By TIM WILCOX

Special to the Alpine Mountaineer

Where: Running Springs

Length: 3.8-mile round trip

Elevation gain: 512 feet

Challenge: moderate

Not every hike has to be on a trail. This one follows the paved route from the upper exit/entry point of the Children’s Forest Exploration Trail. It rises more than 500 feet from that trailhead to the summit of Keller Peak (7,882 feet). Your historic destination is the fire lookout, built in 1926. That makes it the oldest active tower in the San Bernardino National Forest.

Let’s begin with how to get to the parking area. From communities west of Running Springs, take Highway 18 east through Skyforest, then past SkyPark and Heaps Peak Arboretum. In Running Springs itself, proceed to the main intersection and remain on Highway 18 after driving safely through the yield sign. Continue downhill a mile or so past Charles Hoffman Elementary School and its athletic field to Keller Peak Road (just beyond the Forest Service sign). Turn right and drive about four miles up the road until you come to a T-intersection. Make a right there and park in the large turnout by the trailhead sign.

On a midweek, early-September day, the two amiable and expert volunteers manning the Keller Peak Fire Lookout were Douglas Miller (sighting on the Osborne Fire Finder) and Mike Lanterman. Miller, who’s from Glendora, has been a fire-lookout volunteer for 12 years. Lanterman, from Long Beach, is investing his first summer in the lookout. Volunteers typically serve several days each month during the fire season. (Photos by T. Wilcox

On the Road

OK, begin your hike by heading south uphill. About two-tenths of mile from where you parked, you’ll come upon an absolutely massive Ponderosa pine looming immediately to the left of the roadway.

As you proceed, you’ll notice that this is one of the rockiest parts of the San Bernardino Mountains. The boulder fields along the road and also on the Exploration Trail are among the most extensive in our expansive alpine neighborhood. (San Bernardino National Forest comprises 823,816 acres.)

About three-quarters of a mile into the hike, you’ll pass by a large Forest Service gate that’s typically left open until winter. The road continues to ascend but then levels off and opens up to spectacular 180-degree views to the east and south and west. Saddleback Mountain—which is actually two peaks, Santiago and Modjeska—appears in the western distance.

On a clear day along this stretch of roadway (1.4 miles from the starting point), you can see the silhouette of Santa Catalina Island and also the intervening channel. How far away is the island from Keller Peak? About 120 miles.

Finally, you come to a big loop. Now you can clearly see the fire lookout and the much larger microwave-array tower. Soon you’re at the base of the lookout, almost two miles from your starting point. During fire season, the lookout is open to the public seven days a week from about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Climb up the steep stairway, and a volunteer or volunteers will greet you, answer your questions and hand you a pair of binoculars.

As you’ll discover, this is one of the great vantage points in these mountains and maybe all of Southern California. Only the microwave tower obstructs what would otherwise be a full-circle view. But a visual sweep of 355 degrees is more than acceptable. It’s spectacular!

NOTES: The road from the Exploration Trail to the Keller Peak Fire Lookout ascends along much of its nearly two-mile length, offering a great aerobic-exercise outing. Views en route to the lookout and then up in the tower itself are unsurpassed in the San Bernardino Mountains. By the way, you can drive to the lookout tower, but it’s not recommended. Why? Because the road is narrow most of the way, with many blind curves. As a hiker, then, it’s essential to be especially watchful for vehicles coming downhill. Hiking is safer and, of course, more beneficial. Finally, to learn about volunteering for the 2024 fire season, visit [email protected].