December 21, 2014
Gerhardt Peak is an insignificant bump on the west ridge of San Bernardino Peak in the San Bernardino Mountains. Our original plan was to head up to San Bernardino Peak, but since Sung, Dagmar, and I were still tired from our previous day's outing at Windy Point Ridge and Mark was feeling sick, we decided to head for Gerhardt (see map). This was a nice relaxing hike on mostly all trails- great for the family and the dog (given that they can walk more than 8 miles).
| Peak | Elevation | Topographic Prominence | Summit Coordinates (lat/lon) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gerhardt Peak | 8,574 ft | 71 ft | 34.138315, -116.936297 |
Getting to the trailhead
Trailhead coordinates (lat/lon): 34.146084, -116.978429
The four of us started up the San Bernardino Peak trail from the trailhead (5,930 ft) at 6:40 am, encountering snow on the trail a few feet from the start. The trail was nicely broken in and apart from some minor postholing, we didn't have to work too hard to get through the snow.
San Bernardino Peak Trailhead
alpenglow on the San Gabriel Mountains
As we passed a meadow full of manzanita and buckthorn at ~2.8 miles and 7,960 ft, we looked southeast and saw a bump which we thought was Gerhardt Peak. We left the trail and postholed up the hill southwestward, eventually reaching the top of a dropoff with a great view to the south. Oops, we had climbed the wrong peak. We hung around at the view for a few moments and then headed northeast to rejoin the trail.
great views from the wrong peak
As we got back onto the trail, the obvious mound of Gerhardt Peak immediately came into view. Shortly after passing the turnoff for Manzanita and Columbine springs, the trail came to a small saddle (4.3 miles, 8,510 ft) just east of Gerhardt Peak. From here, we left the trail and headed west for a tenth of a mile to the obvious highpoint. We ate lunch and took a long break on the summit blocks, enjoying the unusually warm December air, then descended the way we had come.
view from the trail
Gerhardt Peak summit blocks
register scraps
Final Stats
8.8 miles
3,020 ft gain/loss
Weather Forecasts
San Bernardino Peak Trailhead
7,600 ft along San Bernardino Peak Trail
Gerhardt Peak
Peakbagger Pages
Gerhardt Peak
Other
San Gorgonio Wilderness Association
San Gorgonio Backcountry Bulletin Board
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