Does anyone here have any experience on Mount San Jacinto? I'm headed out there next week - May 11/12th and am planning a 2 day trip up the mountain.
For a California Park, information sure is sparse compared to other state and National parks.
I know that its a 1000 foot elevation per mile slog......
Any other overnight suggestions near Anaheim? I realize this is all last minute, but what the heck.....
I've hiked and camped San Jacinto 3 times in the last year. I took the tram from Palm Springs once and stayed at Round Valley campground then hit the peak in the morning. I believe I stayed at Quartz campsite which had good trees for the hammock. The other two times I parked at Humber Park and hiked the Devils Slide Trail to Round Valley camp site...it was a great hike, but tough with the elevation. There is water at Round Valley, but I would confirm any other water sources with the ranger since they dry up throughout the year. There are other trails you can take, but they have the same type of climb. The ranger station is in downtown Idyllwild and it's $5 to camp and I'm not sure about the cost of the parking permit since I have the yearly pass. Let me know if you have any more specific questions.
Depending on my timing, I may take the Tram up from Palm Springs and stay at Little Round Valley Campground - but if I have time I'm heading up the Marion mountain trail. It's only 6 miles in but 6,000 feet up.....
The weather forecast looks ok 80's in the daytime and high 50's at night - and no rain in the forecast. The water is my main concern. The ranger I talked with didn't give great confidence in the water. She said that it is unreliable - however as it was snowing there yesterday there probably will be run off through next week.
Did you call the Ranger Station in Idyllwild? If so, that's a pretty standard response regarding water. The Long Valley Ranger Station (760 327-0222) up on the mountain after you exit the tram is much more accurate. They have water at the station and the other confirmed source is at Round Valley, but there is a problem. It's a pipe coming out of the ground that usually has a good flow rate. As of today, it's being described as a trickle...just means it will take longer to fill. They aren't sure of the cause but are looking into it.
Bizzz
That was a brutal hike. The Marion mountain trail is one of the toughest hikes I’ve ever done. But was it beautiful. 20F28EE5-3BA9-4625-AD7B-0632690D0848.jpg
Hey Congratulations! It's definitely a butt kicker, but such a great area.Originally Posted by Bmello
How was the water availability?
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Hopefully Bmello will give you a current water status. Are you familiar with this area? Other than Round Valley being very reliable up until now with the flow reduced to a trickle, the only other consistently reliable source in that general area that I'm aware of is at Wellman Cienega about a half mile south of Wellman Divide.
My family and I are heading there first week of June for an overnight trip and staying at little round valley. Starting and ending in idyllwild. Does anyone know if the sites can accommodate 5 hammocks? The ranger I emailed said you have to be set up no further than 20’ from the site numbering post.
I've never stayed there, but am familiar with the area and terrain. There are only 6 marked sites at Little Round Valley. I wouldn't worry too much about the 20' rule but more about availability since summer and the weekends tend to be the busiest times. It might be a stretch finding enough correctly spaced trees for that many hammocks on one site, so you will probably have to spread out a bit. Around the campsites it isn't dense forrest, but more a mix of large rocky areas with large trees mixed in. Good luck! If you're hiking out of Idyllwild and taking the Deer Springs Trail to LRV, it's about 8 miles and 4000ft of elevation.
Here's a bit of a visual of the area.
https://youtu.be/D9OryklTGp4
Last edited by Bizzz; 05-16-2018 at 10:34.
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