The San Jacinto mountains have been experiencing a record-breaking heatwave this month. Very hot temperatures well above seasonal even for July are forecast to continue until Saturday 13th. Daytime highs will cool slightly to near or just above seasonal in the third week of July, but overnight low temperatures are expected to remain 5-15°F above average for the remainder of the month. Temperatures are expected to rise again starting Friday 19th July.
Idyllwild has set an all-time record with ten consecutive days with the temperature at or above 90°F (32°C) as of 11th July 2024, with at least one more day of such temperatures expected (the prior record of eight days was set in late June 2017). Worse still, most days have peaked in the mid to high 90s, not merely just above 90°F.
The temperature I measured at San Jacinto Peak – 68.2°F (20°C) – on the morning of Monday 8th July set a new all-time record high for that location. More significantly San Jacinto Peak has shattered its record for consecutive days of at least 60°F (16°C) – previously the record was four days, once each in 2018, 2020, and 2021 – with all ten days since 3rd July 2024 surpassing that temperature. While 60 degrees may sound quite pleasant during the current heatwave, it is worth recalling that the Peak is at 10,810 ft (3295 m) elevation, and although such temperatures are now sadly annual, they were almost completely unrecorded there as recently as ten years ago.
Hikers must be prepared for unseasonably hot weather in the high country, with temperatures well above seasonal at all times of day and at all mountain elevations. Please give considerable extra thought to start times, route choice (issues such as sun exposure, forest cover, water availability), appropriate clothing, sun protection, and hydration requirements, or indeed whether it is wise to be hiking at all in such conditions.
Onset of heat-related health problems can be very rapid but they are almost always entirely avoidable with appropriate planning. Sadly this week a 61-year-old PCT section hiker from Chula Vista who was day hiking on Saturday 6th July in the area of Miles 188-196 (immediately south and north of Fuller Ridge Campground) was found dead on 10th July near Mile 195. While cause of death has not been confirmed at this time, Saturday 6th was the hottest day of the year in the San Jacinto mountains.
The State Park closed the uppermost section of Skyline Trail – which forms the lower part of the C2C (Cactus-to-clouds route) – in their jurisdiction, i.e. above about 5600 ft, starting 12th July due to “dangerously high temperatures impacting the Palm Springs region”. The trail “will continue to be closed until further notice”.
A comprehensive fire ban is now in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here). Fires are completely prohibited in all camping areas, including those provided with fire rings. Fires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas. Fires are now also prohibited in the Idyllwild campgrounds.
Survey hikes by the Trail Report every day year-round in the San Jacinto mountains include varied and often circuitous routes to San Jacinto Peak multiple times per week (most recently on 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th July), plus many other trails on intervening days.
All major springs, creeks, and pipes are flowing adequately at this time (some example photos below). However flow rates are dropping steadily at upper elevations and almost all ephemeral water sources are now dry.
Be rattlesnake aware. Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus helleri) have been seen on the trail system up to at least 8800 ft elevation, and may be seen as high as 9300 ft. The volume of early season sightings suggested abundant snake populations this year in the San Jacinto mountains.
Be bear aware. Although rarely reported, up to three Black Bears have been in the San Jacinto mountains since 2017, where I have seen at least one annually for the past six years, most recently on upper Marion Mountain Trail on 14th September 2023. I found fresh prints in snow on 12th February this year at 9000 ft near PCT Mile 180.5 (photo here). Brief videos from Devil’s Slide Trail in September 2021 (available here) and at home in Idyllwild in 2018 (linked here) show two different individuals. There have been no reports of negative interactions with humans at or near campsites.
WEATHER
Above seasonal temperatures started on 21st June and this trend will continue well into late July. The first eleven days of July have seen temperatures far above seasonal, and hot weather will continue for the next two weeks (at least). Although temperatures should drop somewhat starting Saturday 13th (i.e. to just below 90°F in Idyllwild and <60°F at San Jacinto Peak), they are forecast to generally remain a few degrees above seasonal throughout the third week of July, before rising again around 19th-20th.
There is no relief in the high country, with record high temperatures combined with record duration of warm temperatures even above 10,000 ft elevation. As is increasingly the case with a steadily heating climate in the San Jacinto mountains, overnight low temperatures in particular will continue to be well above seasonal deep into the second half of July. There is currently no significant precipitation in the forecasts, but a slim chance of light monsoonal rain on 13th-15th, and possibly again after 19th, in both cases most likely around the high peaks.
At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Thursday 11th July 2024 at 0750 the air temperature was 67.1°F (20°C), with no meaningful windchill temperature, 21% relative humidity, and a mild ESE breeze sustained at 2 mph gusting to 4.6 mph.
At the Peak on Tuesday 9th July 2024 at 0745 the air temperature was 61.8°F (16°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 59.5°F (15°C), 17% relative humidity, and a steady SW wind sustained at 7 mph gusting to 11.6 mph.
At the Peak on Monday 8th July 2024 at 0755 the air temperature was 68.2°F (20°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 66.9°F (19°C), 17% relative humidity, and a warm ESE breeze sustained at 4 mph gusting to 7.6 mph. As described above, this is an all-time record high temperature for San Jacinto Peak, surpassing the 67.6°F I recorded in the 2021 “heat dome” event that reached its zenith on 12th July that year.
TRAIL CONDITIONS
Snow was gone from the high country trails by mid June.
About 12 treefall hazards on Deer Springs Trail include 8-9 in the upper trail that have been down and reported repeatedly for years but with no action from the State Park. All but one of the treefall hazards down between Strawberry Junction and the top of Marion Mountain Trail (roughly PCT Miles 183-185) were removed by the Trail Report in late June (example photos in prior Report linked here).
On Willow Creek Trail the smaller treefall hazards on the Forest Service section were cut in June. One of the two huge hazards remaining on the Forest Service side was removed in early July, but the larger, more difficult obstruction, remains. An additional four need to be cut to restore the original trail route. Whitethorn along the trail is starting to grow back rapidly, and is becoming a problem on both the Forest Service and State Park sections. Treefall hazards currently on the State Park side include two large ones remaining from last year, plus three small new ones, but none pose major problems for hikers.
Treefall hazards remain a major problem along parts of the Pacific Crest Trail, most notably between Antsell Rock and Red Tahquitz, with 132 recorded in my June 2024 survey between Miles 170.5-175.5. The disinterest of Forest Service and PCTA in maintaining this section of a world-famous trail for the past five years is frankly inexcusable. A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail). Concentrations of large downed trees make for especially slow-going around Miles 170.5-172 (east side of Antsell Rock) and Miles 174-175 (south and east sides of Red Tahquitz).
The Trail Report cleared this winter’s accumulated treefall hazards from South Ridge Trail in April and has also undertaken extensive trail trimming in the first half of this year.
The 34 treefall hazards that came down across Spitler Peak Trail during ice storms in February 2024 were almost all cleared by the Trail Report on 14th June. The couple of minor stepover branches that remain pose no problem for hikers. This work brings to 120+ the total number of trees removed by the Report from this trail in the past three years. Currently the upper trail in particular is heavily overgrown with lush seasonal vegetation.
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 an app). An informal use trail to Laws is much more direct, 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 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). Eleven trees down on the King Trail were removed in June-July 2023. The tread of the trail received some damage from Tropical Storm Hilary last year. 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 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.
The Trail Report “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, and both State Park and Forest Service have shown no interest in maintaining the route for years. Since 2020 we have removed 75 downed trees and the trail is thoroughly trimmed and cleared multiple times annually. As of July 2024 the trail is largely clear of treefall hazards, with three down across the trail in its upper section, all easily passable for hikers. A further half-a-dozen downed trees close to the PCT junction would need to be removed to fully restore the original route of the trail. Although the condition of the trail is hugely improved, Seven Pines remains a genuine wilderness trail unlike the wider, bare, 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. Be aware in particular that Seven Pines Trail becomes most obscure in the mile closest to its junction with Deer Springs Trail/PCT.
The Zen Center Trail continues its deterioration that started following the 2013 Mountain Fire, with a combination of vigorous regrowth and treefall hazards further obscuring the route with each passing season. The lower and upper parts of this trail are partially cairned and not too bad for those who are very familiar with the former route, but even the experienced find navigating the central section tricky. Long trousers, scrambling gloves, and an enjoyment of bush-whacking are all strongly recommended.
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