Lion Peak

"went with HPS to Lion Peak -> Pine Mountain-> Pyramid Peak! - Pine Mountain was the most challenging due to thick brush and route finding! Even one of the leader agreed “it’s a $h!tty peak” 😁 - We ran into many PCT hikers! It was a fun day (Ron, Bill & Yoko were leaders) " — diane • Apr 18, 2026

"Long day on (and off) a section of the PCT - hiked from Route 74 (close to Santa Rosa Summit) to downtown Idyllwild. Around 35 miles total with the various detours to bag these peaks. I was too impatient and attacked Lion Peak from the South rather than waiting to get to the saddle which resulted in heinous bushwhacking and class 4 climbing. Learned my lesson on Pine Mountain and stuck to the cairns religiously which helped me avoid the horror scenarios described by others on this site. Palm View Peak is really close to the trail, but nevertheless required fighting through a good amount of thorns. My chosen technique was to try to use fallen logs as much as possible to stay above the fray. Spitler and Apache were conquered after nightfall (I started the day late), and with many miles to go I decided to stick to the trail from there on. Got to my hotel room after 2am..." — danishclimber • Aug 14, 2024

"A nice hike on the PCT to bag some peaks. Little Desert was the easiest, just 20 yards off the PCT, followed by Pyramid, Lion and the real butt kicker, Pine Mountain. I lost the “trail” to Pine probably 50 times, and ruined my hiking shirt plowing through the thick brush, but I did make it! Beautiful day, and I came across a half dozen through hikers! I couldn’t find a register on Pyramid or Pine, and the register on Lion was full." — Mojavewanderer • Mar 27, 2022

"I had intended to go snowshoeing in the San Bernardinos, but crazy traffic on Hwy 330 had me divert to the Desert Divide. This is a new area for me; I had previously done a bit around San Jacinto proper but nothing south along the divide. After previous misadventures in Los Padres, I carried a lightweight pair of loppers. This was a great idea. I was able to clip portions of the use trail up Lion Peak. On Pyramid peak I clipped a long stretch of trail from the middle saddle up to the summit. With the existing ducks, the trail should hopefully be easier to follow now. I thought about giving Palm View and Cone Peak a tag on the way back, but decided to save them for another visit. All in all, a great day in the mountains." — edg • Jan 8, 2022

"Lion Peak was my third and last peak of the traverse. Although until I reached it, I was not sure which peak it was. The peak I climbed looks much different than the photo on the website. However, as I reached the summit, the register clearly labeled it as Lion Peak. After visiting Little Desert and Pyramid Peak, I still had not given up on finding a route up Pine Mountain, so I didn't know at the time that this was my final peak climb for the day. Similar to Pyramid Peak, a use trail leaves the PCT and works its way to the summit. After having my modest lunch, I returned to the PCT and started heading back north where I continued searching for a way to Pine Mountain. To me, the result was similar to what explorers went through when trying to discover the fabled Northwest Passage. In other words, I failed. It was clear to me that I would need to create my own route by bushwhacking while ascending slopes. That was the moment when I realized that there would be no more peak conquests for the day." — MikeTeeples • Nov 10, 2017

"The third peak of the day (after Pyramid and Pine) with the SoCal Hike and Peakbag 4 Season Hikes group, led by Jill G. We didn't find a summit marker at the top. Beautiful views, fun hike!" — HikerMark • Jan 25, 2014