John W. Robinson - San Bernardino Mountain Trails: 100 Hikes in Southern California

SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAIN TRAILS: 100 HIKES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Seventh edition, first printing

Copyright 2016 by John W. Robinson and David Money Harris

Copyright 1972, 1975, 1979, 1986, 2003, 2006 by John W. Robinson

2004 update by Rick Whitaker

Sixth edition by David Money Harris

Editor: Lady Vowell Smith

Project editor: Ritchey Halphen

Cover design: Scott McGrew

Cartography: Scott McGrew and Chris Salcedo/Blue Gecko, using data from John Robinson and David Money Harris, Laurence Jones, and USGS topos

Text design: Annie Long

Cover and interior photos: Copyright 2016 David Money Harris, except where noted

Proofreader: Rebecca Henderson

Indexer: Sylvia Coates

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

ISBN: 978-0-89997-807-9; eISBN: 978-0-89997-808-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Cover photo: Approaching San Bernardino Peak on the Great San Bernardino Divide (see )

Frontispiece: Deep Creek (see )

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.

SAFETY NOTICE Although Wilderness Press and the author have made every attempt to ensure that the information in this book is accurate at press time, they are not responsible for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience that may occur to anyone while using this book. You are responsible for your own safety and health while in the wilderness. The fact that a trail is described in this book does not mean that it will be safe for you. Be aware that trail conditions can change from day to day. Always check local conditions, and know your own limitations.

Contents

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Prefaces

IT IS AN HONOR to continue updating John Robinsons iconic guidebook. My goal is to be faithful to the original flavor of the book while keeping it accurate and current.

I moved to Southern California from the Bay Area 17 years ago and have been hiking the local mountains ever since. Every author needs a lucky break to get started, and in 2005, I received my break when Wilderness Press asked me to update this book for the sixth edition. Since then, Ive had a remarkable opportunity to explore, research, and write about the magnificent mountains and deserts of Southern California, leading to five books with Wilderness Press.

As John Robinson points out, change is constant. In this edition, I eliminated eight trips, mostly because they became overgrown after the wildfires that have swept the San Bernardino Mountains or because summits can be reached by road. In their place, I have added worthy trails, especially in the popular Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear resort areas.

I would like to thank Jeannette Granger, Audrey Scranton, and Richard Wilkerson for their assistance in reviewing the manuscript and for sharing their knowledge of the mountains. Lady Smith provided a thoughtful copyedit. The remaining errors are my own.

David Money Harris
Upland, California
January 2016

THE SAN BERNARDINO and San Jacinto Mountains have always held a special fascination for me. Its been more than half a century since I first ventured, on foot, from Poopout Hill to what we then called Slushy Meadows, up to Dollar Lake, and on to the gravelly summit of San Gorgonio Mountain. Many times since, I have explored this wonderful high country, where stately lodgepole pine is the dominant conifer, snow patches linger into early summer, and the air is crisp with the chill of elevation. I have equally enjoyed the sky island of the high San Jacintos, its boulder-strewn ridges, and lush meadows. For more than five decades, I have walked the forest trails, forded the creeks, and scrambled up the peaks for far-reaching vistas.

In 1971, after completing Trails of the Angeles, a hiking guide to the San Gabriel Mountains, I suggested to Tom Winnett that Wilderness Press publish a trail guide to San Bernardino National Forest. Tom enthusiastically approved, and a year later San Bernardino Mountain Trails appeared.

Over the next 33 years, I rechecked the driving directions, rewalked the trails, reclimbed the peaksall in an effort to keep the guidebook up to date. These were years of strenuous work. Unlike a novel, a trail guide is never finished; change is constant. Still, it was a labor of love, doing what I enjoy most, experiencing natures beauty, meeting new friends.

Now, because of advancing age, the time has come to relinquish my work on San Bernardino Mountain Trails. My successor is a young, energetic hiker who has already proved his worth by checking out many of the trail trips and making necessary revisions. David Money Harris, a professor of engineering at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, spends many of his nonteaching days rambling through the Southern California mountains.

I offer a heartfelt farewell to the many friends I have met, over all the years, on the trails. May you continue to enjoy walking the footpaths of the mountains we all love.

John W. Robinson
Fullerton, California
September 2005

Overview of Hikes