UPDATE Friday 28th July 2023: The Wild Fire was held at <5 acres yesterday. However the San Jacinto mountains have been impacted today by smoke from the 900+ acre Bonny Fire, burning well to the south-west near Aguanga. Smoke started drifting across our area by about 0800, when I could smell it as I was descending through Round Valley, and a milky sun and smoky skies have continued all afternoon over Idyllwild.
UPDATE Thursday 27th July 2023: a fire started this afternoon immediately south of Idyllwild, in chaparral between the Transfer Station and Grinding Station, off Highway 243. Named the Wild Fire, I posted a short video of the fire activity as of about 1700 this evening (linked here) taken from the top of the Sunset Trail off May Valley Road. Briefly up to three water-dropping helicopters were in attendance, but that was down to one by about 1730. Held at 3-5 acres by dark.
————————-
The San Jacinto mountains are forecast to remain in a protracted heatwave for several more days, although temperatures have ameliorated somewhat from the record highs of last week. At mid elevations (such as Idyllwild) daytime highs will remain several degrees above seasonal every day until 31st July, with overnight lows 8-12°F above seasonal. Temperatures are generally expected to fall to around seasonal for the first four days of August, although overnight lows will remain above average, before another heating trend starts on Saturday 5th August.
A minor monsoonal thunderstorm on Sunday 23rd July produced a little rain – 0.05 inch at San Jacinto Peak and 0.06 inch in Idyllwild – and a pleasantly cool cloudy day with some welcome humidity. Further monsoonal conditions are a possibility for the foreseeable future, currently most likely on or around Monday 31st July.
Fire risk is currently very high. The fifth anniversary of the start of the Cranston Fire is on 25th July. That destructive 13,140 acre fire, started by an arsonist (currently serving a lengthy prison sentence) burned right around the western and southern fringes of Idyllwild, destroying several homes, trails, and well-forested canyons, and to within feet, literally, of Tahquitz Peak fire lookout (photos below).
Hikers should be prepared for unseasonably hot weather in the high country, with temperatures above seasonal at all times of day and at all elevations until 31st July, and then again from 5th August. Give considerable extra thought to route choice, start times, clothing, sun protection, and hydration requirements.
Hikers in summer should also be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions in the high country. Monsoon thunderstorms are always a possibility, although storm probabilities are relatively low for the foreseeable future. Lightning, brief but intense precipitation, and rapid temperature drops can occur in the high country even when such storms are not forecast for lower elevations.
The trail system has been clear of snow since mid July. A handful of tiny snow patches remain in the most heavily drifted areas that traditionally melt late, notably the East Ridge of San Jacinto Peak.
Daily survey hikes include a variety of routes to San Jacinto Peak multiple times per week, most recently on 21st, 22nd, and 24th July, plus many other trails on intervening days. A sample of my recent weather observations from San Jacinto Peak is given in the Weather section below.
Currently perennial creeks, pipes, and springs are flowing well (e.g., see photos below and in the previous Report here), as are most ephemeral springs and creeks. Consequently I am not reporting details for individual water sources at this time. Given recent temperatures and record low humidity, this situation will start changing soon. To date this summer has seen the most water on the mountain since 1998 (following the great El Niño winter of 1997/98).
Given the intensity of this past winter, hikers will encounter new treefall hazards on trails. Trails are steadily being cleared, largely by volunteers. Since the snow melted the Trail Report has cleared upper South Ridge and Spitler Peak trails (14 and 38 trees, respectively), the PCT between Saddle and Annie’s junctions (approx. PCT Miles 179-181, eight of nine trees), the informal trail descending from Willow Creek Trail to Laws (10 trees), and largely cleared Seven Pines Trail. Starting in June about 45 trees – from an initial total of 68 – have been cut from Willow Creek Trail by a variety of volunteers and agencies.
Be rattlesnake aware. Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes Crotalus (oreganus) helleri have become very active on the trail system in recent days up to at least 8800 ft elevation. Above about 5000 ft, the venom of this rattlesnake species in these mountains is predominantly neurotoxic, typically fatal for dogs and sometimes for humans (see my 2020 article here for further information). Devil’s Slide and lower Deer Springs trails, Suicide Rock, around Strawberry Cienega, and trails near Tahquitz Peak are common locations for sightings, but rattlesnakes have been recorded up to 9300 ft, generally favoring sun-exposed rocky outcrops and slopes.
Black Mountain Road (4S01) was in its poorest condition for at least a decade this spring. The partial grading undertaken on 17th July has improved the situation somewhat. Forest Service roads Dark Canyon Road (4S02) and South Ridge Road (5S11) remain closed to vehicles. Other than Dark Canyon, all Forest and State campgrounds have now reopened.
The annual maintenance closure of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is scheduled for 7th-31st August 2023, a month earlier than usual.
Due to major road work at the uppermost end of Fern Valley Road, Humber Park parking area will be completely closed to all traffic, including cyclists and pedestrians, for two weeks in October 2023 (exact dates TBD). In general be prepared for disruption accessing trailheads around Idyllwild throughout August-October due to resurfacing work on North Circle Drive, South Circle Drive, and Fern Valley Road, and on lower Saunders Meadow Road in the first half of August.
WEATHER
July has been a dramatic contrast to the six consecutive months of below average temperatures that started 2023. The most recent heatwave has been unusually protracted, with 11 of the past 12 days recording a daytime high temperature of 90°F or higher in Idyllwild, a trend expected to continue for several more days. A modest cooling starting 31st July will drop temperatures closer to seasonal averages, and may be accompanied by some monsoonal activity. Thunderstorms are currently most likely on Sunday 30th July to Tuesday 1st August.
As is increasingly the trend in the San Jacinto mountains, the overnight “low” temperatures in particular will be as much as 10°F above seasonal especially at mid elevations until the end of July, and are forecast to remain several degrees above average well into August.
The highest elevations have not escaped the heatwave, with temperatures well above average for the month throughout the second half of July, and possibly lasting into early August. The temperature I measured at San Jacinto Peak on Friday 21st July (62.6°F/17.0°C) is the second highest ever known to have been reliably recorded at that location.
At San Jacinto Peak (10,810ft/3295m) on Monday 24th July 2023 at 0800 the air temperature was 55.1°F (13°C), with a windchill temperature of 51.1°F (11°C), 41% relative humidity, and a light SW wind sustained at 5 mph gusting to 9.1 mph.
At the Peak on Saturday 22nd July 2023 at 0645 the air temperature was 60.1°F (16°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 55.9°F (13°C), 34% relative humidity, and a steady SSE wind sustained at 10 mph gusting to 16.4 mph.
At the Peak on Friday 21st July 2023 at 0720 the air temperature was 62.6°F (17°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 59.7°F (15°C), 34% relative humidity, and a warm ESE wind sustained at 4 mph gusting to 7.6 mph. This air temperature is the second highest ever reliably observed at San Jacinto Peak, although it is 5.0°F below the astonishing all-time high recorded on 12th July 2021.
TRAIL CONDITIONS
The trail system is now clear of snow. San Jacinto Peak is now functionally clear of snow, with no significant snow patches on the trail routes up to the Peak. Snow cover remains about 5% on the East Ridge of the Peak, but the trail up that flank is functionally clear of snow.
Deer Springs Trail is clear of snow, but has about 15 significant treefall hazards. Little Round Valley is now completely clear of snow. Water is flowing very well there and in all of the springs and creeks along the Deer Springs Trail route.
Trails around the Skunk Cabbage and Tahquitz area meadows have significant treefall hazards throughout. There are seven treefall hazards across the trails between Little Tahquitz Meadow and Chinquapin Flat and another four down on the trail south from Saddle Junction to Chinquapin Flat.
Fourteen treefall hazards from this past winter on South Ridge Trail (above the trailhead at the top of South Ridge Road) were removed by the Trail Report in May, and trail trimming on that section is undertaken regularly. South Ridge Road remains closed to vehicle traffic and is not expected to reopen until graded, possibly not until August. Eleven of 13 downed trees were removed by volunteers from the middle section of South Ridge Trail (between May Valley Road and the top of South Ridge Road) on 15th July.
Marion Mountain Trail is clear of snow but there are four notable new treefall hazards in the State Park (upper) half.
Trail maintenance crews will be working regularly on Willow Creek Trail in late July and early August. The trail remains a slow, messy hike for about two miles due to treefall hazards and whitethorn overgrowth, but thanks to the work of various volunteers and State teams the situation is steadily improving. As of 28th July 2023, about 23 treefall hazards remained across the trail, some of which are large and/or challenging to hike around (or over). There is only one large tree down between Saddle Junction and the Skunk Cabbage Meadow junction, and then a further 19 trees down on the next 1.5 mile Forest Service section until the State Park boundary. Only three trees remain down on the State Park section of trail up to Hidden Divide. The trail section with the most trees down – between the Willow Creek crossing and the State Park boundary – is also overgrown with thick whitethorn. With trail maintenance work, this may improve over the next few weeks. The work that Bill Rhoads and I undertook to clear whitethorn along this trail in 2020 was not completely in vain and parts of the trail would have functionally disappeared by now otherwise. The State Park has done an excellent job of trimming and clearing the trail on their section, with 90% of the whitethorn cut back in recent weeks, and just a few significant overgrown patches remaining closer to Hidden Divide.
The Trail Report removed all 38 treefall hazards from Spitler Peak Trail between late May and early June this year, bringing the total removed to 85+ since July 2021. Several minor washouts from this past winter in the upper switchbacks have significantly impacted the tread in places; these are not problematic for hikers, but the trail is impassable to stock.
The PCT is clear of snow throughout the San Jacinto mountains. Treefall hazards are a problem in many places but most notably between Apache Peak and Red Tahquitz, where I counted 106 between Miles 169-175 in June 2023. Large downed trees make for especially slow-going around Miles 172-175 (a section severely burned in the 2013 Mountain Fire).
Trails clear of both snow and treefall hazards include the Peak Trail, Black Mountain Trail, Ernie Maxwell Trail, Devil’s Slide Trail, and the Wellman Trail.
The Caramba Trail from near Reeds Meadow through Laws Camp and on to Caramba, and the Cedar Trail from Willow Creek Trail to Laws, are euphemistically described by the Forest Service as “not maintained”. In reality both trails have been abandoned and no longer exist. They are so heavily overgrown with dense whitethorn, which obscures dozens of downed trees, that I strongly advise hikers do not attempt to follow them (regardless of how much you may trust a certain app). An informal use trail to Laws is much more direct, well maintained by the Trail Report, and avoids the challenging bushwhacking of the unmaintained trails (local Idyllwild hikers dubbed it the “King Trail” when I established the route in 2019). It leaves Willow Creek Trail exactly 1.0 mile from Saddle Junction, 0.46 mile from the Skunk Cabbage turning (trailhead at lat/long N 33.7796, W 116.6590). The route descends largely following established deer trails for 1.2 miles, meeting Willow Creek about 0.2 mile upstream from the site of the historic Laws Camp (the remains of which were destroyed by the 2013 Mountain Fire and subsequent flood and treefall damage). The 11 trees down on the King Trail after this winter were removed in June-July 2023. From Laws east to Caramba the route of the original Caramba Trail has been well-cairned by myself and others and can largely be followed with very careful route-finding. My May 2023 survey counted just over 100 trees down on this 2.1 miles of trail. It is especially obscure for the first 0.3 mile east of the Willow Creek crossing, becoming more obvious (but still subtle) as it descends towards Caramba. Very cautious navigation is advised throughout the area.
Seven Pines Trail is clear of snow. The crossing of the very swollen North Fork of the San Jacinto River at 1.5 miles on this trail (just after the State Park boundary) currently requires considerable caution. The Trail Report has “adopted” Seven Pines Trail as a priority for maintenance work as the trail has had a disproportionate number of lost hiker rescues in the past decade. Since November 2021, 67 downed trees have been removed and almost the entire trail thoroughly trimmed and cleared. Nevertheless Seven Pines remains a genuine wilderness trail unlike the relatively wide, bare, and obvious routes of, for example, Devil’s Slide or Marion Mountain trails. Cautious navigation remains essential for those without considerable experience of hiking this trail.
While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Every year seems to have its unique challenges, and 2023 has been no exception. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal are all options. Thank you very much for your support.
San Jacinto Trail Report 