Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Mt San Gorgonio

Notice to people planning on training for Whitney on Mt San Gorgonio. I was informed that my permit to hike Mt San Gorgonio on July 11th has been cancelled until further notice due to the wildfire in the area. The cancellation is for all trails in the San Gorgonio Wilderness. It was going to be my last training hike before Whitney. I guess I'll go back to Mt San Jacinto. Thinking about all of the firefighters... stay safe!

Yesterday was going to be my San Gorgonio hike...got the call about the fire and trail closures on Thursday last week.

What I did instead of San Gorgonio yesterday was Telegraph Peak via Icehouse Canyon. Really tough hike, 13-14 miles (I was using 2 different tracking apps that had different readings), and about 4500 feet of cumulative elevation gain. From the trailhead you ascend about 3000 feet to Timber Mountain, descend about 300 feet (you've got to hike up this on the way back), then ascend another 1200 feet to Telegraph Peak (~9000 feet). More than once along the trail I thought, this is how I felt when I hiked Mt. Whitney last year! I hiked Mt San Jacinto via Humber Park a couple weeks ago and it was tame in comparison. This hike doesn't have the same altitude but for conditioning it was a good one. Anyway, just a suggestion for a San Gorgonio substitute.

Due to the Lake Fire, the San Gorgonio Wilderness is closed thru Oct 1 2015.

Don't be surprised if it is closed until the first rain. These fires are not out-out for about a year. All they need to start back up is hot dry 60 mph wind...say like a Santa Ana that usually start up in September-October.

A dedicated GPS has some problems within that canyon. My Garmin usually has mileage distortions...usually much different than what I actually walk...usually higher. It does track accurately. I use it all the time mark down trees and trail damage within the canyon.

The 3Ts is a good substitute for Vivian Creek, a better one is ECBO, which requires a bit of cross country travel from Cucamonga Saddle to Bighorn Peak.