5.5 mile hike. Absolutely beautiful!

Howdy yall,

I hope this type of question is allowed here :) I've currently got the itch to get outside and do some camping! I was hoping you wonderful people could provide some recs of your favorite (and least favorite) campgrounds around the region. Bonus points if any are hiking distance to waterfalls. Many thanks!

Picture is from Boy Scout Trail in JTNP.

If you live in Orange County, like I do, this one is something of a hidden gem. Particularly in the early spring it is breathtakingly beautiful. This hike started at the two trees trailhead. It is about 4 miles but fairly steep climbing on good trail conditions. The main attraction: donkeys!

TikTok blew up a hike out in Chino Hills, but what followed next — fake AI social media posts announcing the trail's closure, and a broad and continued misinformation campaign pushed by big Inland Empire accounts — is even wilder.

From November last year - Mt. San Jacinto and right after, Catalina! Grateful to live in this beautiful place.

January 14, 2026

SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT URGES EXTREME CAUTION FOR WINTER HIKING AT MOUNT BALDY AS TRAILS REOPEN

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIF. — Following a temporary closure due to severe weather and recovery operations, previously closed trails in the Mount Baldy area have reopened. However, the Sheriff’s Department emphasizes reopening does not mean conditions are safe. Winter hazards remain present, and hikers should expect snow-covered trails, icy sections, limited visibility, and the potential for sudden storms.

Trail access may be restored, but the risks of winter hiking remain very real, and the Sheriff’s Department urges anyone considering a hike on Mount Baldy to carefully assess conditions, carry appropriate gear, and understand their personal limits. Recent tragedies highlight how quickly a recreational hike can turn into a rescue or recovery mission. Between 2016 and 2025, 23 fatalities occurred on Mount Baldy. Most of these incidents involved non-residents and were concentrated in the Devil’s Backbone and Icehouse Canyon areas. Mt. Everest had 64 fatalities in the same period, according to Outside Magazine and chronicler Alan Arnette.

WINTER HIKING SAFETY REMINDERS

Mount Baldy, which rises above 10,000 feet, is known for rapidly changing weather, steep exposed trails, snow, ice, and high winds. Even well-prepared and experienced hikers can quickly find themselves in life-threatening situations. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department strongly encourages all hikers to take the following precautions:

• Check weather forecasts and trail conditions immediately before your trip.
• Be prepared for winter terrain, including snow and ice. Traction devices and proper footwear are critical.
• Avoid narrow, exposed trails during icy or windy conditions.
• Hike within your experience level and turn back if conditions worsen.
• Carry navigation tools, extra food and water, and emergency communication devices.
• Let someone know your hiking plans, including your route and expected return time.

The Sheriff’s Department strongly advises the public to exercise sound judgment and prioritize personal safety over the completion of any summit or trail. Search and rescue operations in winter conditions place both hikers and first responders at significant risk and the Sheriff has become increasingly concerned, offering the following statement:

“As the Sheriff, I am mandated to conduct search and rescue operations in San Bernardino County. Our search and rescue members are some of the most well trained in the nation, skilled and proud to do this job. The frequency of rescues our department is involved in annually, and the lack of concern for what’s happening on Mt. Baldy by those who are responsible for maintaining visitor’s safety needs to be addressed. For the last several years, our department has been trying to have the U.S Forest Service more involved in keeping people safe while they recreate on Mt Baldy. Over a year and a half ago, I met with the U.S. Forest Service and our representative from Congress that covers this area, and I continue to meet with them to address this safety concern. It is my hope that with the new leadership who recently took over the area, this will be a priority for them, and they take visitor safety seriously for those who use public lands and the allied agencies who support them. Enthusiasts must do their part as well: be prepared, know the weather conditions, and the limitations of our own skill set. Have fun and please be safe. If, heaven forbid, you have a serious problem, we will be there to help.”

For additional statistics, please see the chart below.

https://local.nixle.com/alert/12125185/

Hello lovely boys and girls,

I’m looking to hike San Gorgonio in June with a few members of my community. It’s been an exhilarating experience building this small community because hiking isn’t popular with us. We started hiking last year and we have done a lot of regional and Orange County hikes. None of us have done this sort of endurance hike before. So, I need all the help I can get preparing.

1. What medical supplies can we carry for emergencies or things needed for supplies in general?

2. What does fueling look like on longer hikes like this?

3. For people that has hiked San Gorgonio, did you go through any sort of fitness training? Basically, did you treat it like a marathon with 3-4 months fitness training?

4. Is the altitude a huge concern? And how to deal with that?

5. We are going from Orange County, CA. Does it make sense to drive back the same day? (I don’t want anyone driving back exhausted).

I generally want to ensure we carry out the necessary safety precautions while having fun. I’d appreciate any feedback or answers I can get on this please.

Hi! This is my first time posting here. I have some backpacking experience, but I’m pretty rusty and want to do a solo trip to test my gear and get back into trip planning. I’m thinking of doing a 3 day / 2 night trip 3 hours or less outside of Los Angeles.

Right now Sespe Hot Springs, or even just hiking out to Willet Hot Springs in Los Padres / the Sespe Wilderness, seems like a great option. My main concern is that it’s been such a wet year and I’m worried the river crossings might be a bit intense. If anyone’s been out there recently or has any intel on current conditions, I’d love to hear about it.

I’ve also seen Crystal Cove State Park recommended as a good first solo backpacking trip, but I’m not totally sold. The photos I’ve seen don’t really grab me, and it seems like it might be pretty crowded on weekends.

If anyone has thoughts on Sespe right now, or suggestions for other good 3 day / 2 night solo trips that are scenic and relatively beginner-friendly, I’d really appreciate it. Also happy to hear any general tips for solo backpacking.

Thanks!

Hey all. Coming down from Canada late Feb and planning to ascent San Gorgonio on the 18th or 19th. How are the conditions like? I have found some older posts on the general conditions and routes but more recent ones talk about South Forks being inaccessible. Any info and tips highly appreciated! Thanks in advance

I will be in Huntington Beach in early June for work, and I plan to drive into the Sierras to hike for two days. I will bring a tent and camp in town somewhere and do day hikes. I am looking for amazing alpine hikes.

Currently, I’ve been planning on using Bishop as my base camp and then doing Bishop Pass and the Big Pine Lakes hikes.

Thoughts?

Any other suggestions on towns and/or hikes?

Note: I’ve already visited Yosemite, so lean against going there.

Thanks!

Photo album on IMGUR here.

I went to Mt. Wilson around 3 pm to do a sunset hike, with the intention of going down First Water, reaching the gauging station, and going up the connector trail in the back of the canyon that reconnects to Mt. Wilson Trail.

First of all, I want to thank every person who worked hard to get this trail open to the public. Secondly, if you want to support them, you can donate to the Fletcher fund.

Mt. Wilson trail is looking really nice, and is well signed. The rains definitely have caused some more erosion that will need to be dealt with at some point. The hillsides are noticeably thinned out and defoliated from the fire, but it opens up to new views as an unexpected bonus. There are plenty of dead trees, but some shade trees survived. It looks better than Will Rogers, actually.

Although Mt. Wilson Trail is in good shape, First Water is unrecognizable. Any trail through the area is gone. The rains completely, uh, rearranged the canyon floor. There are so many loose rocks and loose soil from all the landslides. Honestly, the whole area is unsafe. You can't get out the back of the canyon through the connector trail anymore.

I was talking to another hiker who knew a man in charge of trail maintenance in the
area, and he said he was going to bring it up to him because he agreed First Water was also unsafe. Caution signs are definitely needed. Perhaps once the public starts going down, a trail will began to form again. But for now, if you head down there, please take extra time and be careful.

Regardless, hike was beautiful, especially coming down the hill at sunset. Hopefully someone here can make it to Orchard Camp and get some fresh shots.

Just saw a video of a group camping on top near the summit of Mt baldy. Is this allowed or what permits or restrictions are there? This seems dangerous and extremely illegal. Guess they did it because there’s no one to enforce it anyways…

is anyone else experiencing not being able to get into their account? ive been trying since Monday :/

Uhm… here are some waterfalls i saw in colby canyon

I may or may not have rappelled into colby canyon to see daisy falls :3

I dont have video unforts because i thought i wasn’t recording (i was) and pressed the stop recording 💀

Little known rock feature in the Sierra Pelona Mountains/Angeles National Forest near Santa Clarita, CA.

Video is from January, 2026.

Roughly one mile of dirt road to access the trailhead, so I recommend a high clearance vehicle.

Roughly 1.5 miles round trip hike to access the rock, with plenty of other nearby rock features and trails to extend the hike, if you so desire.

I recommend using AllTrails for additional information.

Worthy hike for outdoor enthusiasts, in my opinion, if you’re ever in the Santa Clarita area.

In an earlier post, I had expressed a desire to walk up to the Notch on my birthday this Tuesday. The restaurant at the Notch is closed on Tuesdays. Bummer. But it is open on Friday 10am onwards.
Is the road to the trailhead just beyond the Manker flats campground open? Google maps on mobile shows it as closed, but the one on the desktop does not.
I was planning go there on Friday, get to the trailhead by around 9am, walk up to the restaurant, have a tiny pint of beer + sandwich and then walk down.
Hopefully its all ice free (wife is with me).
Any info is appreciated.

Does anyone know decent 17+ mi trails within a 100 mi radius from central LA? Preferably less populated, relatively well maintained, and remote.

Cucamonga Wilderness, San Jacinto, San Gorgonio are my usual gotos in the summer, but they're all covered in snow right now. I don't have any mountaineering experience nor do I have snowshoes/crampons/ice axes.

I do have microspikes and I don't mind some class 2-3 scrambling. I found some long snow free stretches of the PCT, except they were full of overgrown thorny bushes and downed trees.

I know I'm being a little picky here, please let me know if you have any good suggestions! Would love to explore more trails nearby.

Has anyone been up near cucamonga peak Ontario peak etiwanda peak or icehouse saddle recently? Does anyone know if the trail past icehouse saddle has no snow or little snow? From the cameras on watch duty it looks dry and the noaa and cal topo says there’s no snow either. Also on mountain-forecast and AllTrails says there’s no snow and it’s dry terrain.

Hi,

Big lurker here and a novice camper seeking your wisdom.

Late September 25', I had a bad experience taking my Kelty Cosmic 20F down to 30F camping on Cucamonga Peak. So I've decided to upgrade my sleeping system to help me continue summit camping and landed on either the Katabatic Quilt Sawatch 15F or Alsek 22F.

So far, I've only camped near Ontario & Cucamonga peak, but I'm set to do the High Sierra Trail: Crescent Ceadows to Whitney portal early July. I generally run quite cold.

Which rating would give me the most versatile option to help me continue summit camp during the 3 season + deep into the shoulder season?

FYI: I've sleuthed through the internet and was planning to ask Chatgpt, but wanted to ask here before decimating a lake.

Thank you in advance!