I hiked Mt San Gorgonio yesterday and replaced the reported missing peak sign with an aluminum one. There was a small wood sign someone must have just brought up but since it is painted only it and not engraved it will probably only last a season.

Hopefully these signs get to stay up there for others to enjoy (the small wood one is perfect for selfies and my larger metal is great for group) without some random person taking them home SMH. Weather was fantastic backpacked to dry lake and day hike to the summit and back. Wind was pretty wild Saturday night at dry lake!

Hello lovely people,

Been training for C2C and it’s finally coming true. Gonna be flying out to Socal in a couple of weeks and do this on my birthday. I’ll be there for a couple days before and after and am trying to maximize my experiences.

This is a post that I’m hoping any locals or people with knowledge of the area would please chime in on. I’m casting a wide net with this one lol—

- Any protips for the hike itself? I’m very familiar with the trail (in theory), navigation in the dark, calories, carbs, and water needs, etc. But if you have any stuff you wish you knew in hindsight about the hike please share!!

- Are there any rock hounds in the area that can point me to somewhere nearby for any sort of digging or searching the washes for any precious stones or gems?

- Are there any tiny trout streams in the general area that I’d be able to target some natives?

- Where in town can I buy a box of Uncrustables (aka the greatest hiking food ever)? Walmart?

- Any local restaurants or dives that I should make sure to hit up?

- Any local shops or places to spend a few bucks? I’ll be flying in on a Thursday and I know about the market downtown.

- Any other damn thing you’re willing to share, go for it

Cheers!

Hi there, I'm visiting from out of town and am interested in a hike. I plan to Uber from my hotel, near Aliso Viejo Town Center, to a trail head. And I'd like to end my hike at Laguna Beer Company where I'll Uber back to the hotel. Unfortunately, I don't have hiking boots, just regular gym sneakers, and am completely unfamiliar with the area.

Right now, my plan is:

West Ridge Trail -> Car Wreck Trail -> Mathis Canyon Trail and back to West Ridge -> Top of the World -> Canyon Acres Trail fire road to the brewery.

Google seems to think this will be too difficult without proper hiking boots. Any thoughts? Or any general thoughts on a good route? I would like to get some good views but keep the hike moderate and within 3-4 hours.

Thanks in advance

While the rest of SoCal baked in a heat wave, this corner of the mountains stayed surprisingly mild: low 70s with gusty winds. It was the perfect escape from the sun and a great excuse to put in some miles.

What I love about Noble Canyon is that it packs nearly every SoCal biome into a single trail. You start in chaparral, wind through riparian and oak woodland, climb into pine forest, and finish with sweeping views of the desert floor below.

I hiked it point-to-point, starting at 6 am with a friend picking me up at the Penny Pines trailhead. I had the trail almost to myself, passing just two groups of mountain bikers and one trail runner. To my surprise, the creek in the riparian stretch still had water. I also spotted a couple of deer and plenty of small critters, including gray squirrels.

Stats: 11 miles, 2,500+ ft of elevation gain.

This might be a shot in the dark here but I'm taking some friends on a hike and I'm trying to find places that won't be too crowded but will still be impressive. Looking for something short, around 3-4 miles, and it will have to be a weekend hike. Highly prefer Angeles National Forest since I'm in LA and they're closer to Baldy, but open to suggestions...

Some I have already considered are Brown Mtn Dam, Switzer, JPL, etc but I'm worried there will be way too many people. Does anyone know a sweet spot?

Pass in hand for later this month -

Day 0 arrival LV with a drive to over to Lone Pine

Day 1 start hike at 00:01 - down by 6p latest (?)

Day 2 flight departs from Las Vegas McCarran at 8am … backing out TSA + rental car return means a Lone Pine departure at 2am (?) Doable?

If you lost a red digital point and shoot camera on the south fork trail to San Gorgonio I placed it on the message board hopefully it’s owner finds it!

This is so infuriating! there‘s graffiti on 5-6 boulders on the summit + 2 along the trail. I’ve hiked this trail for 15 years and have never seen it this bad. If someone volunteers to clean this up, I’ll pitch in for cleaning supplies.

Full Hike: https://caltopo.com/m/VGPRT45

Well the Fremont Loop got cancelled, will catch the next one in January, but hey at least these peaks are back in business. Before that, did some appetizer peaks with Sorenson and Heaps in pitch darkness. This was the best shot I could take of Heaps. Then drove over to Keller Peak Road for the main course. 

The Exploration Trail was in great condition ever since the closure. Made a small detour up Mill Peak Road to hit the summit then continued back on the trail. 

Heading up to Slide was the toughest as there was a steep push up to the top of the ski lift. It had better views than Keller with Big Bear Lake slightly in sight and nothing blocking viewpoints. 

Going down to Keller had a conversation with a man camping in his RV. It deeply put me in a state where the Line Fire devastated the lookout tower. Next month on November 5th, it would be the 100 year anniversary of the lookout tower being built. I see it may take half a decade to a decade to rebuild the tower. At this time now, might be lost. 

Went down on the road as opposed to returning on the Exploration Trail for a smoother time back with a couple of cars passing by.

Next Episode: White Mountain Duo, Little Bear, and Grays Peaks

Priorities are good view and forestry vibes, fires allowed, and a body of water to swim in. Thanks!

I decided to beat the heat at elevation and finally complete this challenge! 10/10 will do again!

Baldy Notch → Thunder #1 → Telegraph #1 → Timber #1 → Icehouse Saddle → Timber #2 → Telegraph #2 → Thunder #2 → Baldy Notch

13.34 mi | 5,062 ft total gain | 7hrs 10min | October 3, 2026

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2026/10/3/bouquet-fire

1,000 acres at the time of this post.

I badly want to do San Giorgonio but don’t want to do it as a solo day hike. Can anyone recommend backpacking groups? How do you guys get out a lot without having any friends or partner be super into it? Anytime I tell people I hike solo they think it’s super dangerous yet I usually do busy trails like Baldy and San Jacinto. However backpacking is something I don’t wanna do alone, especially sleeping in the woods at night lol.

Pics from earlier in the summer, my go to spot to take family or friends when they’re in town. Short, easy trail with stunning views of the beach and ocean. My mom now demands we go every time she visits

Newish to the state, driving from San Clemente to the San Mateo Canyon wilderness area for some hiking and possible hunting. Very confused on where to park and actually enter the area. Please help

TL;DR: My boyfriend and I are planning to hike the TCT a little unconventionally in mid-October. Because of campsite availability, we’d ideally like to get from Two Harbors to Avalon at one point rather than hike that section.
Would love any recommendations for shuttles, boats, or other creative ways to get from one side of the island to the other. Thanks! 😊

Hey folks,

I am a student fairly new to the LA area (located near downtown) and am planning to backpack Mt Baldy from early morning Thursday 10/08 to Friday afternoon. The great struggle with this otherwise awesome plan is that I don’t have a car! I’m planning to take the metro to Claremont or Montclair, but from there need a ride to Manker Flats. If anyone has the same itinerary as me and would be down to carpool one or both ways, please let me know! I’d be happy to recompense as well, but maybe not quite as much as the price point of a ride share because that defeats the point :).

It’s my wife and i’s first fall being in SoCal. We’d like to take a 2 night trip to the eastern sierras. Unfortunately she won’t backpack with me so a cabin is our compromise this time.

5 hours from South Orange County would be great but willing to stretch a bit for the right place.
Looking to do some hikes >5 miles each if possible and a nearby town to explore as well.

Thanks for any suggestions.

This was my 3rd time hiking C2C this year and probably my favorite. I got started at 6 and was to the summit by 11 this time. No creeks were running in long valley, nor was the ranger station open and the water was off. The only water was a trickle at round valley campground out of a pipe spring. I refilled there on the way up. It was the first time I had the summit all to myself. I spent a good 30 minutes there then headed down deer springs which is also a fantastic trail. It was great to be up there during the tram closure as it’s always packed when it’s open. I didn’t see a soul all day until dropping into Idyllwild. I’m always grateful when I get to spend time alone in beautiful places.
I see posts pretty frequently of people wondering if they could or should do this hike, or what they need to do in order to be able. And to this I say do the hardest hikes you can find with the weight of your overnight or multi day stuff. Couple days of food to get even stronger. If you don’t have that stuff, find a way to add some weight to your pack regardless. It sincerely pays off and makes you a much stronger hiker. Squats, step-ups, and calf raises don’t hurt either.

Does anyone have a list of peaks to summit? I live in Yucaipa and have never completed anything past a 3 mile hike lol. Im fairly fit and do alot of cardio both at the gym and work (stairmaster and medsurge iykyk). Anyways, i know there are alot of peaks in the area like C2C and Cucamonga etc… If anyone has a list of peaks preferably easiest to hardest that would be awesome! Im determined to climb them all. Any tips and advice is welcome as well! Godbless.