San Bernardino Peak Hike

16 miles - Hard Effort
8 Hours (Total)
4,670 Total Feet of Climbing
Max Elevation of 10,649 feet
Leashed Dogs Allowed

The San Bernardino Peak (10,649 feet) hike is tough but rewarding. The San Bernardino Mountains were named after San Bernardino Peak, which was named by one of the pioneer friars in California, Francisco Dumetz in 1835. I like this hike a lot. The crowds are light, the fauna is beautiful, and it offers sweeping views of Mt Baldy, Mt San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, Big Bear Lake, and the Inland Empire.Planning for the San Bernardino Peak Hike

In this Guide:

Turn by Turn Hike Directions & Video
Do You Need a Permit?
San Bernardino Peak Trail Maps
How to Get to the Trailhead

Quick Links: Parks Pass - Mill Creek Visitor Center - Weather Forecast - Top Gear Picks (Sep 2023)

When planning, always check the park website and social media to make sure the trails are open. Similarly, check the weather and road conditions.

Where Is The San Bernardino Peak Hike?

Use this trailhead GPS address: 5766 Frontage Rd, Angelus Oaks, CA 92305, which will get you to the fire station. Detailed directions to the trailhead parking are below.

IW07 sign — 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.

San Bernardino Peak Hike trailhead sign — A few feet after that last sign, you’ll see this helpful sign directing you to the trailhead.

San Bernardino Peak Hike parking — 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.

There are no bathrooms at the trailhead.

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.

Preparing for the San Bernardino Peak Hike

After a stretch where no permits were needed, they have been reinstated.

San Bernardino day hike permits are required and controlled by a quota. I recommend filling out the permit online here, and then emailing it in to the rangers. Print a copy out for yourself and bring it with you.
You have the option of splitting this day hike into an overnight backpacking trip to the Limber Pine Bench Camp. Limber Pine Bench Camp is one of my favorite campgrounds of all time. It has flat areas to camp and incredible sunset views. You do need a permit for an overnight hike. Here's how to get it.
- Call the Mill Creek Visitor Center at 909-382-2882 and see if there is a space open for the day you want.
- If there are spaces available on your date, go to the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association website and follow instructions on getting a permit.
- 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 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.
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. Read the section on altitude sickness on my Mt Whitney guide for more info.

Permit Availablity

Can't get a permit for your date? Try OutdoorStatus.com and get a text message as soon as a cancelled permit opens up!.

Gear for the Hike

This is a tough backcountry hike, and you need to be well prepared with layers, water, and food. Check the summit weather and call the ranger office to check conditions before you leave. Be prepared for changing conditions.

Limber Pine Bench Camp also has a spring to fill up water bottles. The spring doesn't always have water, so don't count on it.

If you want to check if there's snow on your hike, read this guide.

My Latest Gear Picks

Garmin inReach Mini 2 ( Amazon | REI )
HOKA Speedgoat 5 ( Men | Women )
Zpacks Sub-Nero Ultra ( Zpacks | Review )
Alpine Carbon Cork Poles ( REI | Amazon )

As a hiking guide, I test lots of hiking gear. On my picks page, I'll show you all of the gear that I actually use. I don't accept paid promotions or talk about the stuff that doesn't make the cut. It's just the gear that works best, so you don't have to waste your money.

All My September 2023 Top Gear Picks

San Bernardino Peak Trail Maps

Explore Map on CalTopo View a Printable PDF Hike Map Download the Hike GPX File

Best Smartphone Apps to Navigate: AllTrails | GaiaGPS | OnX

San Bernardino Peak Hike 3d 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.

San Bernardino Peak Hike elevation — It's a steep hike but there's a nice plateau in the middle of the hike where you can catch your breath.

San Bernardino Peak Hike Directions

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Don't do this hike in the winter unless you have snow and ice hiking experience.

San Bernardino Peak Hike start — The trail starts right by the boards. Ignore the gate at the far end of the lot and start the hike here.

San Bernardino Peak Hike board — Check out the hiking board for any trail notices.

San Bernardino Peak Hike trail — 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.

San Bernardino Peak Hike views — 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.

Manzanita Flats views — There are great views from Manzanita Flats. To your left are the mountains around Big Bear, to the right, San Bernardino Peak.

San Bernardino Peak Hike trail junction — At about 4 miles, you’ll reach a trail junction. Hike straight through toward Limber Pine.

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.

San Bernardino Peak Hike sign — There’s a sign along the trail in the campground pointing you toward San Bernardino Peak.

San Bernardino Peak Hike climbs — More uphill! The views are incredible as you climb.

San Bernardino Peak Hike overlook — At about 7.2 miles, the trail goes left, but hike to the overlook on the right.

cris hazzard at overlook — A cool stone bench sits at the overlook. Great photo opportunities here.

San Bernardino Peak Hike view — 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.

cris hazzard at San Bernardino Peak — Success! You did it. The pile of rocks marks San Bernardino Peak.

Sign the trail registry, located in the rocks.

views from San Bernardino Peak — Soak in the views of San Jacinto Peak, San Gorgonio Mountain, and Mt Baldy from San Bernardino Peak.

Washington’s Monument sign — 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.

Have a question about the guide or want to see what other people are saying/asking? View the Youtube comments for this video. Leave a comment and I will do my best to respond.

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This Guide Was Written by Cris Hazzard

Cris Hazzard 4 Mile Trail Yosemite
Hi, I'm Cris Hazzard, aka Hiking Guy, a professional outdoors guide, hiking expert, and author based in Southern California. I created this website to share all the great hikes I do with everyone else out there. This site is different because it gives detailed directions that even the beginning hiker can follow. I also share what hiking gear works and doesn't so you don't waste money. I don't do sponsored or promoted content; I share only the gear recommendations, hikes, and tips that I would with my family and friends. If you like the website and YouTube channel, please support these free guides (I couldn't do it without folks like you!).

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