indians that called this place home. There is a great lookout point located in the southwest section of the site.

Entering the Historic Indian Site

Grinding Rocks

Historic Indian Site

After a quick break and a small snack we continued on to the next of many points of interest on this hike. Next up, Beeks place, which is at the 8 mile mark. Beeks place sits on the Main Divide Rd and offers amazing views of Orange County, The San Gabriel Mountains and IE.

Entering the Cleveland National Forest

Beeks Place

We continued right, passing Beeks place and headed to our next destination, The Doppler Radar which is just over 1 mile from Beeks place.

Break time at the Doppler

On our way to Pleasants Peak we stopped at Little Pleasants Peak to check out the views

view from Little Pleasants Peak

Our next stop was Pleasants Peak (4,007 ft) This peak is much like the Santiago Peak but on a smaller scale of course. 360 views are not possible because of the many communication towers that call this place home but a quick scramble up the ridge provide awesome views!

Pleasants Peak

My beautiful wife an I before leaving Pleasants Peak

Leaving Pleasants Peak

From here we still had 8 miles to go! We thought it would be all down hill from here but we were mistaken. The rest of this trek on the Main Divide consisted of rolling hills once we reached the 17 mile mark we reached the junction with Main Divide and Silverado Truck Trail. We took the Silverado Trail (straight ahead)  for the remaining 3 miles to the car. Making a left will take you to Bedford Peak.

On our way down the Silverado Trail we had amazing views of Santiago Peak as the clouds rolled in.

Santiago Peak from Silverado Trail

Happy Trails,
Alex G

RECAP:

  1. ****STAY ON WIDE FIRE ROAD THE FIRST 17 MILES****
  2. First 8 miles are on Black Star Canyon Rd
  3. Make a right at Main Divide towards Beeks Place and continue for 9 miles
  4. At 17 mile mark go straight past the brown rails and take Silverado Trail for 3 miles to Maple Springs.
  5. Once on Silverado Canyon Rd make a right towards the Maple Springs parking lot
  • 20 MILES
  • 3,400 FT ELEV. GAIN
  • HISTORIC INDIAN SITE
  • DOPPLER RADAR
  • PLEASANTS PEAK(4,007FT)
  • 8 -10 HOURS TO COMPLETE
  • >>>>NO SHADE<<<<<
  • CAR SHUTTLE

CLICK HERE FOR MAP OF HIKE

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AGUA CHINON TO THE SINKS

16 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by in Moderate Hikes, Outdoors, Strenuous Hikes

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The “Sinks” is a beautiful sight to see and is located right in our own backyard! It is only accessible via private hikes through the Irvine Ranch Conservancy you can sign up for many other other activities on their website.

imageimageThe Agua Chinon Trail is only 2.8 miles long but is one of the best and shortest routes to the sinks. The first mile is along the Agua Chinon wash and then the trail leaves the wash behind and starts to climb up towards the Sinks. The trail climbs several hundred feet giving you great views of Irvine to the west and the Sinks and Santa Ana mountains to the east.

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The Sinks

This is one of my favorite IRC hikes and is usually available once a week. At just under 6 miles this hike offers a great workout in a short amount of time.

Happy Trails,

Alex G.

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Parking for this hike is located at the Portola Staging Area

• 2.8 miles to the sinks
• Only available through IRC
• Difficulty – moderate

MT. LOWE

03 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes

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Summit of Mt. Lowe

After conquering Santiago Peak and  enjoying the  wonderful views of the San Gabriels we decided that our next hike would be somewhere in the San Gabriel Mountains. Initially we had planned on doing Baldy but a winter storm caused us to change our plans. So reaching Mt. Lowe(5,603ft) became our new objective.

Parking is located on residential streets anywhere near the Cobb Estate.  Parking is free and it does get crowded so arrive early. We started at 7am and had no problem with parking.

From the entrance of the Cobb Estate you will continue on the paved road for 100 yards or so until the road turns to the left, from here go straight and continue on a dirt trail until you reach two trail markers. You are looking for the Sam Merrill Trail which is the trail on the right. This trail drops down to the wash and soon begins  You will be on this trail for 2.7 miles until you reach the junction.  Make a right and continue to the end of the trail to the ruins of White City on Echo Mountain. The views from here are worth the 2.7 miles but if solitude+views is what you are after then the hike up to Mt. Lowe is definitely worth the extra effort.

View from Echo Mountain

Return onto the Trail and look for the Castle Canyon Trail it will be on the right. This is a 2 mile trail that takes you deep into the the canyon and provides some much needed shade on those sunny days.

Castle Canyon Trail

After 2 miles on the the Castle Rock Trail you will come to the end of the trail and be at Inspiration Point. This is a great spot for a quick snack and makes an excellent spot for take some pictures. There are a lot of viewfinders here that point to many So Cal locations.

Inspiration Point

View Finders at Inspiration Point

View from Inspiration Point

By now you have traveled at least 4.7 miles and  would definitely be an awesome hike all in it’s own, but if you came all this way what is 2 more miles.. Facing away from Inspiration Point make a left(north) and continue on the fire road for a short distance. The sign, on your right hand side, is kind of hard to see but it reads “East Trail to Mt Lowe” Take this trail and Continue up to Mt Lowe for Amazing views of The Pacific , Catalina, Los Angeles, Santiago Peak as well as close up views of Mt. Wilson, San Gabriel Peak, and even a glimpse of Mt Baldy

Catalina in the distance

Mt. Wilson to the left and Santiago Peak in the distance

My Wife and I on the summit of Mt. Lowe

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  • 5,603 ft summit
  • elevation gain 3,800 ft
  • 13.5-15 miles round-trip
  • difficulty – strenuous
  • free parking
  • great views
  • dog friendly

SANTIAGO PEAK

01 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes

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Anyone who hikes in Orange County knows of or has heard of Santiago Peak. It is the hikes of all hikes in OC. 16 miles! The prize for OC hikers.

Since the Santa Ana Winds had ruined my first attempt. I had to reschedule  and find a new hiking partner to reach the 5,689 ft peak.

Trying to convince friends to climb OC’s biggest mountain proved to be harder than the hike itself.

After my cousin agreed to make the trip with me ( Thanks Gary). I planned our route and we met up the next morning to conquer the Santa Ana’s highest point.

The parking lot and trail head for this hike is the same as the one to Holy Jim Waterfall. A forest adventure pass is required. After parking and checking our gear we headed left onto the post trail that leads to the Holy Jim Trail.

From the parking lot you will head about a mile and a half into the canyon until you reach the junction.

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Make a left here and proceed onto the Holy Jim Trail towards the Main Divide Rd. Making a right will take you to the waterfall.

Once on the trail you gradually begin to ascend the mountain for the next 4 miles until reaching the Main Divide Rd.  The trail itself is a single track trail that is well shaded and in pretty good condition.

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As you gain some elevation the views to the south are amazing. Getting a glimpse of the ocean and the canyon below where you started the hike.

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Once you read the Main Divide Rd you can either go left or right, they both lead you to the peak. Upper Holy Jim Trail is to the right, which is steeper, but offers great views of Baldy and Gorgonio. After making a right the trail will be on your left after about an 1/8 of a mile (look for the sign). This is the route I took and the views were worth it.

imageAfter a mile or so on the Upper Holy Jim Trail you connect back up with the Main Divide Rd. Once here you will make a right and continue up towards the peak for the remainder 2 miles.

imageOnce at the hates to the peak you can go left for views of San Jacinto and Palomar Peak our you can go right on continue to the western must part of the summit for views of all of OC, the Pacific, Catalina and Baldy

imageimageHappy Trails,
Alex G

 

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  • Elevation Gain 4,000 ft
  • Distance – 16 miles
  • 5,689 ft above sea level
  • Highest point in OC
  • Creek crossings
  • Adventure pass required

click here for directions