Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mt. Baldy and San Gorgonio Summits

I am looking to do some warm up hikes to prepar for whitney in the summer. If we don't get permits, we will go via the HST instead. I live in southern california and was thinking of summiting Gorgonio via the vivian creek trail and Baldy, but don't know what route to take yet. Has anyone here attempted either of these and if so any advice as far as trails? Thanks

mrtbones

I hiked San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek many years ago. Great trail; it is a bit steep in places. Would be a good warm up to Whitney (that's what I did in Oct. of '87).

MC

i've hiked the 'ski hut trail' to summit mt baldy several times. at 4.2 miles with over 3,900' gain in elevation - it's a good one. start at over 6,000' and end at just over 10,000'.

the other route is basically a fire road to the mt baldy ski lodge and then trail to and across the devil's backbone, past mt harwood and then to summit mt. baldy. it is also fun, not for the faint of heart at the backbone, longer and more exposed.

try here for much more info:
http://www.mt-whitney.info/viewforum.php?f=24&sid=3348e7384fcbc445a526b1a67b5478ac

or:

http://www.mtsanjacinto.info/viewforum.php?f=11&sid=d0d5c60ddf375d681fbdc01ab8f000c1

both good trails, we do baldy first and make it a loop, going up the ski hut or baldy bowl trail and then across the back bone and down the fire road. That way you can increase the mileage. San Gorgonio, up the vivian creek trail is not as steep as baldy, but higher and longer so a great one to do 10 days to 2 weeks prior to your whitney day.

The Vivian Creek trail is a bit steep between the Mill Creek crossing and the backpacker camp (just under a mile right at the beginning). That can make it slow going on the way down (when you are tired). (You also have to cross Mill Creek, and one summer there was a flash flood just after we came down from an isolated thunderstorm). Otherwise, it is a good trail to warm up for Whitney with its 5,500 feet or so elevation gain and 16 miles RT. I have not been back since they had fires in the area. You also need a day hike permit for the trail.

There are various routes up both peaks. Going up Baldy from the Village (Bear Flats Trail) is more of a workout than either the Ski Hut or (east) Backbone Trail. If you then head east down the Backbone to the Notch, over the 3Ts trail and out Icehouse Canyon you will have done about 19 miles, topped off at 10,064, and skirted 3 other major peaks. It's a great conditioner. On San Gorgonio, Vivian Creek is steep but only moderate mileage. The loop up via Dollar Lake Saddle and down via Dry Lake is about 22 miles and a max altitude of 11,500. But 10,000 or 11,500 isn't 14,500 so you'll need to acclimate to altitude someplace else, maybe White Mtn.

Also check the San Gabriel Mountains forum
http://sangabrielmnts.myfreeforum.org/index.php

Mrtbones,

I would say go up the Baldy Ski Hut Trail first, then the Bear Canyon Trail to Baldy Summit or do combinations and/or loops of both, then do Vivian Creek Trail.

You didn’t say when you planed to go or if you had snow skills, so I will point out that both these mountains can have ice covered snow patches that lead to snow chutes of considerable height. The trails often pass above or even traverse an icy snow patch.
People die up there every year (including this year) by falling and sliding down the snow chutes. Even very experienced mountain climbers have been badly injured and killed in recent years.
So use caution or wait until most of the snow melts.

One hint on Baldy is to not wait until all the snow melts because the snow drifts are an excellent source of water after you pass the last stream near the Ski hut. It's a hot dry hike in summer.
Have fun but be careful.

San Gorgonio Peak is a great warm-up to Whitney. I started with the San Bernadino Peak Trail. Easy to get a permit for, 16 miles, 4700' of elevation gain, and 10,649 ft at the top. A beautiful hike and well kept trail. I also did Gorgonio via the Dollar Lake Saddle. It's a 22 miler with 4700' of elevation gain. Another nice one. San Jacinto Peak is also worth the trip if you don't mind going a little further to Palm Springs. Catch the tram up the mountain and it's about a 11-12 miler with 2500' of elevation gain to stunning views at 10,834! The book: 100 Hikes In Southern California - San Bernadino Mountain Trails has these hikes and more with great trail descriptions and directions all the way to the trailheads. Gorgonio permits via Vivian Creek aren't always available to walk-ins, so be prepared to book in advance. HAPPY TRAILS!

I've summited Mt. Baldy 5 different ways, about only way haven't summited Baldy is via the Bowl.

In order of current preference...

The Register Route...an off chute of the Ski Hut Trail. I'm looking forward to doing this one with a bit of snow and ice.

The Ski Hut Trail...8 miles, and 4,000' of challenge

Bear Canyon Trail...16 miles, 6,000' of gain but don't think this what you find at Mt. Whitney

The Devils Backbone...Too much road hiking for my tastes.

The North Backbone Trail...This is the toughest way to do Mt. Baldy via a trail. 8 miles RT with about 7,000' of gain.

Vivian Creek is too much of a hassle. You can't self-permit on weekend morning. Generally, I will do Angelus Oaks to San Bernardino Peak. It's one of the prettiest hikes in SoCal.

I have done Baldy once as a training hike for Whitney, going up from Baldy Village, and down Devil's Backbone to the ski lift. Going up from the village is a definite workout. I have done Gorgonio via the Vivian Creek trail the last three years, and will be doing it again in June, as I prepare for Whitney this summer. Another favorite of mine is Cactus to Clouds, where you start in Palm Springs (elevation 475 feet) and go to San Jacinto (eevation 10,834 feet) in about 16 miles. This hike is one of a very few in the entire country where you can gain over 10,000 feet in elevation. You might want to consider White Mountain as a good training hike. At 14,246 feet, it is the 3rd highest peak in California, behind Whitney and Williamson. I'll be doing Cactus to Clouds on May 31st, Half Dome on June 14th, and Gorgonio via the Vivian Creek Trail on June 28th, as I prepare for my tenth summit of Whitney in July. Whitney Mike

Thanks for all of the advice. I am still waiting on the Whitney permits, but even if they don't go through I can still hit tons of other trails. I plan on doing both gorgonio and baldy as soon as the snow is gone. I don't really want to deal with too much snow. I am still pretty new to this. I did a 22 mile round trip in the Kolob Canyons at Zion, so I think I can handle the mileage. The elevation is what concerns me a little. I haven't done anything over 10K. But if I can't handle it, I will turn around and enjoy the scenary instead. The golden trout fishing in remote lakes is really what sparked the interest in Whitney. I know there are other places to do this, but if I can do a great climb and a some fishing on the same trip its hard for me to pass it up. Thanks again for all the advice.

mrtbones

I'd suggest you plan a trip to White Mountain. You will find out very quickly if you can handle 14,000'.

White is the shadow of the Sierra and opens up to those who have a problem with the white stuff in mid to late June. If you do find out you have a problem with these higher elevations, you will have plenty of time to see your doctor about a prescription of Diamox before your big day.

wbtravis5152

What would you say the degree of difficulty is on the Register Route? How would you compare it to the Ski Hut Trail?

I will be in O.C. from April 3rd to the 10th. Hoping to put a small group together to hike Baldy while I'm there.

Its a route but easy to follow.

It starts just beyond the Register on the Ski Hut Trail and goes up that ridge and eventually to a switchbacked slope until it joins up with the Devil's Backbone Trail about 1/8 mi. east of the Harwood-Baldy Divide.

Figure this section to go up 1,600'/mi compared to the Ski Hut's average of a little over 900'.

This is not for novices in the winter months...any month for that matter.

We come down the Ski Hut Trail. The pine straw just make it too slick for descent when it is clear...as stated I haven't been up it when it was covered with snow and ice.

Thanks, wb.

If you do a search on this site, you'll find previous threads with lots of good responses as well.

z

I want to second the advice you already gave about doing White Mountain as a preparation hike prior to doing Whitney. White Mountain will give you the chance to test your abilty to handle the altitude and time to see your doctor if you need help. Be sure to include White Mountain on your plans before you try Whitney.


Chuck Ellsworth

I haven't done either Mt. Baldy or San Gorgonio, but I have done both San Jacinto and White Mountain a number of times. White Mountain is a great warmer upper at least 2 days before a Whitney attempt and will give you a good idea of dealing with the 14er altitude. San Jacinto from Idylwild on the Devil's Slide trail is a really good beginner trainer for Mt. Whitney. I'd recommend both for novices. Give yourself at least one day of rest and carbo loading between White Mountain and Whitney. Have fun and keep hiking.

While the Devils Slide is one of my favorite trails, it is tightly permitted, like Vivian Creek. That is one of the reasons I like the Mt. Baldy area for Whitney training, no permits required. The almost all the trails are more aggressive than MMWT. The only things missing are an 8,000' trailhead and 14,000' summit.