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** Use at Your Own Risk **
See the Retired Peak Guides in the Archives for Microsoft Word and other versions of this peak guide.
Location: San Bernardino County, about 12 miles north of Banning, 90 miles from Los Angeles
Maps
Auto Club | Los Angeles and Vicinity, San Bernardino Mountain Area |
Forest Service | San Bernardino National Forest |
USGS Topos | San Gorgonio Mountain 7½, Moonridge 7½ |
Official HPS Maps |
TPO file - Save to your computer then open with National Geographic TOPO! |
| Viewable PDF file - Approximately 10 megs |
| 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: Charlton Peak, Jepson Peak, San Gorgonio Mountain
Printable version of this route
ROUTE 1
(USFS Adventure Pass may be required)
- Distance: 17 miles round trip on trail and cross-country
- Gain: 5200' total, 4400' out plus 800' on return
- Time: 7-8 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, strenuous
Original: Warren E. von Pertz, September 1968
DRIVING ROUTE 1
- Take I-10 east past San Bernardino to the Orange Street exit (SR 38).
- Go one block east, then go north (left) 0.5 mile to Lugonia Avenue.
Turn right on SR 38 (east).
- Go 8.0 miles to the Mill Creek Ranger Station.
- Continue east on SR 38 about 5 miles to the Valley of the Falls Road
on the right. Turn right.
- Drive 4.25 miles to the Big Falls parking area at the end of the
road. Park here.
HIKING ROUTE 1
- From the parking area (6080'), hike past the locked gate on the
initially paved
road east for 1/2 mile to where the trail descends into the wash.
- Cross
the wash and pick up the trail again on the north side. Hike up the trail
to where it intersects the San Bernardino Peak Trail (1W07) at 11,240'.
- Turn left and hike about 1 mile to where the trail crosses a ridge at
about 10,880'.
- Leave the trail and hike southeast down the ridge to a
saddle.
- Turn right and hike west about 3/4 mile to the summit.
Printable version of this route
ROUTE 2
(USFS Adventure Pass may be required)
- Distance: 18 1/2 miles round trip on trail and cross-country
- Gain: 4250'
- Time: 8-9 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, very strenuous
Original: Warren E. von Pertz, September 1968
DRIVING ROUTE 2
- Take I-10 east past San Bernardino to the Orange Street exit (SR 38).
- Go one block east, then go north (left) 0.5 mile to Lugonia Avenue.
Turn right on SR 38 (east).
- Continue east on SR 38 about 26 miles to Jenks Lake Road on the
right. Turn right (south).
- Continue to the signed South Fork Trailhead parking lot on the left.
Park here.
HIKING ROUTE 2
- From the parking area (6850'), hike the South Fork Trail (1E04) past the
old Poopout Hill trailhead to South Fork at Slushy Meadows where the Dry
Lake Trail forks left (8200').
- Keep right on the South Fork Trail and
continue to the fork to Dollar Lake (9520').
- Keep right again and continue
to Dollar Lake Saddle (9960'), at a junction with the San Bernardino Peak
Trail (1W07).
- Turn left on 1W07 and follow it south about 2 miles to a
point where it crosses a ridge at about 10,880'.
- Leave the trail and hike
southeast down the ridge to a saddle.
- Turn right and hike west about
3/4 mile to the summit.
Printable version of this route
ROUTE 3
(USFS Adventure Pass may be required)
- Distance: 7 miles round trip on trail and cross-country
- Gain: 4400'
- Time: 5-7 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, strenuous
- Navigation: Moderate, use extra care on descent
- Route: Steep, minimal brush
Original: George Wysup, July 2000
DRIVING ROUTE 3
- Take I-10 east past San Bernardino to the Orange Street exit (SR 38).
- Go one block east, then go north (left) 0.5 mile to Lugonia Avenue.
Turn right on SR 38 (east).
- Go 8.0 miles to the Mill Creek Ranger Station.
- Continue east on SR 38 about 5 miles to the Valley of the Falls Road
on the right. Turn right.
- Drive 4.25 miles to the Big Falls parking area at the end of the
road. Park here.
HIKING ROUTE 3
- From the Vivian Creek trailhead (6080'), walk up the road about 1/2
mile to the Mill Creek crossing.
- Cross the creek and proceed about 1 mile
to where the trail crosses a creek (on a large log) at the 7200'
contour.
- Ascend the slope generally north, avoiding brush as best you can
until you attain a ridge running generally east at about 8200'.
- Continue east and the east-northeast along this ridge, staying slightly to
the north side to avoid brush, to the summit.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS
If descending Route 3, take care to turn south at the point the ridge
runs out, lest you descend into Falls Creek.
ALTERNATE ROUTES
When climbing Dobbs Peak via the Vivian Creek Trail (Route 1), it is
possible to return to the trail by descending southwest from the summit
and meeting the trail near 7200'. This saves considerable mileage
and time but requires significant navigation skills. See Route 3.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS
Wilderness permits are required. They are issued at
Mill Creek Ranger Station,
9 miles from Redlands on SR 38. Day use permits are self-issue on the
day of the hike or by mail. Overnight permits must be acquired in person
or by mail.
Mill Creek Ranger Station
Route 1, Box 264
Mentone, CA 92359
(909) 794-1123
HISTORICAL NOTE
The peak was named for an early explorer in the area. In 1904 the George
Grant party was led by a guide named Dobbs to the summit, reaching it as a
thunderstorm broke. A bolt of lightning struck Dobbs and knocked him
senseless. Another bolt killed another member of the party. Dobbs had to
be restrained until help arrived the next morning, when he regained his
senses but not his memory. (Charles Francis Saunders' "The Southern
Sierras of California", 1923).
Please report any corrections or changes to the
Mountain Records Chair.
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