The San Bernardino Peak (10,649 feet) hike is tough but rewarding. The crowds are light and it offers sweeping views of Mt Baldy, Mt San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, Big Bear Lake, and the Inland Empire.
You have the option of splitting this day hike into an overnight backpacking trip. Limber Pine Bench camp is one of the most scenic camping spots in the area. Call the ranger’s office to check on availability of campsites.
UPDATE: YOU NO LONGER NEED A PERMIT FOR A DAY HIKE! They are voluntary now and help the rangers understand traffic in the area (and hopefully get more funding to support these trails). You still need a permit for an overnight hike though.
If you want an overnight permit to hike San Bernardino Peak, and it’s easy to get.
You can send the permit by mail, or for a quicker turnaround, fax the PDF form in. After faxing, I got my permit back within the hour.
You can also walk into the Mill Creek Visitor Center and get a walk-up permit. If there are spaces left, you just fill out the form and start hiking. If not, you don’t.
There might be a ranger at the campground checking permits. Just show them your piece of paper and he’ll mark it. It’s as easy at that.
The San Bernardino Peak Hike trailhead is about 90 minutes east of downtown LA.
3D Hike Map
The hike has incredible views for most the way up to San Bernardino Peak. You can see it climbs along the side of the mountain, with nothing blocking the view into the valley.
Hike Elevation Profile
It's a steep hike but there's a nice plateau in the middle of the hike where you can catch your breath.
The San Bernardino Peak hike is a tough hike, but not technical. You need a good level of fitness to attempt it. I recommend hiking Cucamonga Peak and Ontario Peak to build up to San Bernardino Peak.
Likewise, you need to be well prepared with layers, water, and food. Call the ranger office to check conditions before you leave. Don’t do this hike in the winter unless you have snow and ice hiking experience.
You might feel the effects of altitude on this hike, including headache, fatigue, and nausea. If you do, stop, and rest. Make sure you’re well hydrated. If, after resting, you still feel the symptoms, be prudent and turn around. Some people pop a Diamox.
Limber Pine also has a spring to fill up water bottles. The spring doesn’t always have water, so don’t count on it.
You have about a 5 minute drive on a dirt road to the trailhead. It’s driveable without a 4×4 if you go slow.
You need a parking pass. I use the affordable National Parks Pass, which gets me in every park, monument, and national forest. You can also use an (Southern California only) Adventure Pass, or buy a $5 day permit from the ranger’s office.
Turn by Turn Directions
The trailhead GPS address that I listed is for the fire station. Once there, you’ll see this sign for the forest road. Keep going up the road toward IW07.A few feet after that last sign, you’ll see this helpful sign directing you to the trailhead.A big sign directs you onto the dirt road to the trailhead. Note, the tape over the sign is still from when the trail was closed due to fires earlier in the year.Once on the dirt road, there’s a split and trail sign, stay right.Grab a spot in the parking lot. Get here early, the lot fills up. You might have to get creative and park down the road if it’s full. Also, note the cars in the lot. You don’t need a high-clearance vehicle if you go slow on the dirt road.Check out the hiking board for any trail notices.Bring your approved permit and bring it along on your hike. A ranger might ask to see it on your hike.The trail starts right by the boards. Ignore the gate at the far end of the lot and start the hike here.The trail climbs for the first few miles. Pace yourself and take breaks. The trail makes it’s way up toward San Bernardino peak on a series of well-designed switchbacks built by the CCC in the 1930s.One of the great things about the San Bernardino Peak hike is the views, and they start right from the beginning. Take breaks to catch your breath and soak it all in. You’ll get great views of Mt. Baldy, Angeles National Forest, and the Santa Ana Mountains as you climb this section.After the majority of the switchbacks, you’ll reach this cool San Gorgonio Wilderness sign.At about 3 miles, the trail starts to level out and you hike across Manzanita Flats.There are great views from Manzanita Flats. To your left are the mountains around Big Bear, to the right, San Bernardino Peak.At about 4 miles, you’ll reach a trail junction. Hike straight through toward Limber Pine.Closeup of the trail junction sign. Remember, continue hiking towards Limber Pine.After Manzanita Flats, the trail starts going up again.At about 5.7 miles, you reach LImber Pine campground. This back-country campground is a great option if you want to do the San Bernardino Peak hike as an overnight backpacking trip. The views from this campground are spectacular. Head to the left through the campground.Follow the stone path to the left through the Limber Pine campground.There’s a sign along the trail in the campground pointing you toward San Bernardino Peak.More uphill! The views are incredible as you climb.At about 7.2 miles, the trail goes left, but hike to the overlook on the right.A cool stone bench sits at the overlook. Great photo opportunities here.San Jacinto Peak looms on the horizon. In the valley below, you’ll see Mill Creek and the VIvian Creek trailhead for the hike to San Gorgonio.After soaking in the views, continue hiking on the trail to San Bernardino Peak. Almost there! As you climb, you’ll get views of Big Bear Lake to your left.At about 8 miles, the trail splits. Head right up the steep trail for the last few hundred feet to the peak. A small cairn marks the trail junction. It’s easy to miss, so keep your eyes peeled.Success! You did it. The pile of rocks marks San Bernardino Peak.Sign the trail registry, located in the rocks.Soak in the views of San Jacinto Peak, San Gorgonio Mountain, and Mt Baldy from San Bernardino Peak.Head back down the way you came to finish the hike. About 10 -15 minutes down the trail, you’ll see a left hand turnoff to Washington’s Monument. A metal sign marks the spot. Hike to the left for the side trip to the monument.This plaque gives some background on Washington’s Monument at the trail junction.This pile of rocks is Washington’s Monument! The rock pile is actually a sighting point for surveyors, setup by Colonel Henry Washington in 1852. From here, just head back down the way you came to finish the hike.
A quick note. These directions are meant as a guide for the hike, and not a definitive source. Conditions change, and the information here can be different based on time of day, weather, season, etc. There can be small side trails that you might see but I missed. I have made every effort to include all the information you need to complete the hike successfully. I recommend using this guide in conjunction with a map, GPX file, common sense, and call to the ranger station or park office. If you do the hike and notice something has changed, please contact me and I will update the guide.
