| San Gorgonio Mountain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 11,503 ft (3,506 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Prominence | 8,294 ft (2,528 m) ↓Soledad Pass[1] |
| Isolation | 162.49 mi (261.50 km) →Charleston Peak |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 34°05′57″N116°49′29″W / 34.099162°N 116.824853°W /34.099162; -116.824853[1] |
| Naming | |
| English translation | Saint Gorgonius |
| Language of name | Spanish |
| Geography | |
  San Gorgonio Mountain  San Gorgonio Mountain  San Gorgonio Mountain | |
| Location | San Bernardino County,California, U.S. |
| Parent range | San Bernardino Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS San Gorgonio Mountain |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1872 by W. A. Goodyear and Mark Thomas |
| Easiest route | Strenuous hike |
San Gorgonio Mountain, also known locally asMount San Gorgonio, orOld Greyback, is the highest peak inSouthern California and theTransverse Ranges at 11,503 feet (3,506 m).
It is in theSan Bernardino Mountains, 27 miles (43 km) east of the city ofSan Bernardino and 12 miles (19 km) north-northeast ofSan Gorgonio Pass. It lies within theSan Gorgonio Wilderness, part of theSand to Snow National Monument managed by theSan Bernardino National Forest.
Spanish missionaries in the area during the early 17th century named the peak afterSaint Gorgonius.
Since it is the highest point in a region which is separated from higher peaks (e.g. in theSierra Nevada) by relatively low terrain, San Gorgonio Mountain is one of the mosttopographically prominent peaks in the United States. It is ranked 7th among peaks in the48 contiguous states[2] and 18th overall.[3]
Like other high peaks in the Transverse Ranges, the mountain has a pyramid shape, with a steep north face and a slightly shallower south face. The mountain is large and broad; the summit plateau itself is one square-mile in area (2.6 km2).
In contrast to its spectacular but lower neighbor,San Jacinto Peak, San Gorgonio is not particularly craggy, and from a distance, it appears to be an exceptionally tall hill, earning it the name ofgreyback. Despite not being particularly striking in appearance during the summer, it is the only mountain in Southern California with a summit a significant distance above the tree line. As such its bright white winter snow cap, unobstructed by vegetation, makes the mountain noticeable from many miles away. The mountain hosts the longest recorded line of sight in the contiguous United States; it is plainly visible from the summit ofMount Whitney, 190 miles (306 km) away.[4]
San Gorgonio Mountain lies at the easternmost extremity of theTransverse Ranges. The mountain is a heavily eroded, partiallydissected plateau.[5]
Big Bear Lake, California is the largest city near San Gorgonio, and hosts two major ski resorts; it is also used for summer recreation.
The shape of the mountain is influenced by a series of steeply dipping thrust faults on the north face of the mountain. The south side of the mountain contains river canyons typical of adissected plateau.[5]
The mountain consists of a massive block ofquartz monzonite, which sits on an ancient platform ofPrecambriangneissic rocks. Glacial and fluvial deposits dominate the surface of the lowest part of the mountain.[6]
Three major Southern California rivers have their source on San Gorgonio Mountain: theSanta Ana River, theWhitewater River, and theSan Gorgonio River.
Jenks Lake, on the north slope of the mountain, is one of the fewperennial lakes in Southern California.
San Gorgonio Mountain sits on theGreat Basin Divide, which separates streams that flow into the basins of theBasin and Range Province from rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean.
The climate on most of the mountain isCsb (Warm-summerMediterranean) under theKöppen climate classification. The summit of San Gorgonio has a dry summersubalpine climate (KöppenDfc), bordering onAlpine climate (ET), with only two months averaging over 10 °C.
| Climate data for San Gorgonio Mountain 34.1009 N, 116.8240 W, Elevation: 11,132 ft (3,393 m) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 36.5 (2.5) | 35.6 (2.0) | 38.7 (3.7) | 42.7 (5.9) | 50.5 (10.3) | 60.5 (15.8) | 65.5 (18.6) | 64.6 (18.1) | 59.9 (15.5) | 51.5 (10.8) | 43.0 (6.1) | 36.9 (2.7) | 48.8 (9.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 26.8 (−2.9) | 25.5 (−3.6) | 27.9 (−2.3) | 31.7 (−0.2) | 37.3 (2.9) | 46.3 (7.9) | 51.5 (10.8) | 50.8 (10.4) | 48.0 (8.9) | 40.3 (4.6) | 33.0 (0.6) | 27.0 (−2.8) | 37.2 (2.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.1 (−8.3) | 15.3 (−9.3) | 17.2 (−8.2) | 20.7 (−6.3) | 24.2 (−4.3) | 32.1 (0.1) | 37.5 (3.1) | 37.0 (2.8) | 36.2 (2.3) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 23.0 (−5.0) | 17.2 (−8.2) | 25.6 (−3.6) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 11.93 (303) | 11.64 (296) | 7.81 (198) | 3.49 (89) | 1.06 (27) | 0.23 (5.8) | 0.43 (11) | 0.49 (12) | 1.54 (39) | 3.72 (94) | 4.13 (105) | 7.08 (180) | 53.55 (1,359.8) |
| Source: PRISM Climate Group[7] | |||||||||||||
Like most other peaks in the Transverse Ranges, the summit is a technically easy "class 1" hike. Several trails lead to the broad summit of San Gorgonio Mountain, which rises a few hundred feet (100 m) above thetree line. Most routes are very strenuous and require well over 4,000 feet (1,200 m) of elevation gain.
The trail leading from the Fish Creek Trailhead to San Gorgonio Mountain has about 3,400 feet (1,000 m) of gain, less than the routes from the South Fork and Vivian Creek trailheads. Some junctions on this trail are not well marked.
On December 1, 1952, aDouglas C-47, serial number 45-1124, crashed at the 11,000 feet (3,400 m) level on the eastern face of the mountain. The C-47 was en route fromOffutt Air Force Base,Nebraska toMarch Air Force Base nearRiverside, California when it struck the mountain at night in the middle of a storm. "The aircraft was last heard from at 9:51 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Monday." Thirteen people died.[8][9]
Nearly one month after the C-47 accident aMarine CorpsHRS-2 helicopter, bureau number 129037, crashed on the mountain in coordination of the efforts of recovering the victims.[10] The three crewmen of the helicopter survived the impact.[11] The remains of the wreckage of the two aircraft were left on the mountain and are accessible via the Fish Creek Trailhead or the South Fork Trailhead.
On January 6, 1977,Natalie "Dolly" Sinatra'schartered flight onLearjet 24 N12MK fromPalm Springs toLas Vegas struck a 9,700 foot ridge of the mountain about 4 minutes after takeoff. All four onboard were killed instantly; Mrs. Sinatra, 82, her friend, Anna Stack Carbone, 67, Captain Donald J. Weier, 36, and co-pilot Jerald W. Foley, 43. The trip was intended to be a gift from sonFrank, so the two ladies could watch him perform and do some gambling.[12]
To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clickingCoordinates (underLocation); copyLatitude andLongitude figures from top of table; clickZoom to location; clickPrecipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click30-year normals, 1991-2020; click800m; clickRetrieve Time Series button.
