girl scout hike to Divide Peak

[bcrowell]

I'll be leading a group of 12-year-old girl scouts on a hike in Long Valley on Saturday. I'm familiar with the routes up to San Jacinto Peak, but haven't done all the trails close to the tram. What I'm proposing is to take them up Divide Peak, which would be an out and back hike with a total of 3 miles r/t, 700' gain. I haven't been up Divide Peak before, but the topo map makes it look like a pretty gentle slope. Is this a reasonable plan? Anything I should know? There will be other adults there, and I'm planning to set it up so that if some of the girls are not so into hiking, they can turn back earlier with one of the other adults.

[neverwashasbeen]

I would recommend you take them up to Round Valley and then back down the High Trail. This is a nice loop hike with great views. If you want a short side trip, go up to the Ranger cabin in RV or go over to Hidden Divide.

[Perry]

It's been awhile, but I think Divide Rock requires class 3 climbing. Landells peaks are very similar, class 3/4/5, except I think the peak on the very right is class 2. There's a nice view from Lotus campground, and that's all on trail.

[bcrowell]

Aha -- good thing I asked! I think class 3 is probably not something I want to do with this group. It would be interesting to get more info on any class 2 route up Landells; I wasn't able to find anything specific by googling. We only have 3 hours, and these kids won't hike fast, so we probably can't do much more than about 3 miles. Maybe we'll go to Hidden Divide. Are those hills to the north and south of Hidden Lake easily climbable things that give good views? (I wouldn't take this group to Hidden Lake itself.)

[Perry]

Hidden Divide looks very rocky. It's been a long time since I've been to Landell's. Sticking to trails is safest for a young group. Going off trail is more for people who get tired of the trails or are seeking a very solitary experience. The odds of getting lost go up a lot once you leave a trail. The Round Valley Trail is very popular. The high trail and Willow Creek are less used but are also easy to follow if the snow is melted. Is the snow melted? Maybe somebody else knows.

If they get tired, still it's a good idea to stick to a trail and not try a shortcut. This is a little embarrassing, but about 10 years ago I got a little confused trying to go cross-country from high trail to RV trail. Don't tell anybody though...

[bcrowell]

Thanks for the advice, Perry, much appreciated!

[phydeux]

Don't know where you're coming from so here's another idea for hiking with some noobs - how about one of the peaks on the north side of Big Bear Lake? Bertha Peak is the most popular, has the best summit view and is easily accessable from the Cougar Crest Trail parking lot. Its three miles each way, but even if your group just gets up to the junction of the PC Trail (2 miles/4 miles RT)you'll still get great views out over the Big Bear Lake valley and the SG Wilderness to the south. The view from Bertha's summit gives you some nice views into the Holcomb Valley area, too. A basic map is available on the Big Bear Discovery Center's website. Gold Mountain (north of Baldwin Lake) also has nice views, but is a little more remote; its parking is where the PCT crosses the road up to he Big Bear Dump (the east end of Holcomb Valley Road). Also look on summitpost.org for more info on both; click on 'Mountains and Rocks' on the blue stripe near the top of the page to get to the search function.