After eight months of below-average precipitation to start 2025, the San Jacinto mountains have received four separate periods of excellent monsoonal and tropical rainfall since late August. San Jacinto Peak received 3.5 inches between 22nd August and 2nd September, and despite some trail erosion during intense thunderstorms, the rain pleasantly refreshed the forest and dampened hiking routes.
Moisture drawn north from former Tropical Storm Mario generated two phases of rain on Thursday 18th September 2025, totaling an additional 3.13 inches at San Jacinto Peak in less than a day, with 1.49 inches also measured in Idyllwild (at 5550 ft). I was hiking near the Peak during a spectacular afternoon thunderstorm, with 1.40 inches of rain falling at the Peak in about 40 minutes, including slushy hail above 10,000 ft. Idyllwild recorded 0.67 inch in the same storm. Earlier in the day the system produced steady rain up to 0800, with 1.34 inches measured at San Jacinto Peak, 1.39 inches in Little Round Valley, and 0.82 inch in Idyllwild.
Daytime temperatures are now forecast to remain largely around seasonal for the remainder of September, but with overnight low temperatures still tending to be above average. Further tropical rains are possible over the next week, as a disorganized possible tropical depression south of Baja California may generate more moisture flowing northwards, with intensity depending as always upon localized thunderstorm activity. Rains will briefly result in lower daytime temperatures.
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closed for scheduled annual maintenance for five weeks starting 8th September, with a tentative reopening on 13th October 2025.
Water flows markedly improved in recent days, with four different monsoonal/tropical rain events since late August. Although many key hiker water sources are temporarily flowing well, all ephemeral sources dried in the summer. Wellman’s Cienega, the pipe in Round Valley, and the creek in Little Round Valley, are flowing steadily and should now maintain useable flow well into the autumn. Ephemeral sources along Marion Mountain Trail are all dry for the first time in more than two years. Deer Springs creek dried up in late July where it crosses the trail of the same name (and remains dry even after recent rains). The North Fork of the San Jacinto River is flowing where it crosses both Fuller Ridge and Deer Springs trails. Marion Creek is flowing steadily where it crosses the Suicide Rock Trail.
Willow Creek is flowing again where it crosses the Willow Creek Trail, having dried in August. All other minor creeks that cross Willow Creek Trail remain dry however. Hidden Lake dried by the end of June (although it temporarily holds a small pond from recent rains). Long Valley Creek is dry where it passes through Round Valley, as is the nearby creek in Tamarack Valley. Water is flowing reliably in Tahquitz Creek at PCT Mile 177 and again further downstream at the north end of Little Tahquitz Meadow (although it is dry between those two locations). The pipe in Tahquitz Meadow dried up in mid July. Skunk Cabbage Meadow creek is functionally dry and no longer useful for filtering. Strawberry Cienega is dry. Middle Spring on Devil’s Slide Trail was functionally dry by 1st August, but a tiny pool persists from which dogs can drink.
Full fire restrictions began on Tuesday 1st July 2025 on Forest Service lands, as described on the USFS website linked here. Campfires throughout USFS lands in the San Jacinto Mountains, including all campgrounds and yellow post sites, are prohibited.
Fire lookouts at Black Mountain and Tahquitz Peak are closed indefinitely due to issues identified in a May 2025 safety inspection of Black Mountain lookout. Neither lookout will reopen before October, and regrettably it is unclear whether either will reopen this year.
Be bear aware. Although generally rarely reported, 3-5 individually identifiable Black Bears have been observed in the San Jacinto mountains since 2017, and I have personally seen at least one annually for the past six years. Most recently, an adult-sized, light chestnut-colored bear was reliably reported from Willow Creek Trail adjacent to Skunk Cabbage Meadow on 12th July 2025. What is almost certainly the same individual has been seen in multiple locations in Fern Valley since late August (photos below). My brief videos from Devil’s Slide Trail in September 2021 (available here) and one walking through our property in Idyllwild in 2018 (linked here) show two other individuals. There have been no reports of negative interactions with humans at or near campsites or on trails.
Survey hikes by the Trail Report every single day throughout the year in the San Jacinto mountains include multiple routes to various high peaks including San Jacinto Peak typically 2-3 times per week (more frequently during stormy weather), Tahquitz Peak and area at least once per week, plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days.
WEATHER
Temperatures have been predominantly above seasonal for nearly four months since 20th May, with overnight low temperatures in particular generally well above average. Although feeling pleasantly cooler compared to midsummer, temperatures have remained above seasonal for much of September, and temperature near or above seasonal will continue until late in the month.
The San Jacinto mountains received some valuable monsoonal and tropical rainfall in late August and early September, as described in detail in the previous Report (linked here). Subsequently the heaviest rainfall was on 18th September, as described above. Forecasts are currently suggesting that there may be further tropical rainfall this week, possibly accompanying thunderstorms.
At San Jacinto Peak (10,811ft/3295m) on Thursday 18th September 2025 at 0940 the air temperature was 46.2°F (8°C), with a windchill temperature of 35.6°F (2°C), 100% relative humidity, and a blustery due South wind sustained at 10 mph gusting to 19.9 mph.
At the Peak on Tuesday 16th September 2025 at 1010 the air temperature was 61.0°F (16°C), with a windchill temperature of 47.5°F (9°C), 65% relative humidity, and a variable SSW wind sustained at 2 mph gusting to 8.1 mph. This remarkable air temperature is a record high for the Peak in September.
At the Peak on Thursday 11th September 2025 at 0635 the air temperature was 41.8°F (5°C), with a windchill temperature of 30.6°F (-1°C), 21% relative humidity, and a steady SW wind sustained at 14 mph gusting to 21.9 mph.
At the Peak on Wednesday 10th September 2025 at 1000 the air temperature was 47.4°F (9°C), with a windchill temperature of 34.3°F (1°C), 21% relative humidity, and a fresh WSW wind sustained at 9 mph gusting to 18.7 mph.
TRAIL CONDITIONS
The established trail system was completely clear of snow by late May. Neither the Wolf Fire in late June nor the Rosa Fire in early August had major impacts on the trail system, although the latter did burn the southernmost 0.5 mile of the Palm Canyon trail.
On PCT Miles 170-175 (roughly Apache Peak to Red Tahquitz) most blowdowns have been removed but six trees remain to be cut around South Peak (Miles 173.5-174) of which most are significant obstructions for hikers. Lengthy sections of the trail are badly overgrown with brush and in their worst condition in decades, especially most of Miles 168-174.
The two large downed trees near PCT Mile 180 were removed by the Trail Report in May. The Strawberry Trail (PCT Miles 180.8-183.1) has ten blowdowns, none of which pose major hazards to hikers. Of the eight on the Forest Service section, several have been down for 8-10 years and reported repeatedly but with no action. The brush along Miles 181-181.7 has become heavily overgrown since it was last trimmed in 2021.
Five further blowdowns remain on the Deer Springs Trail portion of the PCT (Miles 183-185), some of which are major obstructions, albeit with workarounds. For the first time in a decade, upper Deer Springs Trail – between the top of Marion Mountain Trail and Little Round Valley – is now clear of blowdowns, with the Trail Report having removed eight trees earlier this year, including the two major hazards at PCT Mile 185.3 that came down this past winter.
The maintenance condition of the Fuller Ridge (Miles 185.5-190.5) section of the PCT improved in July 2025, with the Trail Report clearing most of the 15 blowdowns and a PCTA volunteer crew cutting the remainder the following week.
On the Wellman Trail, Wellman’s Cienega is flowing relatively gently (photo below) but there is still plenty of water for hikers for now. The Trail Report continues the work it started last year to keep this trail clear (after it had become badly overgrown by early 2024).
Dark Canyon Road (4S02) reopened in May and the dirt section has had some effective basic maintenance. The associated Dark Canyon campground is closed for the year (federal budget cuts).
For the first time in about 20 years Seven Pines Trail has a continuous route completely cleared of blowdown trees, with the trail also as faithful to the original route as possible. The Trail Report “adopted” Seven Pines as a priority for maintenance work nearly a decade ago due to a disproportionate number of lost hiker rescues (with State Park and Forest Service evidently no longer maintaining the route). Since 2019 we have now removed exactly 100 downed trees – including 25 since April of this year – and the trail is largely trimmed and cleared annually. Although our work has restored this delightful trail, 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 extensive experience of hiking this trail.
Black Mountain Road is open and in its typical non-graded condition, i.e. lumpy but readily passable in any moderate clearance vehicle. The tap at Cinco Poses Spring currently has reliable water (located alongside the road 0.2 mile below the Boulder Basin turning).
Willow Creek Trail is in its best condition since it was thoroughly cleared in 2020, although whitethorn urgently needs trimming again especially near the boundary between the two agencies. The two large trees remaining uncut in the State Park section from several years ago have easy workarounds.
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 arguably dangerously) described by the Forest Service as “not maintained”. In reality both trails have been abandoned for more than a decade 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 any particular app).
An informal use trail to Laws is much more direct, generally well maintained, and avoids the bushwhacking of the abandoned 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 following former deer trails for 1.2 miles, meeting Willow Creek about 0.15 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 pine tree fell in late 2024 across the King Trail about midway down that requires a minor scramble underneath, but nine additional blowdowns have been removed since January 2025, with the trail already trimmed and cleared twice this year.
From Laws east to Caramba the original Caramba Trail has been cairned by myself and others and can largely be followed with skilled route-finding. My most recent 2025 survey counted 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 strongly recommended throughout the area.
Storms early in 2025 brought down another 34 trees across Spitler Peak Trail. All but one were removed by the Trail Report, bringing to 162 the total number of trees we have removed from this route in the past seven years. One very large burned cedar remains across the trail immediately after the first creek crossing 3.2 miles up from the trailhead. A couple of other much more recent blowdowns are small and easily stepped over.
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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