Hiked: 10/10/2021
Distance: 7 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 9952'
Prominence: 1952'
Elevation Gain: 1636'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.3
Round trip time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Wildhorse Meadow Road
Difficulty: Easy
Sugarloaf (HPS #20) is a very common mountain name. This one is in San Bernardino County and was my 5th Sugarloaf. I drove six miles up Wildhorse Meadow Road (2N93) from highway 38 to the base of the long east ridge. The official trailhead is closer to highway 330 on the north side of the mountain. My starting point cut a couple of miles and 1000' of gain off the hike. The trade off was navigating a rougher dirt road. I expected the drive to be more challenging than the hike. While there were sections of big rocks and ruts, there wasn't anything scary about the drive. High clearance mandatory, 4x4 recommended.
I started around 7:30 AM on a sunny, chilly morning (33F). I wasn't sure the trail on the lower ridge went all the way to the junction with the main Sugarloaf trail. It wasn't clear from satellite recon. However, I found the trail in great shape and easy to follow. It was less than a mile to the junction with the official trail. Big views toward San Gorgonio opened up to the south. Views north toward Big Bear Valley were less frequent. The summit had two signs, a metal pole, and an ammo box register. From the number of signatures, Sugarloaf was a popular destination with more than the peak bagging crowd. Views from the summit were mostly blocked by large pines. On the way down, I stopped on a small bump just off trail to take some photos. There were no marks on the summit, but I found an unusual mark on the bump placed in 1981 by the "Defense Mapping Agency". I'd never seen this kind of mark before. The Internet says the DMA operated from 1972-1996, then was folded into the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. It was an odd find on an easy, but pleasant stroll in the woods.
Geez, how many Sugarloafs are there?
ReplyDeletePeakbagger lists 93 Sugarloafs in the United States. 21 Sugarloafs in California. 2 Sugarloafs in the Sierra Nevada.
DeleteMadison--you'll be super jealous to learn that we get two (2) Sugarloafs within 1 mile of one another down here in OC! Forest Service eventually added "Old" on mapping to one to reduce confusion...maybe. Tekewin--really pleased to read your report on the one 'loaf that matters most to our family. Many great memories going back to the 60's with my dad often leading the way up various routes to the summit.
ReplyDeleteGloop,
DeleteI can't remember how many times I've looked over at it from the main Bernardino ridge. Nice to cross it off the list.