Most of the remaining snow from the minor storms at the end of November has now melted. Patchy areas of thin snow, rarely more than 0.5 inch deep, remain on sheltered, largely north-facing, slopes (see Trail Conditions section and photos below). However freeze-thaw cycles and compaction by hiker traffic has led to persistent patches in trails being icy and some hikers may find spikes useful in places. Temperatures remain well above seasonal for December until Tuesday 19th, and melting of remnant snow will continue slowly.
The first significant storm system of winter 2023/24 is expected to bring moderate precipitation to all elevations on 20th-23rd December. The freeze level may remain relatively high, with 1-2 inches of rainfall forecast for mid elevations, and a mix of rain turning to light snow between 6000-9000 ft spread across four days. The freeze level may eventually drop as low as 6500 ft on Saturday 23rd, but no significant snowfall is currently forecast below about 7000 ft. Snow forecasts for the high country range widely from 6-20 inches above 10,000 ft. Light to periodically heavy snowfall at high elevations may be scattered across several days from 20th-23rd December.
Daily survey hikes in the San Jacinto mountains include various routes to San Jacinto Peak multiple times per week (most recently on 7th, 11th, and 15th December), Tahquitz Peak and area at least once per week (most recently on 12th-13th December), plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days. My recent weather observations from San Jacinto Peak are given in the Weather section below.
Water sources such as creeks, pipes, and springs largely continue to flow well for the time of year, given the intensity of last winter plus various storms since August, and did not freeze in recent cold weather (example photo below and in the prior Report linked here). Many ephemeral water sources have now dried, but campers and hikers will still generally find water wherever they are expecting it.
South Ridge Road (5S11) was graded on 15th October and reopened in mid November. May Valley Road (5S21) was fully graded in October, and is now much more user-friendly for both hikers and bikers. Dark Canyon Road (4S02) remains closed indefinitely, although the dirt section was partly graded in early October.
Black Mountain Road (4S01) was in its poorest condition for at least a decade by June this year. The partial grading undertaken in July improved the situation somewhat, but it remains a bumpy drive. Seasonal campgrounds and fire lookouts are now all closed for the winter.
WEATHER
Temperatures have remained at or above seasonal since 4th December. Snowmelt has been relatively rapid (given the time of year) in most areas below 8000 ft and those exposed to direct sunlight, but the sun angle is so low in December that melting has been slow in sheltered areas. Most days for the foreseeable future will be at least partly cloudy, slowing the rate of melting, with temperatures dropping to seasonal around Monday 18th December and then below average for several days from 20th December.
A storm system forecast for 20th-23rd December is expected to bring moderate precipitation to all elevations. The freeze level is currently predicted to remain relatively high, with 0.8-1.5 inches of rainfall at mid elevations spread across three or four days, and a mix of rain becoming light-to-moderate snow between 6000-9000 ft over the same time period. The freeze level may finally drop as low as 6500 ft by 23rd, but with no significant snowfall forecast below 6000 ft.
Snow forecasts for the high country have varied greatly but 8-12 inches are currently expected above 10,000 ft. Light snowfall may be scattered across at least 2-3 days, on 20th-22nd December.
Although warmer on 14th-17th December, air temperatures above 10,000 ft elevation are now generally in the 20s-low 30s Fahrenheit (-5 to 0°C), with windchill temperatures usually well below freezing, of course depending on wind speed. On 20th-23rd December, both air and windchill temperatures may be far below freezing, requiring appropriate equipment for very cold conditions.
At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 15th December 2023 at 0810 the air temperature was 45.9°F (8°C), with a windchill temperature of 40.3°F (5°C), 4.5% relative humidity, and a steady SE wind sustained at 6 mph gusting to 7.2 mph.
At the Peak on Monday 11th December 2023 at 0850 the air temperature was 39.8°F (4°C), with a windchill temperature of 32.4°F (0°C), 37% relative humidity, and a light SW wind sustained at 6 mph gusting to 7.4 mph.
At the Peak on Thursday 7th December 2023 at 0805 the air temperature was 35.5°F (2°C), with a windchill temperature of 19.4°F (-7°C), 8% relative humidity, and a wild WNW wind sustained at 19 mph gusting to 39.7 mph.
TRAIL CONDITIONS
There is no significant settled snow anywhere in the high country. However a patchy light snow cover persists in places, notably on slopes that at this time of year receive limited or no direct sun. Even very thin snow has become icy in places on well-traveled trails due to freeze-thaw cycles and compaction by hiker traffic.
Traction devices are not currently required anywhere but carrying them is recommended as the few areas with persistent snow in the trails are generally very icy. Starting about Wednesday 20th December, spikes are expected to be strongly recommended everywhere above about 7000 ft, possibly lower.
Deer Springs Trail below Strawberry Junction (8100 ft) is clear of snow, and is now largely clear of snow from there to the high peaks. The few remaining tiny sections of snow are very icy in places however.
Marion Mountain Trail is largely clear of snow, but a few very short sections of thin icy snow remain, mainly in the least exposed central section of the trail. Spikes are not generally required however.
Devil’s Slide Trail is now functionally clear of snow. The Wellman and Peak trails, both largely open and sun-exposed, are almost completely clear of snow, but very small areas of snow remain in forested sections.
Trails on the north side of Tahquitz (photo above) and Red Tahquitz peaks, including PCT Miles 175.5-177.5, and around the Tahquitz area meadows, remain about 50% covered with very thin snow due to their northerly exposure, drifting, and/or forest cover. South Ridge Trail south from Tahquitz Peak is functionally clear of snow (surveyed 13th December).
Tropical Storm Hilary in late August resulted in one or two new treefall hazards on most trails, but only Willow Creek and Fuller Ridge trails were more significantly impacted.
The rough route cleared along Willow Creek Trail in early August remarkably lasted only two weeks before Tropical Storm Hilary brought down 19 new treefall hazards. Of the seven that came down on the Forest Service section, five were removed in early November. One huge trunk remains just east of Willow Creek that most hikers will find challenging to pass. Of the 12 on the State Park section, eight were cut in late August, and there is a cleared route from Long Valley to Hidden Divide, but four remain uncut between the divide and the Forest Service boundary. The whitethorn trimming is inconsistent and scrappy but overall the trail is more passable than it was as recently as July. Eight trees – of the 60+ down after last winter – remain to be cut on the USFS section for the original trail route to be fully restored, but that will not happen this year, if ever.
Fuller Ridge Trail (PCT Miles 185.5-190.5) has 11 treefall hazards, several of which are large and challenging to pass. The Forest Service section (Miles 189-190.5) was largely cleared and thoroughly raked in September, and is in its best condition for a decade. However the huge double treefall just 0.35 mile from the campground remains. Sadly the State Park section (Miles 185.5-189) remains a mess, with considerable debris remaining from the winter and recent storms, including nine significant treefall hazards.
Deer Springs Trail has had a few treefall hazards removed by the State Park in the past month, but at least seven significant problems remain below the Fuller Ridge Trail junction dating back to last winter. Almost all of the 12 downed trees above Fuller Ridge on upper Deer Springs Trail date back some 6-10 years and have been reported to the State Park multiple times (never resulting in meaningful action).
Trails around the Skunk Cabbage and Tahquitz area meadows have some significant treefall hazards remaining from last winter (resurveyed November 2023). There are six on the PCT section north from near Mile 177 (the crossing of Tahquitz Creek) to Saddle Junction (roughly Mile 179.3), three on each side of Chinquapin Flat. There are four significant treefalls, including a couple that are not easy to pass, on the Little Tahquitz Meadow trail between the Caramba Trail and the PCT junction, and three on the Skunk Cabbage Meadow trail.
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 has been undertaken regularly. No significant new treefall hazards resulted from Tropical Storm Hilary on this trail, but one minor new one fell in November. The middle section of South Ridge Trail – between May Valley Road and the top of South Ridge Road – is now clear following removal of 20 trees in two sessions this season (15th July and 30th October).
Marion Mountain Trail has five notable treefall hazards in the State Park (upper) half. One new large stump came down in Hilary low down on the Forest Service section, but it is easy to pass.
Ten new treefall hazards on Spitler Peak Trail, largely caused by Tropical Storm Hilary, were removed by the Trail Report in October and November. This brings to 95 the number of trees removed from this trail since July 2021 by the Trail Report. Several minor washouts from last 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.
Elsewhere on the PCT treefall hazards remain a problem in many places, most notably between Apache Peak and Red Tahquitz, where I counted 106 between Miles 169-175 in summer 2023. Large downed trees make for especially slow-going around Miles 172-175 (a section severely impacted by the July 2013 Mountain Fire).
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 functionally 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, 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 N 33.7796, W-116.6590). The route descends largely following long-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 plus subsequent flood and treefall damage). The 11 trees down on the King Trail after last winter were removed in June, and the five trees brought down by Hilary were removed or diverted around in November 2023. The tread of the trail received some damage from Tropical Storm Hilary. 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 August 2023 survey counted about 110 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 largely clear of treefall hazards. Five new trees came down across the trail in Tropical Storm Hilary, all in the central mile, but they are readily passable for hikers. Be advised that the trail in general becomes more obscure in the mile closest to its junction with the PCT. 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, more than 70 downed trees have been removed and the trail is thoroughly trimmed and cleared several times per year. 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.
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