Monument Peak

Monument Peak, a 5,272-foot summit in the San Bernardino Mountains, was an important crossing on the old Mohave Trail, a centuries-old trade route linking Colorado River tribes with peoples nearer the Pacific. The trail crossed the crest here after ascending from the Mojave River headwaters through Sawpit Canyon and descending toward the San Bernardino Valley. In March 1776 Father Francisco Garcés became the first known missionary explorer to cross what is now San Bernardino County and leave a written account, and in November 1826 Jedediah Smith became the first known Anglo-American to use the trail. The peak stands as a documented corridor of early inland travel in Southern California.

California · United States