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** Use at Your Own Risk **
23B |
Granite Peaks |
7527' |
Location: San Bernardino County, about 8 miles east-northeast of Big Bear City, 117 miles from Los Angeles
Maps
| Auto Club | San Bernardino Mountain Area |
| Forest Service | San Bernardino National Forest |
| USGS Topo | Rattlesnake Canyon 7½ |
| Official HPS Maps | TPO file - Save to your computer then open with National Geographic TOPO! |
| Viewable JPG file - Approximately 687K | |
| GPX file or Google Earth KML file to download to GPS units and other map software (How to use GPX and KML files) | |
| Routes as shown on CalTopo using the above files (How to use CalTopo) |
Nearby Peaks: Tip Top Mountain, Mineral Mountain
ROUTE 1
(USFS Adventure Pass may be required)- Distance: 5 miles round trip cross-country
- Gain: 1700'
- Time: 4-5 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 2, moderate
- Navigation: Difficult
Original: John Backus and Paul A. Lipsohn, May 1974
DRIVING ROUTE 1
- From Big Bear City, drive northeast on SR 18 about 6 miles, about 0.3 mile after the 61.00 mile marker, to 3N03 (dirt) on the right, signed: "Cactus Flat". The sign marking this road faces north and is difficult to see when coming from Big Bear. Turn right. High clearance recommended for all dirt roads in this area. Note your odometer and go as follows:
- Ignore all side roads. At 5.0 miles, you cross Arrastre Creek.
- At 5.1 miles, fork. Go left.
- At 5.2 miles, fork. Go left.
- At 5.6 miles, end of road at a parking area. Park here.
HIKING ROUTE 1
- From the parking area (6080', UTM 243925), go through the gap in the fence.
- At a bearing of 355° a gully can be seen about a mile away coming down southwest from the summit plateau. Hike directly through the scrub brush north-northwest to the base of this gully.
- Go up the gully following a ducked route that follows the left side of the gully. It soon crosses to the right side and continues up to the top of the ridge.
- Continue northeast to the summit plateau. Two peaks are visible on the plateau. The one on the left is Granite Point (7512') and the other is East Peak (7527'). East Peak is the official summit.
- Head toward a rockpile to the left of Granite Point until you reach a wash at its base.
- Turn right and go down this wash less than 100 yards to where another wash comes down from the left.
- Turn left and go up this wash over large boulders, passing Granite Point on its west side. Continue around Granite Point to the north side.
- Head east. Just past the saddle between Granite Point 7512' and East Peak 7527' ascend due south into a small gully containing a ducked route.
- Upon reaching the main ridgeline at the head of the small gully, scramble east over boulders to the rocky summit.
ALTERNATE ROUTES
This peak can be hiked from almost any direction. All routes require excellent navigating skills.
NOTES
Granite Point was originally the official summit. When the USGS published the 7½ minute topo, East Peak was named as a higher point. The HPS then made this the official summit.
The area is popular with deer hunters. The season begins the 2nd Saturday in October and runs for 30 days.
The largest known Joshua tree in the world (now deceased) is located just 0.5 mile east of the parking area.
This area is the site of a pilot project for reseeding the dirt roads in the area.
Granite Peaks is in the Bighorn Mountain Wilderness Area.
History of Summit Signature
Climbing Archives
Please report any corrections or changes to the Mountain Records Chair.