San Gorgonio Wilderness
San Bernardino National Forest · near Forest Falls / Big Bear Lake · Los Angeles / SoCal
Hiking · Mountaineering
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 19 miles
- Elevation gain
- 5,500 ft
- Time needed
- overnight · multi-day
- Best season
- June–October (snow-free window)
- Grade
- nontechnical
- Elevation
- 11503
- Best season
- June–October as a hike; winter for snow mountaineering
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- Yes
- How the permit works
- Free wilderness permit from the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association (sgwa.org), reservable up to 90 days ahead for one of 24 backcountry campsites. Adventure Pass needed to park. No campfires — stove only. Quotas rarely fill midweek.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 2 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Highest peak in SoCal (11,503 ft) · Sub-alpine forest 'island' · Vivian Creek route · Sand to Snow National Monument
- Terrain
- alpine-rock
- Amenities
- Vivian Creek / Forest Falls trailhead · Free wilderness permit (San Gorgonio Wilderness Assoc) · Adventure Pass to park · No campfires; group limit 12
- Best for
- SoCal's highest summit — hike it or climb it in winter
- Features
- Highest peak in Southern California · Non-technical trail in summer · Serious winter snow-climb objective · Long, rewarding wilderness day
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
- Hazards
- Winter: serious snow & ice — SoCal's premier winter mountaineering peak · Long summer day with big gain and little water · Altitude — the highest point in Southern California · Fire closures possible — verify current status before you go
- Beginner friendly
- Yes
Guides, rentals and operators
- Guided trips
- No
Hiking detail
- Nights
- 1–2
- Resupply
- None needed. No bear canister required, but store food properly — black bears are present. Water is scarce; carry plenty.
- Intl tip
- Reserve your specific campsite the moment the 90-day window opens for summer weekends — High Creek Camp, the launch pad for the summit, is the most coveted. There are no campfires anywhere in the wilderness; bring a stove and a California Campfire Permit. Water at High Creek is usually reliable but confirm current conditions with the SGWA before relying on it.
Mountaineering detail
- Skills
- scrambling · altitude
- Style
- walk-up
- Altitude
- 2
- Route notes
- Southern California's highest peak — a long, non-technical class-1 trail climb (the Vivian Creek route is the classic) that becomes a serious winter snow-and-ice mountaineering objective when the San Bernardinos are white
- Beta note
- ~11,503 ft; Class 1 Vivian Creek trail in summer; winter snow climb; free permit required
- Intl tip
- 'Old Grayback,' the highest summit in Southern California, wears two faces. In summer it's a long but non-technical class-1 trail climb (the Vivian Creek route is the classic), rewarded with a desert-to-sea view. In winter it becomes SoCal's premier snow-and-ice mountaineering objective, needing axe, crampons, and winter skills. A free San Gorgonio Wilderness Association permit is required year-round, plus an Adventure Pass. Lingering fire-area closures (incl. the 2024 Line Fire) exist in the forest — verify current status first.
- Directions note
- Standard route from Vivian Creek trailhead in Forest Falls — permit required
The guide
San Gorgonio Mountain — 'Old Grayback' — is the highest peak in Southern California at 11,503 feet, and the wilderness that sur…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to San Gorgonio Wilderness — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.0996, -116.825