San Gorgonio Mountain

Breanna Thornton's hike up San Gorgonio Mountain, the highest peak in Southern California at 11,503 feet, is a challenging and rewarding experience considered a rite of passage for local hikers. The most popular route is the Vivian Creek Trail, an out-and-back route that is the shortest (around 17.3 miles round trip) but also the steepest, with an elevation gain of over 5,000 feet. Hikers typically pass through shady pine forests and near a meandering creek in the lower elevations before ascending through grueling switchbacks to the exposed, rocky summit plateau, a section nicknamed "Old Grayback".