We are now by far the deepest into December in recorded history with no settled snow in the San Jacinto high country. The flow of storm systems continues to track well to the north of our area, and this is forecast to continue into late December. Such a pattern has become increasingly common with global heating this century, and consequently 12 of the past 13 winters have had below average snowfall in the San Jacinto mountains high country (a statistic that looks increasingly likely to become 13 out of 14 winters). Rainfall for almost all of Riverside County is at only 5% of average for the current water year (i.e. since 1st October).
Strong Santa Ana winds have led to a Red Flag Warning (in mid December!). At San Jacinto Peak on the morning of Tuesday 10th, the north-east wind was sustained at nearly 30 mph, accompanied by just 11% relative humidity. At the Peak on the afternoon of Thursday 12th winds from the west (as a storm system moved through to our north) were not as strong as expected, but still generated some impressive cloud formations (video and photo below), and I briefly had a few tiny snowflakes flying by. Further storms may pass by north of us on 14th-15th and then again on 24th-25th, bringing strong winds to the high country, but currently little or no precipitation is forecast.
Survey hikes by the Trail Report every day of the year in the San Jacinto mountains include varied and often circuitous routes through the high country to San Jacinto Peak currently 2-3 times per week, Tahquitz Peak weekly, plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days.
Unusual recent weather – warm and dry so late in the year – has led to an exceptionally active tick season. Some trails are predictably tick-prone, such as Cedar Springs Trail, where the lower section currently has cattle ranging on and near the trail, and wood ticks (genus Dermacentor) are abundant. However, even trails such as South Ridge, Ernie Maxwell, and lower Deer Springs Trail are producing multiple tick encounters (deer ticks, Ixodes, appropriately enough). Hikers with dogs in particular should take necessary precautions and check thoroughly for ticks post-hike.
Despite a failed monsoon earlier this year and below-average precipitation both last winter and – obviously – so far this season, major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow at this time (example photos below). Middle Spring on Devil’s Slide Trail finally dried up by 10th November. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 1st December at least. In the Tahquitz area meadows, the ephemeral creek in Tahquitz Valley is dry, however the Tahquitz Valley pipe (for those who know where it is) continues to flow very well. The creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to trickle where it is crossed by the meadow trail. Tahquitz Creek is flowing at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177 (photos below). Strawberry Cienega is functionally dry. Stone Creek is no longer flowing where it crosses Deer Springs Trail at about PCT Mile 183.6, and has dried downstream of that point. Bud Spring at 9900 ft (just north-west of Marion Mountain) is still flowing gently. Cedar Spring is flowing well for the time of year (photo below).
Forest Service campgrounds and the State Park Stone Creek campground all closed for the season last month. Fire lookouts at Black Mountain and Tahquitz Peak also closed in November.
WEATHER
Temperatures were well above average for the first week of December, but have now dropped to closer to seasonal. Temperatures are forecast to be well above seasonal yet again at all elevations on 16th-23rd December. The cloud-dominated days of late November return for 11th-17th December. Strong prevailing westerly winds on Thursday 12th raised the marine layer sufficiently to bring a hint of light drizzle to the mountain (and briefly a few tiny snowflakes up high!), but otherwise there continues to be no precipitation in the forecasts for the next ten days at least. Storms passing well to our north are expected to produce strong mountain winds on 14th and 24th-25th December.
Even though much of December 2024 has been unusually mild, air temperatures continue to be around freezing above 10,000 ft and when winds are strong (>20 mph) they greatly influence the feel of temperatures and associated risks. At this time of year, hikers should always be prepared for winter temperatures in the high country regardless of forecasts and how mild it may feel at trailheads (see Peak weather observations below).
The latest video weather review from NWS San Diego released on Tuesday 10th (linked here) does not suggest an encouraging outlook for precipitation for most of the remainder of December.
At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 13th December 2024 at 0920 the air temperature was 30.8°F (-1°C), with a windchill temperature of 12.6°F (-11°C), 28% relative humidity, and a stiff NW wind sustained at 17 mph gusting to 31.3 mph.
At the Peak on Thursday 12th December 2024 at 1300 the air temperature was 24.0°F (-5°C), with a windchill temperature of 3.7°F (-16°C), 25% relative humidity, and a frigid WSW wind sustained at 20 mph gusting to 27.6 mph.
At the Peak on Tuesday 10th December 2024 at 0910 the air temperature was 32.7°F (0°C), with a windchill temperature of 14.9°F (-10°C), 11% relative humidity, and a potent NE wind sustained at 27 mph gusting to 33.9 mph.
TRAIL CONDITIONS
There is currently no settled snow anywhere in the San Jacinto mountains (sadly for the first time in recorded history into December).
Treefall hazards remain a significant problem along parts of the Pacific Crest Trail, most notably between Antsell Rock and South Peak. Some 56 trees are down across the trail between PCT Miles 170.5-174, with 37 of these, including several serious obstructions that make for slow-going, between Miles 172.5-174 (around and immediately south of South Peak). A further nine smaller obstructions are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail). Significant sections of Miles 168.5-175 are also badly overgrown with brush and are in urgent need of major trimming work (surveyed late November 2024).
On the Fuller Ridge Trail section of the PCT there are 12 trees down on the State Park section of the trail (Miles 185.5-189), which has not been maintained by that agency for many years. Several of these pose quite significant hazards for hikers. On the Forest Service section (Miles 189.3-190.5) five significant treefall hazards have been removed by USFS in the past month.
Trees down on the Strawberry Trail section of the PCT (Miles 180.8-183, Annie’s Junction to Strawberry Junction) have remained uncut by the Forest Service for nearly a decade. About six hazards on this section are thankfully all relatively easy for hikers to negotiate.
The Trail Report heavily trimmed the Wellman Trail in September-December 2024.
About 12 treefall hazards on Deer Springs Trail include 8-9 in the upper trail that have been down and reported repeatedly for nearly a decade but with no action from the State Park. All but two 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.
Willow Creek Trail is nearing its 2020 condition, the last time the original trail route was fully cleared and passable. Almost all significant treefall hazards on the Forest Service section were cut by mid August (several uncut trees remain that need to be removed to fully restore the original trail route). Whitethorn trimming was largely completed, mainly by volunteers, on the Forest Service side in August and early September. On the State Park side some localized whitethorn trimming of the worst patches was undertaken in September, and the minor treefall hazards new in 2023/24 were removed, leaving just two major long term downed trees (both have simple workarounds for hikers).
The 34 treefall hazards that came down across Spitler Peak Trail during ice storms earlier in 2024 were cleared by the Trail Report in June, with three further trees more recently removed. This brings to at least 123 the total number of downed trees removed by the Report from this trail in recent years. While another round of brush trimming work is required, in general the trail is currently in its best condition for more than a year. Spitler Creek continues to flow gently at its various crossings in the upper switchbacks (photo below), but Antsell Rock Creek adjacent to the trailhead has been dry for a couple of months.
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 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 September 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 serious 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 thirds 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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