Temperatures far above seasonal last week rapidly melted most remaining snow (largely old icy snow persisting from storms in March). All trails, including the Pacific Crest Trail, are functionally clear of snow through the San Jacinto mountains. Spikes are no longer required anywhere on the established trail system.
Water flows in most perennial sources are low – in some cases, very low – for mid May. Although flowing gently at present (example photos below), key water sources such as the creek in Little Round Valley and the pipe in Round Valley may well dry at some point this summer. Total accumulated snowfall for this winter at San Jacinto Peak – currently 73.1 inches – would be, by an inch or two, the lowest on record (the three driest winters have all been in the past five years, all between 73-76 inches). In the past decade average annual snowfall at the Peak has been 111 inches (in the latter half of last century it was approximately 180 inches).
Forest Service campgrounds at Marion Mountain, Fern Basin, and Boulder Basin all reopen for the season on 22nd May. Dark Canyon Road (4S02) somewhat unexpectedly reopened for the season on 16th May, and the dirt section has had some effective basic maintenance. The associated Dark Canyon campground is expected to be closed for the year due to federal government staffing/budget cuts. Fire lookouts at Black Mountain and Tahquitz Peak, due to reopen this month, are closed indefinitely due to safety issues identified in recent federal inspections.
Survey hikes by the Trail Report every single day throughout the year in the San Jacinto mountains include varied routes to the high peaks including San Jacinto Peak typically 2-3 times per week (more frequently during storms), Tahquitz Peak and area 1-2 times per week, plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days.
WEATHER
Minor storm systems on 26th April (1-2 inches of snow) and again on 4th May (2-4 inches) both produced light snow falls in the high country. However, above average temperatures immediately following the storms, combined with a seasonally potent sun, led to very rapid melting and in both cases trails had largely cleared within 1-2 days.
Temperatures rose yet again to above seasonal from 7th May, and on 9th-10th temperatures more closely resembled summer, with both highs and lows as much as 10-20°F above seasonal for early May.
Temperatures dropped back to about average (and pleasantly cool) for May starting Monday 12th, and are now forecast to remain around seasonal for the next week. Notably cooler days on 13th-14th and Sunday 18th have the possibility of very minor rainfall, most likely early in the the morning (and probably at mid elevations rather than in the high country). Temperatures rise to well above seasonal again starting Tuesday 20th May.
At San Jacinto Peak (10,810ft/3295m) on Wednesday 14th May 2025 at 0805 the air temperature was 26.8°F (-3°C), with a windchill temperature of 10.6°F (-12°C), 41% relative humidity, and a fresh NNE wind sustained at 8 mph gusting to 16.5 mph.
At the Peak on Monday 12th May 2025 at 0740 the air temperature was 34.8°F (2°C), with a windchill temperature of 19.2°F (-7°C), 39% relative humidity, and a chilly WSW wind sustained at 19 mph gusting to 30.0 mph.
At the Peak on Tuesday 6th May 2025 at 0825 the air temperature was 36.3°F (2°C), with a windchill temperature of 25.2°F (-4°C), 80% relative humidity, and a variable WNW wind sustained at 2 mph gusting to 9.6 mph.
TRAIL CONDITIONS
Snowmelt – of what little snow remained – has been very rapid in the past week. Unless indicated below, trails are clear of snow. At this time few if any hikers are finding spikes necessary.
The Pacific Crest Trail is now functionally clear of snow through the San Jacinto mountains. Miles 151 (Highway 74) to about Mile 175 are clear. Snow cover is very limited between Miles 175 to Saddle Junction (about Mile 179). The south-facing slope of Miles 179-180 is clear, while from Mile 180 (elevation 8900 ft) to about Mile 181 just past Annie’s Junction snow cover has dropped dramatically in recent days to under 10%. Miles 181-184.5 are sun-exposed and clear. Snow cover consists of a few patches around Mile 185 in the sheltered area near the Deer Springs crossing, but again there is a well-traveled boot track through the handful of tiny patches.
Fuller Ridge (PCT Miles 185.5-190.5) is now completely clear of snow. Sadly the maintenance condition of this iconic section of the PCT is the poorest I have ever seen. The State Park has not attempted to maintain their section (Miles 185.5-189) for more than a dozen years. Treefall hazards were cut by PCTA in 2019, and it was thoroughly trimmed by the Trail Report in 2020, but repeating these tasks is now long overdue and there are 12 trees down on that section of which five present major obstructions. Needless to say the trail is impassable with stock. The tread is a mess of debris (sticks, branches, rocks, cones) and shortcut switchbacks. By contrast the Forest Service section (north from Mile 189) has been relatively well maintained in recent years, with just three (thankfully small) new trees coming down on that section this past winter.
Work in the past ten months by joint PCTA-USFS crews has largely resolved the years-old backlog of dozens of downed trees on Miles 170-175. Ten trees remain uncut around Mile 174, which are expected to be removed by early June. Most of Miles 168-175 remains overgrown with brush but further trimming work is scheduled for the northern part of this section in late May and early June.
The Wellman Trail is now functionally snow-free, with <10% snow cover confined to the forested 0.3 mile section immediately north of Annie’s Junction. Wellman’s Cienega is unfrozen but flowing relatively poorly for so early in the season. The Trail Report has worked steadily over the past year to heavily trim this formerly overgrown trail.
The Peak Trail averages <10% snow cover, almost all of which is in a few patches in the north-facing and sheltered section at 9900-10,100 ft (always last to clear in spring). Rocks around San Jacinto Peak are functionally clear of snow and it is easy to ascend the Peak without stepping on snow patches.
The East Ridge Trail route to San Jacinto Peak starting at 10,400 ft near Miller Peak has cleared rapidly to only 25% snow cover. The old trail is now largely visible and can followed in places.
South Ridge Trail is clear of snow to both the north and south of Tahquitz Peak, including the 0.4 mile section of South Ridge Trail between Chinquapin Flat/PCT Mile 177 and Tahquitz Peak which is now functionally clear of snow. South Ridge Road is lumpy but readily passable in any moderate clearance vehicle.
Marion Mountain Trail is now clear of snow.
Deer Springs Trail is functionally clear of snow to Little Round Valley. A few limited sections of icy snow patches remain, notably in the most sheltered areas either side of the Deer Springs crossing and again in the drainage of the North Fork of the San Jacinto River. In Little Round Valley, snow cover averages only 10%, with most patches in the central, heavily forested section. Above Little Round Valley the trail has only 10% snow cover, but there are some large icy snow drifts in a few key places around switchbacks. Spikes are no longer useful for descending upper Deer Springs Trail.
Black Mountain Road is open and in its typical non-graded condition, i.e. lumpy but readily passable in any moderate clearance vehicle.
Storms in February-March brought down another 34 trees across Spitler Peak Trail. All but one were removed in late March, bringing to 162 the total number of trees removed by the Trail Report from this route in the past six years.
Seven Pines Trail is functionally clear of snow, with just a handful of old snow drifts from 8200 ft to the PCT/Deer Springs Trail. Eighteen downed trees have been removed since April this year, and significant progress made on removal of accumulated winter debris in the trail up to about 8000 ft. The Trail Report “adopted” Seven Pines as a priority for maintenance work years ago due to a disproportionate number of lost hiker rescues in the previous decade, with neither State Park nor Forest Service having shown significant interest in maintaining the route for many years. Since 2019 we have removed 93 downed trees and the trail is generally trimmed and cleared at least annually. About six trees remain to be cut close to Deer Springs Trail to restore the original trail route, but all blowdowns below about 8200 ft have now been removed. Although our work has largely restored this trail, note that 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 invaluable for those without considerable experience of hiking this trail. Also note the trail becomes most obscure in its uppermost mile (i.e. closest to the Deer Springs Trail/PCT junction).
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 (and potentially dangerously) described by the Forest Service as “not maintained”. In reality both trails have been abandoned and no longer exist. They are so heavily overgrown, largely with dense whitethorn which obscures dozens of downed trees, that hikers should not attempt to follow them (regardless of how much you may trust an app). An informal use trail to Laws is much more direct, generally well maintained, and avoids the bushwhacking of the unmaintained trails (some 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). One huge tree fell in late 2024 across the King Trail about midway down and requires a minor scramble underneath (that tree will not be cut soon), while another fell in January 2025 close to the bottom of the trail that is relatively easy to cross over. Another five recently downed trees were either removed or worked around in January 2025, when the trail was thoroughly trimmed and cleared. From Laws east to Caramba the original Caramba Trail has been cairned by myself and others and can largely be followed with careful route-finding. My February 2025 survey counted about 120 trees down on this 2.1 miles of trail. It is extremely obscure for the first 0.5 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.
By late 2024 Willow Creek Trail was nearing its 2020 condition, the last time the original trail route was fully cleared and passable. Four new trees came down on the Forest Service section in January 2025, two of which are large and tricky for hikers to pass. In addition to trees being cut in 2024, whitethorn trimming was largely completed, mainly by volunteers, on the Forest Service side in late summer. On the State Park side localized trimming of the worst patches was undertaken in 2024, and the minor treefall hazards new in 2023/24 were removed, leaving just two major long term downed trees (both easy to pass for hikers).
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 a genuine enjoyment of bush-whacking are all strongly recommended.
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