No hike if raining.  Bring plenty of water.

The Rock Garden hike in late August.

This is a Friday 8:30am meetup—no need to register.

WHITE MOUNTAIN/ROCK GARDEN – 8:30AM.  This is a relative short hike, but somewhat steep at the beginning.  The 25 minute ascent leads both to the peak of White Mountain (elevation: 3800 ft.) as well as the “Rock Garden”.  Multiple trails lead in and among the boulders and pines, and we usually spend some time exploring the vista points.  There are great views of the ocean and city, and we will no doubt also see some fire damage off to the east.  The roundtrip distance is about 1.5 miles with roughly 400’ of elevation gain.  For those who want a longer hike, there is the option to hike back down a less traveled trail to Gibraltar Road and then walk back up Gibraltar to the parking area. 

Directions: The trailhead is a parking space at the top of Gibraltar Rd where E Camino Cielo Rd splits to the right and left (go left and the parking is on the left).  The forest closure runs to the east from Gibraltar Road, but it is open for travel. From 192, go north, (to the mountains) at Sheffield Reservoir on Mountain Dr.  Go 1/2 mile to where the street trifurcates, the middle road is Gibraltar Rd.  Go 1/2 mile to a stop sign and turn left on to the continuation of Gibraltar Rd.  Travel 7 miles up Gibraltar.  Note: Gibraltar takes 15-20 minutes to drive, so consider this in your planning as the hike is at 8:30am from the top of Gibraltar Road.