UPDATE 16th November 2024: further precipitation overnight was much more widespread than the previous day, but still minimal, with 0.1 inch of snow from 6400 ft elevation to San Jacinto Peak. Snow cover was most consistent from 8000-9500 ft, but again so thin as to be barely measurable. The mid morning air temperature at San Jacinto Peak (13.6°F/-10°C) was several degrees colder than on 15th, but without the strong wind of the previous day overall it felt milder. The San Bernardino range was more directly in the path of storm cells, and looked to have received 1-2 inches of snow.

UPDATE 15th November 2024: very minor precipitation overnight included the lightest dusting of snow (0.1 inch) above 9000 ft. I recorded a short video report from San Jacinto Peak following my morning ascent (linked here) that gives a feel for current conditions.

Temperatures have been pleasantly mild and largely above seasonal (for November) since Friday 8th. This is expected to change dramatically on Friday 15th, with temperatures dropping well below seasonal at all elevations until Tuesday 19th. Air temperatures will be well below freezing above 10,000 ft on 15th-18th, with strong winds most days and hence windchill temperatures around the highest peaks 0-10°F (-18° to -12°C). Hikers must be appropriately prepared for genuine winter temperatures. Precipitation is expected to be minimal, with perhaps an inch of snow at the highest elevations, and light rain (with a hint of snow possible) at mid elevations.

Survey hikes by the Trail Report every day of the year in the San Jacinto mountains include varied and often circuitous routes to San Jacinto Peak currently 3-4 times per week, Tahquitz Peak weekly, plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days.

Despite a failed monsoon this year and below-average winter precipitation last season, major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow at this time (example photos below). Ephemeral water sources have been dry for months. Middle Spring on Devil’s Slide Trail finally dried up by 10th November. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 11th November. 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 well. The creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to trickle where it is crossed by the meadow trail. Tahquitz Creek is flowing gently at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177 (photos below). Two tiny springs at Strawberry Cienega are now functionally dry. Hidden Lake was 25% full in mid October (by surface area, not volume). 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.

Forest Service campgrounds at Boulder Basin and Dark Canyon are now closed for the season, Marion Mountain and Fern Basin campgrounds close after Tuesday 12th November. The State Park Stone Creek campground is also now closed for the season. The fire lookout at Black Mountain closed for the season on 14th November, and Tahquitz Peak lookout is expected to close on Saturday 23rd.

WEATHER

Temperatures were near or below seasonal the first few days of November before rising to above seasonal on 9th-14th. On a calm day, temperatures can be far above seasonal in the high country (for example see observations for 10th November at San Jacinto Peak below). Temperatures drop rapidly again from 15th, remaining well below seasonal until at least 20th.

Winds are now moderate or strong on most days in the high country, significantly influencing the feel of temperatures and associated risks. Strong westerly winds on 14th-15th herald the passage of a significant cold front, and consequently air temperatures will be well below freezing above 10,000 ft on 15th-18th, with windchill temperatures around the highest peaks around -5 to +10°F (-20° to -12°C). Conversely, strong Santa Ana – generally northerly – winds on 18th-21st may result in another significant warming (relatively speaking) on 21st-23rd.

Currently there is no significant new precipitation in the forecasts, although very light precipitation (possibly even a hint of snow) is expected at mid elevations on Friday 15th, with <2 inches of snow around the highest peaks tentatively forecast for Saturday 16th.

The highly changeable weather expected over the next few days is described in detail in the latest video (linked here) from NWS San Diego.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Monday 11th November 2024 at 0830 the air temperature was 37.1°F (3°C), with a windchill temperature of 24.1°F (-4°C), 22% relative humidity, and a stiff SW wind sustained at 14 mph gusting to 21.1 mph.

At the Peak on Sunday 10th November 2024 at 0840 the air temperature was 44.1°F (7°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 40.3°F (5°C), 20% relative humidity, and a barely discernable WNW breeze sustained at 1 mph gusting to 2.4 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

There is currently no settled snow anywhere in the San Jacinto mountains (and none in the forecast at present).

Treefall hazards remain a problem along parts of the Pacific Crest Trail, most notably between Antsell Rock and South Peak. The disinterest of Forest Service and PCTA in maintaining this section of a world-famous trail for the five years prior to this summer was simply unconscionable. The good news is that at least half of the 132 trees down between Miles 170.5-175.5 have finally been cleared by work undertaken mainly in October 2024. A concentration of large downed trees still make for slow-going around Miles 170.5-172 (east side of Antsell Rock). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

The Trail Report has largely completed trimming the formerly overgrown Wellman Trail in the past two months. Although only a short trail, it forms a major part of a well-traveled route to/from the high country peaks. It was last trimmed in 2020, also by the Trail Report, as sadly the State Park shows little interest in maintaining most trails in their jurisdiction.

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, the two major trunks at about Mile 190.1, present for about three years, were cut by USFS on 5th November.

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.

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 (example photos in an earlier Report linked here).

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 two further trees recently removed in October. This brings to at least 122 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

Temperatures in the first few days of November have been near or below seasonal. They are now forecast to be above seasonal (for November) starting Friday 8th for at least a week. The extremely light dusting of snow in the high country on 29th October was gone by Thursday 31st. The minor storm system tentatively forecast for 2nd-3rd November failed to materialize, with Idyllwild recording only 0.01 inch of drizzle and the high country staying above the cloud.

Survey hikes by the Trail Report every day of the year in the San Jacinto mountains include varied and often circuitous routes to San Jacinto Peak currently 2-4 times per week, Tahquitz Peak weekly, plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days.

Despite a failed monsoon this year and below-average winter precipitation last season, major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow at this time (example photos below). Ephemeral water sources have been dry for months. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 3rd November. 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 well. The creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to trickle where it is crossed by the meadow trail. Tahquitz Creek is flowing gently at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177 (photos below). Two tiny springs at Strawberry Cienega are now barely trickling and not useful for filtering. Hidden Lake was 25% full in mid October (by surface area, not volume). 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.

Forest Service campgrounds at Boulder Basin and Dark Canyon are now closed for the season, Marion Mountain and Fern Basin campgrounds close after Tuesday 12th November. The State Park Stone Creek campground is also now closed for the season.

WEATHER

Although temperatures had initially been forecast to be near or below seasonal throughout the first third of November – and this has indeed been true of the first few days of the month – they will rise to above seasonal on 9th-14th before dropping rapidly again. The very light drizzle tentatively forecast on the evening of Monday 11th at mid elevations is now looking unlikely. Currently there is no significant new precipitation in the forecasts.

The weather for this week – including the possibility of some critical fire weather associated with Santa Ana winds – are described in more detail in the latest NWS San Diego video forecast (linked here). Santa Ana winds are expected to affect the San Jacinto mountains on 4th and 7th November.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 8th November 2024 at 0830 the air temperature was 32.1°F (0°C), with a windchill temperature of 17.1°F (-8°C), 52% relative humidity, and a moderate NNE wind sustained at 9 mph gusting to 19.7 mph.

At the Peak on Wednesday 6th November 2024 at 0810 the air temperature was 27.9°F (-2°C), with a windchill temperature of 10.9°F (-12°C), 56% relative humidity, and a stiff WNW wind sustained at 15 mph gusting to 22.2 mph.

At the Peak on Monday 4th November 2024 at 0805 the air temperature was 30.5°F (-1°C), with a windchill temperature of 12.8°F (-11°C), 24% relative humidity, and a variable due North wind sustained at 10 mph gusting to 19.5 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

According to the State Park Facebook page (linked here) the Skyline Trail reopened on 4th November. It is frankly unsurprising to note in the text that the State Park doesn’t appear to understand the difference between the Skyline Trail and Cactus-to-Clouds (C2C) route.

Treefall hazards remain a problem along parts of the Pacific Crest Trail, most notably between Antsell Rock and South Peak. The disinterest of Forest Service and PCTA in maintaining this section of a world-famous trail for the five years prior to this summer was simply unconscionable. The good news is that at least half of the 132 trees down between Miles 170.5-175.5 have finally been cleared by work mainly in October 2024. A concentration of large downed trees make for especially slow-going around Miles 170.5-172 (east side of Antsell Rock), with the other formerly challenging area (Miles 174-175, east and south of Red Tahquitz) now cleared. A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

The Trail Report has largely completed trimming the formerly overgrown Wellman Trail in the past two months. Although only a short trail, it forms a major part of a well-traveled route to/from the high country peaks. It was last trimmed in 2020, also by the Trail Report, as sadly the State Park shows little interest in maintaining most trails in their jurisdiction.

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, the two major trunks at about Mile 190.1, present for about three years, were cut by USFS on 5th November.

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 now. About six hazards on this section are thankfully all relatively easy for hikers to negotiate.

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 (example photos in an earlier Report linked here).

Willow Creek Trail is significantly improved and 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 two further trees recently removed in October. This brings to at least 122 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

After a mild October largely dominated by warm, dry weather, temperatures abruptly dropped to below seasonal on Monday 28th. The passage of a minor storm system that night produced a light dusting of snow above 9000 ft, the first widespread snow of the season, although barely measuring 0.25 inch at its deepest on San Jacinto Peak. My short video report from the Peak on the morning of Tuesday 29th is linked here. Idyllwild recorded only 0.02 inch of drizzle, but damp trails and cold temperatures made for a very welcome change. Most snow below 10,000 ft had already melted by late morning on 29th, and was gone around the highest peaks by Thursday 31st.

Another minor storm system was tentatively forecast for the weekend on 2nd-3rd November, but now appears most likely to largely pass to the north and east of our region, with very little precipitation now expected. Nevertheless, hikers heading to the high country on 2nd-3rd November should be prepared for air temperatures below freezing, and windchills well below freezing. The next forecast precipitation events are possible minor storms around 6th-7th and 12th-13th November.

Survey hikes by the Trail Report every day of the year in the San Jacinto mountains include varied and often circuitous routes to San Jacinto Peak currently 2-4 times per week, Tahquitz Peak weekly, plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days.

Despite a failed monsoon this year and below-average winter precipitation last season, major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow at this time (example photos below). Ephemeral water sources have been dry for months. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 31st October. 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 well. The creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to trickle where it is crossed by the meadow trail. Tahquitz Creek is flowing gently at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177 (photos below). Two tiny springs at Strawberry Cienega are now barely trickling and not useful for filtering. Hidden Lake was 25% full in mid October (by surface area, not volume). 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.

WEATHER

The shift from (too) many months of hot, dry, summer weather into wintery temperatures has been rapid, with a token autumn lasting no more than a week or two. Temperatures are forecast to be near or below seasonal for the remaining days of October and throughout the first third of November (at least). Some days may feel even cooler, as they will be partly or mostly cloudy.

The next minor storm system is expected on 2nd-3rd November, but may now pass largely to the north of the San Jacinto mountains. Light rain (at mid elevations) is possible at anytime from late morning Saturday into Sunday, most likely on Saturday evening, with less than 0.1 inch forecast in Idyllwild. Very light snowfall (in the high country) is possible, also most likely on Saturday evening, but is not now expected to total more than 0.5 inch at most around the highest peaks. Further minor storm systems are tentatively forecast around 7th and 12th November.

The weather patterns for the next week – including the possibility of some critical fire weather associated with Santa Ana winds between the minor storm systems – are described in more detail in the latest NWS San Diego video forecast (linked here).

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 1st November 2024 at 0820 the air temperature was 36.8°F (3°C), with a windchill temperature of 25.5°F (-4°C), 13% relative humidity, and a steady due West wind sustained at 11 mph gusting to 14.8 mph.

At the Peak on Thursday 31st October 2024 at 0840 the air temperature was 32.8°F (0°C), with a windchill temperature of 19.9°F (-6°C), 17% relative humidity, and a fresh due West wind sustained at 9 mph gusting to 14.3 mph.

At the Peak on Tuesday 29th October 2024 at 0900 the air temperature was 22.4°F (-5°C), with a windchill temperature of 2.8°F (-16°C), 35% relative humidity, and a chilly WNW wind sustained at 8 mph gusting to 18.8 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

According to the State Park Facebook page (linked here) the Skyline Trail remains closed in the section under their jurisdiction (from about 5800 ft to Grubb’s Notch). No reason has been given, and at this time of year it is clearly neither because of hot weather nor snow/ice conditions. In the absence of an explanation there has been speculation that the State Park is trying to permanently shut the trail.

Treefall hazards remain a significant problem along parts of the Pacific Crest Trail, most notably between Antsell Rock and South Peak. The disinterest of Forest Service and PCTA in maintaining this section of a world-famous trail for the five years prior to this summer was simply unconscionable. The good news is that nearly half of the 132 trees down between Miles 170.5-175.5 have finally been cleared by work in the middle two weeks of October 2024. The remainder are scheduled for removal in early November. A concentration of large downed trees make for especially slow-going around Miles 170.5-172 (east side of Antsell Rock), with the other formerly challenging area (Miles 174-175, east and south of Red Tahquitz) now largely cleared. A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

The Trail Report has largely completed trimming the formerly overgrown Wellman Trail in the past two months. Although only a short trail, it forms a major part of a well-traveled route to/from the high country peaks. It was last trimmed in 2020, also by the Trail Report, as sadly the State Park shows little interest in maintaining this trail (and too many other trails) in their jurisdiction.

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, the only treefall hazard is two massive trunks at about Mile 190.1 that has been present for about three years.

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 now. About six hazards on this section are thankfully all relatively easy for hikers to negotiate.

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 (example photos in an earlier Report linked here).

Willow Creek Trail is significantly improved and 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 two further trees recently removed in October. This brings to about 122 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

UPDATE Tuesday 29th October 2024: a light dusting of snow above 9000 ft overnight is described in more detail in a short video report linked here. A further update and photos to follow this afternoon.

____________________________

Temperatures remain well above seasonal for late October until Monday 28th. While an air temperature of 52.0°F (11°C) at San Jacinto Peak in the early morning of Wednesday 23rd may not sound especially warm, it is about 15-20°F above normal (based on my decade of past data), and it was remarkable to be completely comfortable in just a t-shirt and shorts at 10,800 ft elevation in late October. Thankfully next week temperatures drop dramatically to truly autumnal temperatures, hopefully this time staying that way until winter (details under Weather below).

With a failed monsoon season in most of Southern California, fire risk remains severe everywhere, at least until temperatures drop markedly and humidity rises. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas.

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 typically 2-4 times per week, Tahquitz Peak weekly, plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days.

Major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow at this time (example photos below). Flow rates continue to drop steadily at all elevations and ephemeral water sources have been dry for months. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 25th October. 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 well. The creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to trickle where it is crossed by the meadow trail. Tahquitz Creek is flowing gently at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177 (photos below). Two tiny springs at Strawberry Cienega are now barely trickling and not useful for filtering. Hidden Lake was 25% full in mid October (by surface area, not volume). 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.

WEATHER

A major cooling trend starts Monday 28th October, replacing above average temperatures that have prevailed in recent days with temperatures that may be well below seasonal into the first few days of November. From 29th October to at least 2nd November temperatures will be below seasonal at mid elevations (but about average in the high country), with a slim chance of light precipitation tentatively forecast for 29th-30th. Throughout next week, air temperatures in the high country will be near freezing, with windchill temperatures around the high peaks below freezing.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Wednesday 23rd October 2024 at 0800 the air temperature was 52.0°F (11°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 51.6°F (11°C), 13% relative humidity, and a hint of a NE breeze sustained at 1 mph gusting to 2.0 mph.

At the Peak on Monday 21st October 2024 at 0825 the air temperature was 43.6°F (6°C), with a windchill temperature of 41.2°F (5°C), 26% relative humidity, and a very gentle due West breeze sustained at 1 mph gusting to 2.7 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

According to the State Park Facebook page (linked here) the Skyline Trail remains closed in the section under their jurisdiction (from about 5800 ft to Grubb’s Notch), although no reason is given.

Treefall hazards remain a significant problem along parts of the Pacific Crest Trail, most notably between Antsell Rock and South Peak. The disinterest of Forest Service and PCTA in maintaining this section of a world-famous trail for the five years prior to this summer was simply unconscionable. The good news is that nearly half of the 132 trees down between Miles 170.5-175.5 have finally been cleared by work in the middle two weeks of October 2024. A concentration of large downed trees make for especially slow-going around Miles 170.5-172 (east side of Antsell Rock), with the other formerly challenging area (Miles 174-175, east and south of Red Tahquitz) now largely cleared. A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

The Trail Report has been trimming the formerly overgrown Wellman Trail since August. Although only a short trail, it forms a major part of a well-traveled route to/from the high country peaks. It was last trimmed in 2020, also by the Trail Report, as sadly the State Park shows little interest in maintaining this trail (and too many other trails) in their jurisdiction.

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, the only treefall hazard is two massive trunks at about Mile 190.1 that has been present for about three years.

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 now. About six hazards on this section are thankfully all relatively easy for hikers to negotiate.

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 (example photos in an earlier Report linked here).

Willow Creek Trail is significantly improved and 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 in February 2024 were cleared by the Trail Report in June. This work brings to 120+ the total number of trees removed by the Report from this trail in the past three years. Note that 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

Since Friday 11th temperatures have felt pleasantly autumnal at all elevations, albeit slightly above seasonal for mid October. Temperatures briefly fall to well below average on 17th-19th, before quickly rising once again. Windchill temperatures in the high country have generally been around freezing, but below freezing on 18th-19th, e.g., 31.3°F (0°C) at San Jacinto Peak on Friday 11th, and 22.5°F (-5°C) on Friday 18th. Forecasts tentatively suggested the possibility of very light precipitation on Friday 18th, but ultimately there was no measurable drizzle. Between 22nd-25th October temperatures are forecast to rise again to well above seasonal.

With a failed monsoon season in most of Southern California, fire risk remains severe everywhere. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas.

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 typically 3-5 times per week, plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days.

Major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow at this time (example photos below). Flow rates continue to drop steadily at all elevations and ephemeral water sources have been dry for many weeks or months. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 9th October. In the Tahquitz area meadows, the minor creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to just trickle, but the ephemeral creek in Tahquitz Valley is dry. Tahquitz Creek is flowing gently at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177. Two tiny springs at Strawberry Cienega just about continue to trickle. Hidden Lake was c.30% full in early October (by surface area, not volume). Stone Creek is no longer flowing where it crosses Deer Springs Trail at about PCT Mile 183.6, and has dried completely downstream of that point.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closed on Monday 9th September 2024 for annual maintenance, and is now scheduled to reopen on Friday 18th October.

According to the State Park Facebook page (linked here) the Skyline Trail remains closed in the section under their jurisdiction (from about 5800 ft to Grubb’s Notch), although no reason is given.

WEATHER

A cooling trend starting Friday 11th October dropped temperatures to near (generally slightly above) average for mid October. The passage of a brief cold front to the north on 17th-19th is expected drop temperatures to well below average for October. The local precipitation probabilities for those days remain low, but there is a possibility light rain at mid elevations caused by a rising marine layer coming in from the west. Temperatures are forecast to rise yet again, at times to well above seasonal for late October, starting Tuesday 22nd.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 18th October 2024 at 0805 the air temperature was 35.1°F (2°C), with a windchill temperature of 22.5°F (-5°C), 27% relative humidity, and a variable NE wind sustained at 5 mph gusting to 10.6 mph.

At the Peak on Thursday 17th October 2024 at 0835 the air temperature was 48.3°F (9°C), with a windchill temperature of 40.5°F (5°C), 10% relative humidity, and a very gentle NNE wind sustained at 2 mph gusting to 6.8 mph.

At the Peak on Wednesday 16th October 2024 at 0825 the air temperature was 46.0°F (8°C), with a windchill temperature of 39.4°F (4°C), 29% relative humidity, and a light ESE wind sustained at 4 mph gusting to 9.3 mph.

At the Peak on Friday 11th October 2024 at 0705 the air temperature was 44.0°F (7°C), with a windchill temperature of 31.3°F (0°C), 17% relative humidity, and a potent SSW wind sustained at 29 mph gusting to 36.0 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

Treefall hazards remain a major problem along parts of the Pacific Crest Trail, most notably between Antsell Rock and Red Tahquitz. The disinterest of Forest Service and PCTA in maintaining this section of a world-famous trail for the past five years has been simply unconscionable. The good news is that nearly half of the 132 trees down between Miles 170.5-175.5 have finally been cleared by work in the middle two weeks of October 2024. A concentration of large downed trees make for especially slow-going around Miles 170.5-172 (east side of Antsell Rock), with the other formerly challenging area (Miles 174-175, around Red Tahquitz) now largely cleared. A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

The Trail Report has made excellent progress since August heavily trimming the Wellman Trail. Although only a short trail, it forms a significant part of a heavily traveled route to/from the high country peaks, and had become significantly overgrown (having not been trimmed since 2020, also by the Trail Report, as sadly the State Park shows little interest in maintaining this and many other trails in their jurisdiction).

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, the only treefall hazard is two massive trunks at about Mile 190.1 that has been present for about three years.

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 7-10 years now. About six hazards on this section are all relatively easy for hikers to negotiate.

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 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 an earlier Report linked here).

Overall Willow Creek Trail is significantly improved and 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 in February 2024 were cleared by the Trail Report in June. This work brings to 120+ the total number of trees removed by the Report from this trail in the past three years. Note that 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 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

After four months of largely above average – often far above average – temperatures, autumnal conditions have finally arrived. Starting Friday 11th, temperatures will be near seasonal for October at all elevations, and are even expected to be briefly below average on 17th-19th. Windchill temperatures in the high country are around freezing at times (e.g., 31.3°F [0°C] at San Jacinto Peak on Friday 11th). There is a possibility of light precipitation on Friday 18th, perhaps including a dusting of snow in the high country.

With a failed monsoon season in most of Southern California, fire risk remains severe everywhere. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas.

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 currently 3-4 times per week, plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days.

Major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow at this time (example photos below). Flow rates continue to drop steadily at all elevations and ephemeral water sources have been dry for many weeks or months. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 9th October. In the Tahquitz area meadows, the minor creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to just trickle, but the ephemeral creek in Tahquitz Valley is dry. Tahquitz Creek is flowing gently at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177. Two tiny springs at Strawberry Cienega just about continue to trickle. Hidden Lake was c.30% full in early October (by surface area, not volume). Stone Creek is no longer flowing where it crosses Deer Springs Trail at about PCT Mile 183.6, and has dried completely downstream of that point.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closed on Monday 9th September 2024 for annual maintenance, with a (twice) revised, tentative, reopening date of Saturday 19th October.

WEATHER

A cooling trend starting Friday 11th October will drop temperatures to near (or slightly above) average for mid October into the third week of the month. The passage of a brief cold front to the north on 17th-19th may drop temperatures to below average for mid October. The local precipitation probabilities for those days remain low, but there is a possibility of very light snow in the high country on Friday 18th. Temperatures are forecast to warm yet again to above seasonal for late October starting Monday 21st.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 11th October 2024 at 0705 the air temperature was 44.0°F (7°C), with a windchill temperature of 31.3°F (0°C), 17% relative humidity, and a potent SSW wind sustained at 29 mph gusting to 36.0 mph.

At the Peak on Wednesday 9th October 2024 at 0810 the air temperature was 45.4°F (8°C), with a windchill temperature of 34.0°F (1°C), 31% relative humidity, and a stiff SW wind sustained at 16 mph gusting to 30.0 mph.

At the Peak on Monday 7th October 2024 at 0750 the air temperature was 58.6°F (15°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 56.0°F (13°C), 33% relative humidity, and a light ESE breeze sustained at 2 mph gusting to 3.7 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

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 2024 surveys 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 simply unconscionable. The good news is that work to start to remove downed trees from this section, started last week, will include a focused effort on 13th-18th October. 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). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

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, the only treefall hazard is the massive double one at about Mile 190.1 that has been present for about three years.

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 7-10 years now. About six hazards on this section are all relatively easy for hikers to negotiate.

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 an earlier Report linked here).

Overall Willow Creek Trail is significantly improved and 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 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 in February 2024 were almost all cleared by the Trail Report in 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. Note that 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 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

A late, persistent, heat dome over the southwestern states is producing a record-breaking heatwave throughout interior Southern California for the first seven days of October 2024. Temperatures, both daytime highs and overnight lows, will be far above average for the time of year in and around the San Jacinto mountains until 8th October.

Hikers should be prepared for unseasonably hot weather, with temperatures 15-25°F above seasonal throughout this week, especially at mid elevations. Please give considerable extra thought to route choice, start times, clothing, sun protection, and hydration requirements.

With a failed monsoon season in most of Southern California, fire risk remains severe everywhere. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas.

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 currently 3-5 times per week, plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days.

Major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow adequately at this time (example photos below). Flow rates continue to drop steadily at all elevations and ephemeral water sources have been dry for many weeks. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 5th October. In the Tahquitz area meadows, the minor creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to just trickle, but the ephemeral creek in Tahquitz Valley is dry. Tahquitz Creek is flowing gently at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177. Two tiny springs at Strawberry Cienega continue to trickle. Hidden Lake was c.35% full in mid September (by surface area, not volume). Stone Creek is no longer flowing where it crosses Deer Springs Trail at about PCT Mile 183.6, and has dried completely downstream of that point.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closed on Monday 9th September 2024 for annual maintenance, with a (twice) revised, tentative, reopening date of Saturday 19th October.

Be rattlesnake aware. Above about 5000 ft elevation, the venom of Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus [oreganus] helleri) in the San Jacinto mountains is predominantly neurotoxic, almost always fatal for dogs and sometimes for humans (see my detailed 2020 article linked here for further information). In recent weeks lower Devil’s Slide Trail has been an especially frequent location for sightings, but rattlesnakes have been recorded everywhere up to 9350 ft.

WEATHER

Temperatures have rapidly risen since Sunday 22nd September to above seasonal. The first week of October is experiencing temperatures above average even for midsummer, that will of course be far above seasonal for October, with highs around 90°F (32°C) in Idyllwild from 1st-7th. Temperatures around 55°F (13°C) at the highest peaks will feel pleasantly cool by comparison, but are also far above average for October at that elevation.

For a detailed discussion of this early October heat wave, and provisional medium-term projections for the remainder of 2024, see the latest video from NWS San Diego (linked here).

A cooling trend is expected starting Wednesday 9th October, although temperatures are forecast to remain above average for mid October into the third week of the month.

In remarkable contrast, temperatures were around freezing in the high country from Monday 16th to Friday 20th September. A cold thunderstorm system on the afternoon of Friday 20th moving over the San Jacinto mountains from the north-east produced rain, intense hail, and the earliest ever recorded autumnal snow, albeit a very light dusting just around the highest peaks. I recorded a short video (linked here) from San Jacinto Peak while enjoying being lightly snowed upon.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 4th October 2024 at 0810 the air temperature was 55.4°F (13°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 52.9°F (11°C), 35% relative humidity, and a very light SSW breeze sustained at 2 mph gusting to 3.7 mph.

At the Peak on Wednesday 2nd October 2024 at 0805 the air temperature was 55.5°F (13°C), with a windchill temperature of 46.5°F (8°C), 31% relative humidity, and a steady ENE wind sustained at 10 mph gusting to 16.6 mph.

At the Peak on Monday 30th September 2024 at 0800 the air temperature was 53.9°F (12°C), with a windchill temperature of 45.1°F (7°C), 36% relative humidity, and a fresh SE wind sustained at 9 mph gusting to 16.9 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

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 2024 surveys 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 simply unconscionable. The good news is that there is finally a plan to start removing downed trees from this section, starting on 13th-18th October. 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). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

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, the only treefall hazard is the massive double one at about Mile 190.1 that has been present for about three years.

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 7-10 years now. About six hazards on this section are all relatively easy for hikers to negotiate.

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 an earlier Report linked here).

Overall Willow Creek Trail is greatly improved and close to 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 trees remain uncut to fully restore the original trail route but regrettably it seems this may never happen). Whitethorn trimming was largely completed on the Forest Service side in August and early September. On the State Park side some patchy whitethorn trimming of the worst patches was undertaken in September, and the three minor treefall hazards new in 2023/24 were removed, leaving just two major long term downed trees (both with simple workarounds for hikers).

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. Note that 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

After an autumnal – at times almost wintry – week last week, temperatures have quickly risen to above seasonal at all elevations. Temperatures, especially the overnight lows, are forecast to remain well above average for the time of year into the first week of October. Temperatures from 27th September to 3rd October will be far above average, with possible record hot temperatures expected at mid and upper elevations on Tuesday 1st in particular.

In remarkable contrast, temperatures were around freezing in the high country from Monday 16th to Friday 20th. A cold thunderstorm system moving over the San Jacinto mountains from (unusually) the north-east produced rain, intense hail, and the earliest ever recorded autumnal snow on the afternoon of Friday 20th September. I recorded a short video (linked here) from San Jacinto Peak while enjoying being lightly snowed upon. The typically localized nature of such storms meant that Idyllwild (at 5550 ft) recorded 0.37 inch of rain, but there was only 0.11 inch at Saddle Junction (8100 ft) and 0.05 inch at Wellman’s Cienega (9300 ft). The dusting of snow above 9800 ft (photo below) promptly melted by Saturday 21st.

Despite recent light precipitation, with a failed monsoon season in most of Southern California the fire risk remains severe everywhere. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas.

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 (e.g., 70 ascents since 1st July 2024), plus a wide variety of other trails on intervening days.

Major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow adequately at this time (example photos below). Flow rates continue to drop steadily at all elevations and ephemeral water sources are now dry. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 26th September. In the Tahquitz area meadows, the minor creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to trickle, but the ephemeral creek in Tahquitz Valley is dry. Tahquitz Creek is flowing steadily at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177. Two tiny springs at Strawberry Cienega continue to trickle. Hidden Lake was c.35% full in mid September (by surface area, not volume). Stone Creek is no longer flowing where it crosses Deer Springs Trail at about PCT Mile 183.6, and has dried completely downstream of that point.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closed on Monday 9th September 2024 for annual maintenance, with a revised, tentative, reopening date of Saturday 12th October.

Be rattlesnake aware. Above about 5000 ft elevation, the venom of Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus [oreganus] helleri) in the San Jacinto mountains is predominantly neurotoxic, almost always fatal for dogs and sometimes for humans (see my detailed 2020 article linked here for further information). In the past couple of weeks, despite some cooler weather, lower Devil’s Slide Trail has been an especially frequent location for sightings, but rattlesnakes have been recorded up to 9350 ft.

WEATHER

Temperatures were well above seasonal for the first nine days of September, but then fell below seasonal starting Wednesday 11th September, and then cooled even further in a brief but significant cold snap on 16th-20th. A weak but cold system passing to the north produced temperatures more typical of November, including air temperatures near freezing and windchill temperatures below freezing above 10,000 ft elevation on Monday 16th to Friday 20th. As described above, localized precipitation from thunderstorm cells on 20th September included the earliest ever recorded autumn dusting of snow at San Jacinto Peak (<0.25 inch, photo below), and brief but intense hail especially on the south side of the mountain range.

Temperatures have rapidly risen yet again starting Sunday 22nd to above seasonal for the remainder of September and into the first week of October. Temperatures from 30th September to 3rd October, especially the overnight lows, will be far above average, with possible record hot temperatures forecast for Tuesday 1st at both mid and upper elevations.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 27th September 2024 at 0755 the air temperature was 55.4°F (13°C), with no measurable windchill, 8% relative humidity, and rare calm conditions.

At the Peak on Wednesday 25th September 2024 at 0830 the air temperature was 51.6°F (10°C), with a windchill temperature of 40.6°F (5°C), 38% relative humidity, and a chilly SSE wind sustained at 12 mph gusting to 20.0 mph.

At the Peak on Monday 23rd September 2024 at 0845 the air temperature was 47.9°F (9°C), with a windchill temperature of 38.7°F (4°C), 49% relative humidity, and a fresh ENE wind sustained at 11 mph gusting to 16.0 mph.

At the Peak on Friday 20th September 2024 at 1425 the air temperature was 32.2°F (0°C), with a windchill temperature of 20.8°F (-7°C), 95% relative humidity, and a steady NE wind sustained at 9 mph gusting to 12.7 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

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 recent 2024 surveys 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 simply unconscionable. 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). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

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, the only treefall hazard is the massive double one at about Mile 190.1 that has been present for about three years.

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 7-10 years now. About six hazards on this section are all relatively easy for hikers to negotiate.

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 an earlier Report linked here).

On Willow Creek Trail notable treefall hazards on the Forest Service section were finally cut by 13th August. Several trees remain uncut to fully restore the trail route to its 2020 condition, but regrettably it seems unlikely that this will ever happen. Whitethorn along the trail is starting to grow back rapidly, and had become a problem on both the Forest Service and State Park sections. Forest Service made progress on trail trimming in late August and early September on their section, but there has been no work on the State Park side. 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.

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. Note that 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

UPDATE Friday 20th September 2024: a cold thunderstorm system moving over the San Jacinto mountains from (unusually) the north-east produced rain, intense hail, and the earliest ever recorded September snow this afternoon! I hiked swiftly up to the high country and recorded a short video from San Jacinto Peak while enjoying being lightly snowed upon (link to video here). The typically localized nature of such storms meant that Idyllwild (at 5550 ft) recorded 0.37 inch of rain, but there was only 0.11 inch at Saddle Junction (8100 ft). Fine, micro grain snow started falling on me at 9800 ft just above Wellman’s Divide and lasted for less than an hour. It only settled significantly on accumulated patches of hail that had fallen a couple of hours earlier, and was melting rapidly by late afternoon.

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The three major fires burning elsewhere in Southern California – the Airport Fire in the Santa Ana range, the Bridge Fire in the San Gabriels, and the Line Fire in the San Bernardino Mountains – have thankfully all slowed considerably in growth, and smoke pollution across the region is slowly declining. Ultimately the three fires have combined to burn more than 110,000 acres.

Air quality and visibility down in the lowlands, especially the Coachella Valley, had already been generally poor all summer due to the record heat and lack of precipitation, only exacerbated by smoke from recent fires. Air quality has markedly improved in the San Jacinto mountains, following an increase in wind speed, after especially smoky days on 10th and 13th (photos below from the latter). Hiking in the area remains inadvisable for those sensitive to poor air quality.

Thankfully, temperatures fell below seasonal starting Wednesday 11th September, and are forecast to cool even further in a significant cold spell on 16th-20th. A relatively weak but cold system passing to our north will produce temperatures more typical of early winter, including air temperatures near freezing and windchill temperatures well below freezing in the high country on Monday 16th to Friday 20th. There is the possibility of light precipitation on Friday 20th (oddly, especially for the time of year, coming from the north-east).

With a failed monsoon season in most of Southern California, fire risk remains severe everywhere. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas.

Survey hikes by the Trail Report every day year-round in the San Jacinto mountains include varied and circuitous routes to San Jacinto Peak multiple times per week (64 ascents this summer since 1st July), plus many other trails on intervening days.

Major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow adequately at this time (example photos below). However flow rates continue to drop steadily at all elevations and ephemeral water sources are now dry. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 19th September. In the Tahquitz area meadows, the minor creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to flow, but the ephemeral creek in Tahquitz Valley is now dry. Tahquitz Creek is flowing steadily at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177. Two tiny springs at Strawberry Cienega continue to trickle. Hidden Lake was c.35% full in mid September (by surface area, not volume). Stone Creek is no longer flowing where it crosses Deer Springs Trail at about PCT Mile 183.6, and has dried completely downstream of that point.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closed on Monday 9th September 2024 for annual maintenance, with a tentative reopening date of Monday 7th October.

WEATHER

Temperatures were well above seasonal for the first nine days of September, but then fell below seasonal starting Wednesday 11th September, and are forecast to cool even further in a brief but significant cold snap on 16th-20th. A weak but cold system passing to our north will produce temperatures more typical of November, including air temperatures near freezing and windchill temperatures below freezing above 10,000 ft elevation on Monday 16th to Friday 20th. Thereafter temperatures are expected to rise rapidly yet again starting Sunday 22nd to above seasonal for the remainder of September.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 20th September 2024 at 1425 the air temperature was 32.2°F (0°C), with a windchill temperature of 20.8°F (-7°C), 95% relative humidity, and a steady NE wind sustained at 9 mph gusting to 12.7 mph.

At the Peak on Thursday 19th September 2024 at 0640 the air temperature was 39.1°F (4°C), with a windchill temperature of 28.7°F (-2°C), 37% relative humidity, and a brisk SW wind sustained at 8 mph gusting to 13.8 mph.

At the Peak on Wednesday 18th September 2024 at 1230 the air temperature was 49.5°F (10°C), with a windchill temperature of 43.6°F (6°C), 42% relative humidity, and a light SW wind sustained at 3 mph gusting to 5.2 mph.

At the Peak on Tuesday 17th September 2024 at 1615 the air temperature was 48.9°F (9°C), with a windchill temperature of 39.6°F (4°C), 31% relative humidity, and a cool WNW wind sustained at 4 mph gusting to 7.8 mph.

At the Peak on Monday 16th September 2024 at 1100 the air temperature was 35.7°F (2°C), with a windchill temperature of 20.3°F (-7°C), 38% relative humidity, and a frigid WSW wind sustained at 15 mph gusting to 23.3 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

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 recent 2024 surveys 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 simply unconscionable. 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). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

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 an earlier Report linked here).

On Willow Creek Trail notable treefall hazards on the Forest Service section were finally cut by 13th August. Several trees remain uncut to fully restore the trail route to its 2020 condition, but it seems unlikely that they will ever be cut. Whitethorn along the trail is starting to grow back rapidly, and is becoming a problem on both the Forest Service and State Park sections (photo in previous Report linked here). Forest Service made progress on trail trimming on 26th-27th August and 9th September. 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, and there is optimism that some may be removed later in September.

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. Note that 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

Tuesday 10th September 2024 will be remembered as one of the darkest days, both literally and figuratively, in the modern history of the mountains of Southern California. Three fires, burning in three different mountain ranges – the Airport Fire in the Santa Ana range, the Bridge Fire in the San Gabriels, and the Line Fire in the San Bernardino Mountains – all grew dramatically that day, in combination burning more than 60,000 acres on that one day alone. The skies of interior Southern California were borderline apocalyptic, smoke partially eclipsing the sun most of the day and with fine ash falling more than 50 miles away from active fire fronts.

Details of the widespread destruction, forest and road closures, and ways to help those impacted, are available elsewhere online. The high country areas of all three of those mountain ranges are of course closed, probably for extended periods. Many well-known trails and routes have been burned over in all three forests. The Line Fire destroyed the fire lookout at Keller Peak on the afternoon of 10th September, having burned in the immediate vicinity of the fire lookout at Morton Peak the previous day, where the lookout structure was remarkably only singed (but everything around it was destroyed).

Air quality and visibility down in the lowlands, especially the Coachella Valley, had already been generally poor all summer due to the lack of precipitation, only exacerbated by smoke from recent fires in the region. Air quality has currently (Friday 13th) deteriorated significantly in the San Jacinto mountains, following a drop and subtle shift in the wind, after two clearer days on 11th-12th. Hiking is not recommended for those sensitive to poor air quality, and all hikers should consider using a mask.

Thankfully, temperatures fell below seasonal starting Wednesday 11th September, and are forecast to cool even further in a brief cold snap on 16th-19th. With a marked cooling trend associated with prevailing westerly and southwesterly winds, monsoon precipitation is no longer expected.

With a largely failed monsoon season this year in the San Jacinto mountains, and generally hot and dry conditions for the past three months, obviously fire risk is severe everywhere. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas.

Survey hikes by the Trail Report every day year-round in the San Jacinto mountains include varied and circuitous routes to San Jacinto Peak multiple times per week (61 ascents this summer since 1st July), plus many other trails on intervening days.

Major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow adequately at this time (example photos below). However flow rates are dropping steadily at all elevations and ephemeral water sources are now dry. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 11th September. In the Tahquitz area meadows, the minor creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to flow, but the ephemeral creek in Tahquitz Valley is now dry. Tahquitz Creek is flowing steadily at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177. The creek at Strawberry Cienega is now functionally dry. Hidden Lake remained c.50% full at the end of August (by surface area, not volume).

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closed on Monday 9th September 2024 for annual maintenance, with a tentative reopening date of Monday 7th October.

WEATHER

Temperatures were well above seasonal for the first nine days of September, but are forecast to abruptly cool to slightly below seasonal for 11th-15th, and then cool further to well below seasonal on 16th-20th September. Thereafter temperatures are expected to rise rapidly to near seasonal for the latter third of the month.

Little to no cloud cover is expected for the next week or more, with generally light to moderate prevailing onshore winds, so there is no further monsoon precipitation in the forecasts. This season has produced a very weak monsoon, with precipitation in Idyllwild currently only about 10% of average for the summer months.

Highly localized monsoonal thunderstorms on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th September largely missed the San Jacinto high country, but both pleasantly cooled temperatures and dampened trails. Idyllwild received only 0.03 inch on each day, and rain gauges across the high country recorded less than 0.1 inch on 7th. However an impressive 0.27 inch of rain fell at Wellman’s Cienega (9300 ft) on Sunday 8th, even though nearby San Jacinto Peak was completely dry, and only 0.08 inch fell at Saddle Junction (8100 ft). Another localized but intense monsoon rain fell on Idyllwild as I originally wrote this paragraph on the afternoon of Monday 9th. That produced 0.13 inch of rain in town, but missed the high country altogether and all high elevation rain gauges were dry.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Wednesday 11th September 2024 at 0830 the air temperature was 47.4°F (9°C), with a windchill temperature of 36.3°F (2°C), 11% relative humidity, and a steady WSW wind sustained at 16 mph gusting to 25.4 mph.

At the Peak on Monday 9th September 2024 at 0825 the air temperature was 58.6°F (15°C), with a windchill temperature of 49.5°F (10°C), 41% relative humidity, and a variable SSE wind sustained at 4 mph gusting to 10.1 mph.

At the Peak on Sunday 8th September 2024 at 0755 the air temperature was 57.0°F (14°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 54.9°F (13°C), 50% relative humidity, and a very light NE wind sustained at 2 mph gusting to 3.6 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

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 recent 2024 surveys 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 simply unconscionable. 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). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

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 an earlier Report linked here).

On Willow Creek Trail notable treefall hazards on the Forest Service section were finally cut by 13th August. Several trees remain uncut to fully restore the trail route to its 2020 condition, but it seems unlikely that they will ever be cut. Whitethorn along the trail is starting to grow back rapidly, and is becoming a problem on both the Forest Service and State Park sections (photo in previous Report linked here). Forest Service made progress on trail trimming on 26th-27th August and 9th September. 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, and there is optimism that some may be removed later in September.

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. Note that 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

Recent events included a highly localized monsoonal thunderstorm on Saturday 31st August. Idyllwild received no more than a few large rain drops that afternoon, and rain gauges at Saddle Junction (dry) and San Jacinto Peak (0.08 inch) barely hinted at the passage of a storm cell. However an impressive 0.70 inch of rain fell at Wellman’s Cienega (9300 ft) and some trails above 9000 ft on the east side of the high country remained damp days later.

On Sunday 1st September, the Record Fire burned just over 500 acres on the extreme westernmost fringe of the San Jacinto mountains, in the foothills just west of Dellamont. Before dawn the following morning a dusting of ash on my truck in Idyllwild was a reminder that distances are small in our mountains, as the ash flies. Two hours after sunrise I was able to see from San Jacinto Peak that the eastward progress of the fire had been halted.

After some distinctly autumnal days in late August – including a sub-freezing windchill recorded at San Jacinto Peak on Sunday 25th – temperatures are forecast to be well above seasonal until 10th September. Thankfully temperatures in the high country have largely stabilized around seasonal averages since mid August, with air temperatures typically 50-55°F (10-13°C). Such temperatures feel pleasantly cool in contrast to the heat lower down the mountain, but will actually be well above seasonal for the highest elevations in the first half of September.

Hikers should continue to be prepared for hot weather on the trail system into the second week of September. Please give considerable extra thought to start times, route choice (considering sun exposure, forest cover, and water availability), appropriate clothing, sun protection, and hydration requirements.

Monsoon conditions are typical in late summer/early autumn, currently forecast as most likely on 7th-8th September, so hikers should always be prepared for the possibility of rapidly changing weather conditions in the high country. Thunderstorms with lightning, intense precipitation, and rapid temperature drops can occur, usually in the afternoon, even when such storms may not be forecast for lower elevations.

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 (58 ascents since 1st July 2024), plus many other trails on intervening days.

With a largely failed monsoon season and generally hot conditions for the past 2-3 months, fire risk is severe everywhere. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas.

Major springs, creeks, and pipes largely continue to flow adequately at this time (example photos below). However flow rates are dropping steadily at all elevations and ephemeral water sources are now dry. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 4th September. In the Tahquitz area meadows, the minor creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to flow, but the ephemeral creek in Tahquitz Valley is now dry. Tahquitz Creek is flowing steadily at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177. The creek at Strawberry Cienega is now functionally dry. Hidden Lake remained c.50% full at the end of August (by surface area, not volume).

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closes on Monday 9th September 2024 for annual maintenance, with a tentative reopening date of Monday 7th October.

Be rattlesnake aware. Above about 5000 ft elevation, the venom of Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus [oreganus] helleri) in the San Jacinto mountains is predominantly neurotoxic, almost always fatal for dogs and sometimes for humans (see my detailed 2020 article linked here for further information). Devil’s Slide Trail, lower Deer Springs and lower Marion Mountain trails, Suicide Rock, near Strawberry Cienega, and trails around Tahquitz Peak are frequent locations for sightings, but rattlesnakes have been recorded everywhere to 9350 ft.

Be bear aware. Although rarely reported in recent years, up to three Black Bears have been in the San Jacinto mountains since 2017. I have seen at least one annually for the past six years, most recently on upper Marion Mountain Trail on 14th September 2023. I also 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

Details of the many local records broken in an exceptionally warm July are given in a prior Report (linked here). So far this season there has been little monsoon rainfall, with precipitation in Idyllwild currently only 10% of average for the summer months.

A strong cold front brought early autumnal temperatures to the mountains on 23rd-26th August (the southern fringe of the same system that dusted extremely early snow on parts of the Sierra Nevada this past weekend). While August has averaged cooler than July, and despite a few pleasantly cool days recently, almost the entire month of August has had temperatures at or above seasonal. As is increasingly the case with a steadily heating climate in the San Jacinto mountains, overnight low temperatures in particular were well above seasonal throughout July and almost all of August.

Temperatures rose steadily at the end of August to above seasonal yet again, and are forecast to be well above seasonal for the first ten days of September at all elevations (although this will be most striking at mid elevations, e.g., Idyllwild area). An especially hot (but brief) heatwave is forecast for 4th-7th September, with temperatures above even midsummer averages. Monsoonal afternoon thunderstorms are currently most likely on 7th-8th September.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 4th September 2024 at 0805 the air temperature was 58.1°F (14°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 55.2°F (13°C), 35% relative humidity, and a light ENE wind sustained at 4 mph gusting to 6.9 mph.

At the Peak on Wednesday 4th September 2024 at 0755 the air temperature was 57.9°F (14°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 48.3°F (9°C), 52% relative humidity, and a steady ESE wind sustained at 8 mph gusting to 12.7 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

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 recent 2024 surveys 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 simply unconscionable. 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). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

The State Park announced closure of 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, on 12th July due to “dangerously high temperatures impacting the Palm Springs region”. The trail “will continue to be closed until further notice”.

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 an earlier Report linked here).

On Willow Creek Trail notable treefall hazards on the Forest Service section were finally cut by 13th August. Several trees remain uncut to fully restore the trail route to its 2020 condition, but it seems unlikely that they will ever be cut. Whitethorn along the trail is starting to grow back rapidly, and is becoming a problem on both the Forest Service and State Park sections (photo in previous Report linked here). Forest Service made progress on trail trimming on 26th-27th August. 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, and there is optimism that some may be removed later in September.

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. Note that 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

After delightful and distinctly autumnal cooling for a few days in late August – including a sub-freezing windchill recorded at San Jacinto Peak on Sunday 25th – temperatures are now forecast to rise and be well above seasonal in the first week of September (i.e. including the holiday weekend).

Thankfully temperatures in the high country have largely stabilized around seasonal averages since mid August, with air temperatures typically 50-55°F (10-13°C). Such temperatures feel pleasantly cool in contrast to the heat lower down the mountain, but they will actually be well above seasonal for the high elevations in the first week of September.

Hikers should continue to be prepared for hot weather on the trail system into the first week of September. Please give considerable extra thought to start times, route choice (considering sun exposure, forest cover, and water availability), appropriate clothing, sun protection, and hydration requirements.

Monsoon conditions can occur in late summer/early autumn, currently forecast as most likely on 7th-8th September, and hikers should always be prepared for the possibility of rapidly changing weather conditions in the high country. Thunderstorms with lightning, intense precipitation, and rapid temperature drops can occur, usually in the afternoon, even when such storms may not be forecast for lower elevations.

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 (55 days since 1st July), plus other trails on intervening days.

With a failed monsoon season (so far) and largely hot conditions for the past two months, fire risk is severe everywhere. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas.

Fires are not a problem solely confined to our area of course. An article (linked here) published last weekend highlights the challenges faced by PCT hikers by the sheer number of fire closures along the entire trail route. Sadly it is debatable whether any PCT hiker has been truly able to complete the entire trail along its originally intended route in the past 10-15 years due to fire closures.

Major springs, creeks, and pipes continue to flow adequately at this time (example photos below). However flow rates are dropping steadily at all elevations and ephemeral water sources are now dry. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow well as of 30th August. In the Tahquitz area meadows, the minor creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to flow, but the ephemeral creek in Tahquitz Valley is now dry. Tahquitz Creek is flowing steadily at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177. The creek at Strawberry Cienega is now functionally dry. Hidden Lake remained c.50% full in late August (by surface area, not volume).

Be rattlesnake aware. Above about 5000 ft elevation, the venom of Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus [oreganus] helleri) in the San Jacinto mountains is predominantly neurotoxic, almost always fatal for dogs and sometimes for humans (see my detailed 2020 article linked here for further information). Devil’s Slide Trail, lower Deer Springs and lower Marion Mountain trails, Suicide Rock, near Strawberry Cienega, and trails around Tahquitz Peak are frequent locations for sightings, but rattlesnakes have been recorded everywhere to 9350 ft.

Be bear aware. Although rarely reported in recent years, up to three Black Bears have been in the San Jacinto mountains since 2017. I have seen at least one annually for the past six years, most recently on upper Marion Mountain Trail on 14th September 2023. I also 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.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closes on Monday 9th September 2024 for annual maintenance, with a tentative reopening date of Monday 7th October.

WEATHER

Details of the many local records broken in an exceptionally warm July are given in a prior Report (linked here). So far this season there has been no significant monsoon rainfall, with precipitation in Idyllwild currently only 10% of average for the summer months.

A strong cold front brought early autumnal temperatures to the mountains on 23rd-26th August (the southern fringe of the same system that dusted extremely early snow on parts of the Sierra Nevada this past weekend). While August has averaged cooler than July, and despite a few pleasantly cool days recently, almost the entire month of August has had temperatures at or above seasonal. As is increasingly the case with a steadily heating climate in the San Jacinto mountains, overnight low temperatures in particular were well above seasonal throughout July and almost all of August.

Temperatures rose steadily on 26th-30th August to above seasonal yet again, and are now forecast to be far above seasonal for the first week of September at all elevations (although this will be most striking at mid elevations, e.g., Idyllwild area).

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 30th August 2024 at 0805 the air temperature was 54.3°F (12°C), with a windchill temperature of 47.1°F (8°C), 39% relative humidity, and a warm ESE wind sustained at 8 mph gusting to 14.4 mph.

At the Peak on Thursday 29th August 2024 at 0815 the air temperature was 50.8°F (10°C), with a windchill temperature of 41.5°F (5°C), 56% relative humidity, and a brisk SSE wind sustained at 10 mph gusting to 20.5 mph.

At the Peak on Sunday 25th August 2024 at 0740 the air temperature was 40.8°F (5°C), with a windchill temperature of 30.0°F (-1°C), 75% relative humidity, and a moderate WSW wind sustained at 8 mph gusting to 14.9 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

Snow was completely gone from the high country trails by mid June.

The State Park announced closure of 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, on 12th July due to “dangerously high temperatures impacting the Palm Springs region”. The trail “will continue to be closed until further notice”.

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 recent 2024 surveys 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 unconscionable and embarrassing. 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). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

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 an earlier Report linked here).

On Willow Creek Trail all treefall hazards on the Forest Service section were finally cut by 13th August. Whitethorn along the trail is starting to grow back rapidly, and is becoming a problem on both the Forest Service and State Park sections (photo in previous Report linked here). Forest Service made some progress on trail trimming on 26th-27th August. 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, and some may be removed in September.

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. Note that 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

Following two months of temperatures above seasonal – and record-breaking heat for much of July – temperatures are now forecast to be around seasonal for the remainder of August. At mid elevations it was again hot on 19th-21st, dropping below seasonal on 23rd-25th, before rising to near or slightly above seasonal on 27th-31st.

Thankfully temperatures in the high country have stabilized around seasonal averages since mid August, generally around 50-55°F (10-13°C). It now feels borderline autumnal above about 9000 ft compared to lower down the mountain, with a pleasantly cool windchill at the Peak of 36°F (2°C) on Friday 23rd August. Stronger winds this weekend will produce similarly cool windchill temperatures around the high peaks on 24th-26th August.

Despite temperatures averaging cooler compared to July, hikers should nevertheless be prepared for hot weather on the trail system on most days into early September. Please give considerable extra thought to start times, route choice (considering sun exposure, forest cover, and water availability), appropriate clothing, sun protection, and hydration requirements. There was one heat-related hiker fatality plus multiple cases of heat exhaustion in the San Jacinto high country in July.

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 (almost daily since 1st July), plus other trails on intervening days.

With a failed monsoon season and hot and dry conditions for the past two months, fire risk is severe everywhere. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas.

All major springs, creeks, and pipes continue to flow adequately at this time (example photos below). However flow rates are dropping steadily at all elevations and ephemeral water sources are now dry. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow very well as of 22nd August. In the Tahquitz area meadows, the minor creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to flow well, but the ephemeral creek in Tahquitz Valley is now functionally dry. Tahquitz Creek is flowing steadily at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT at Mile 177.

Be rattlesnake aware. Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus [oreganus] helleri) have been widespread on the trail system this summer. Above about 5000 ft, the venom of this rattlesnake species in these mountains is predominantly neurotoxic, almost always fatal for dogs and sometimes for humans (see my detailed 2020 article linked here for further information). Devil’s Slide Trail, lower Deer Springs and lower Marion Mountain trails, Suicide Rock, near Strawberry Cienega, and trails around Tahquitz Peak are frequent locations for sightings, but rattlesnakes have been recorded everywhere to 9350 ft. (See photo of another individual at foot of this posting.)

Be bear aware. Although rarely reported in recent years, up to three Black Bears have been in the San Jacinto mountains since 2017. I have seen at least one annually for the past six years, most recently on upper Marion Mountain Trail on 14th September 2023. I also 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.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closes on Monday 9th September 2024 for annual maintenance, with a tentative reopening date of Monday 7th October.

WEATHER

Details of the many local records broken in a record-hot July are given in a prior Report (linked here). So far this season there has been no significant monsoon rainfall, with precipitation in Idyllwild currently under 20% of average for the summer months.

While August has averaged cooler than July, and as described above temperatures will be variable for the remaining ten days, almost the entire month of August is forecast to have temperatures at or above seasonal. As is increasingly the case with a steadily heating climate in the San Jacinto mountains, overnight low temperatures in particular were well above seasonal throughout July and this will continue throughout August (with the exception of 23rd-26th).

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 23rd August 2024 at 0820 the air temperature was 46.9°F (8°C), with a windchill temperature of 36.1°F (2°C), 22% relative humidity, and an erratic SW wind sustained at 11 mph gusting to 22.0 mph.

At the Peak on Thursday 22nd August 2024 at 0815 the air temperature was 52.6°F (11°C), with a windchill temperature of 43.9°F (7°C), 8% relative humidity, and a moderate SW wind sustained at 9 mph gusting to 19.2 mph.

At the Peak on Wednesday 21st August 2024 at 0750 the air temperature was 53.7°F (12°C), with a windchill temperature of 47.1°F (8°C), 42% relative humidity, and a steady SW wind sustained at 12 mph gusting to 18.0 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

Snow was completely gone from the high country trails by mid June.

The State Park announced closure of 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, on 12th July due to “dangerously high temperatures impacting the Palm Springs region”. The trail “will continue to be closed until further notice”.

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 recent 2024 surveys 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 unconscionable and embarrassing. 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). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

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 an earlier Report linked here).

On Willow Creek Trail all treefall hazards on the Forest Service section were finally cut by 13th August. Whitethorn along the trail is starting to grow back rapidly, and is becoming a problem on both the Forest Service and State Park sections (photo in previous Report linked here). Forest Service volunteers plan to start work on whitethorn trimming on 26th-27th August. 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, and some (or all) may be removed in September.

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. Note that 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

After a record hot July, then some cooler days in the first half of August, temperatures at mid elevations are now forecast to be largely above seasonal for the next week. Temperatures above 10,000 ft elevation have now stabilized around seasonal averages and can feel pleasantly autumnal compared to lower down the mountain. Unusually humid and calm conditions in the high country on Wednesday 7th resulted in a new all-time record high temperature for the month of August at San Jacinto Peak of 64.6°F (18°C). Conversely the windchill at the Peak on Wednesday 14th August was a delightfully cool 38.8°F (4°C).

Despite temperatures averaging slightly cooler compared to July, hikers should still be prepared for hot weather on high country trails. Please give considerable extra thought to start times, route choice (considering sun exposure, forest cover, and water availability), appropriate clothing, sun protection, and hydration requirements. There was one heat-related hiker fatality plus multiple cases of heat exhaustion in the San Jacinto high country in July.

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 (almost daily since 1st July), plus other trails on intervening days.

With generally hot and dry conditions, and a failed monsoon season so far this summer, fire risk is severe everywhere. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas.

All major springs, creeks, and pipes continue to flow adequately at this time (example photos below). However flow rates are dropping steadily at upper elevations and ephemeral water sources are now dry. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow very well as of 13th August. In the Tahquitz area meadows, the minor creek in Skunk Cabbage Meadow continues to flow well, but the ephemeral creek in Tahquitz Valley is now functionally dry. Tahquitz Creek is flowing steadily at the northern end of Little Tahquitz Meadow, and near its source where it crosses the PCT near Mile 177.

Be rattlesnake aware. Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus [oreganus] helleri) have been widespread on the trail system this summer. Above about 5000 ft, the venom of this rattlesnake species in these mountains is predominantly neurotoxic, almost always fatal for dogs and sometimes for humans (see my detailed 2020 article linked here for further information). Devil’s Slide Trail, lower Deer Springs and lower Marion Mountain trails, Suicide Rock, near Strawberry Cienega, and trails around Tahquitz Peak are frequent locations for sightings, but rattlesnakes have been recorded everywhere to 9350 ft. (See photo of another individual at foot of this posting.)

Be bear aware. Although rarely reported in recent years, up to three Black Bears have been in the San Jacinto mountains since 2017. I have seen at least one annually for the past six years, most recently on upper Marion Mountain Trail on 14th September 2023. I also 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.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closes on Monday 9th September 2024 for annual maintenance, with a tentative reopening date of Monday 7th October.

WEATHER

After a lengthy and record-breaking heatwave in the first half of July temperatures dropped somewhat between 14th-17th, before a second heat dome rose temperatures again to well above seasonal for another ten days. Details of the many local records broken in a record-hot July are given in the previous Report (linked here).

Some pleasant cooling arrived for 27th July-3rd August, although temperatures nevertheless largely remained at or slightly above seasonal. Both 1st and 2nd August were pleasantly cloudy and cool, albeit humid, days, with just a hint of drizzle on 1st and our first proper (albeit brief) monsoonal rainstorm on Friday 2nd. San Jacinto Peak recorded 0.02 inch of rain on 1st August and 0.31 inch on 2nd. Rainfall was heaviest on both sides of the mountain at 9000-10,000 ft on 2nd, with 0.51 inch in Little Round Valley (9750 ft) and 0.62 inch at Wellman’s Cienega (9300 ft), with less lower down including 0.30 inch at Saddle Junction (8100 ft) and 0.34 inch near the top of Marion Mountain Trail (8650 ft). Further down the mountain Idyllwild at 5550 ft recorded 0.11 inch.

While August has averaged cooler than July, almost the entire month of August is forecast to have temperatures near or above seasonal. As is increasingly the case with a steadily heating climate in the San Jacinto mountains, overnight low temperatures in particular were well above seasonal throughout July and this will continue throughout August.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Saturday 17th August 2024 at 0755 the air temperature was 50.8°F (10°C), with a windchill temperature of 43.2°F (7°C), 72% relative humidity, and a steady SSW wind sustained at 10 mph gusting to 16.4 mph.

At the Peak on Friday 16th August 2024 at 0800 the air temperature was 51.7°F (11°C), with a windchill temperature of 43.9°F (7°C), 48% relative humidity, and a fresh SSW wind sustained at 12 mph gusting to 22.2 mph.

At the Peak on Thursday 15th August 2024 at 0845 the air temperature was 57.8°F (15°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 53.2°F (12°C), 8% relative humidity, and a warming SW wind sustained at 11 mph gusting to 14.1 mph.

At the Peak on Wednesday 14th August 2024 at 0740 the air temperature was 47.7°F (9°C), with a windchill temperature of 38.8°F (4°C), 30% relative humidity, and a very refreshing WSW wind sustained at 12 mph gusting to 19.3 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

Snow was completely gone from the high country trails by mid June.

The State Park announced closure of 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, on 12th July due to “dangerously high temperatures impacting the Palm Springs region”. The trail “will continue to be closed until further notice”.

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 recent 2024 surveys 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 unconscionable. 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). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

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 an earlier Report linked here).

On Willow Creek Trail all treefall hazards on the Forest Service section were finally cut by 13th August. Whitethorn along the trail is starting to grow back rapidly, and is becoming a problem on both the Forest Service and State Park sections (photo in previous Report linked here). 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, and some (or all) may be removed in September.

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. Note that 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

Thankfully a record hot July finished with a few cooler days, although further hot temperatures well above seasonal averages returned on 3rd August and are forecast to continue until about 13th.

Both 1st and 2nd August were pleasantly cloudy and cool, albeit humid, days, with just a hint of drizzle on 1st (photo below) and our first proper (if brief) monsoonal rainstorm on Friday 2nd. San Jacinto Peak recorded 0.02 inch of rain on 1st August and 0.31 inch on 2nd. Rainfall was heaviest on both sides of the mountain at 9000-10,000 ft on 2nd, with 0.51 inch in Little Round Valley (9750 ft) and 0.62 inch at Wellman’s Cienega (9300 ft), with less lower down including 0.30 inch at Saddle Junction (8100 ft) and 0.34 inch near the top of Marion Mountain Trail (8650 ft). Further down the mountain Idyllwild at 5550 ft recorded 0.11 inch.

Provisional data suggest that July 2024 was the hottest month in recorded Idyllwild history, with all 31 days exceeding the monthly average for overnight low temperatures. The average daytime high temperature of 91.1°F for the entire month greatly exceeds the July average of 85.3°F, but even more striking was the average low of 64.7°F, which remarkably surpassed the July historical average of 55.2°F by nearly ten degrees. Both those high and low averages for July 2024 are likely to be all-time records.

In addition to a plethora of new daily and monthly heat records, Idyllwild surpassed 90°F (32°C) for a record twelve consecutive days from 2nd-13th July. The high country fared no better, as San Jacinto Peak shattered its record for consecutive days of at least 60°F (16°C) with all ten days from 3rd-12th July surpassing that temperature (the prior record was just four days). The 68.7°F (20°C) I measured at San Jacinto Peak on the morning of Monday 22nd July was a new all-time record high temperature there, breaking a record set only two weeks earlier (which itself broke a record from July 2021).

Hikers must be prepared for unseasonably hot weather in the high country on most days from 3rd-13th August, with temperatures above seasonal at all times of day (especially overnight) and at all mountain elevations. Please give considerable extra thought to start times, route choice (considering sun exposure, forest cover, and water availability), appropriate clothing, sun protection, and hydration requirements, or indeed whether it is wise to be hiking at all in such conditions. There was one heat-related hiker fatality plus multiple cases of heat exhaustion in the San Jacinto high country in July 2024.

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 (almost daily since 1st July), plus other trails on intervening days.

Monsoon conditions are forecast as possible for the remainder of the first half of August, currently most likely on 9th-11th. Hikers should be prepared for the possibility of rapidly changing weather conditions in the high country. Thunderstorms with lightning, intense precipitation, and rapid temperature drops can occur, usually in the afternoon, even when such storms may not be forecast for lower elevations.

With such hot and dry conditions, fire risk is severe everywhere. A comprehensive fire ban is in place on Forest Service lands throughout the San Jacinto Ranger District (link to USFS order here) and in all Idyllwild campgrounds. Campfires are of course always prohibited throughout both the State Park and National Forest wilderness areas. The Nixon Fire – held at about 5200 acres – was clearly visible due south of San Jacinto Peak on Tuesday 30th July, with a solid line of smoke blowing eastward over the Santa Rosa mountains and down into the Coachella Valley, but looked far more benign on subsequent days.

All major springs, creeks, and pipes continue to flow adequately at this time (example photos below). However flow rates are dropping steadily at upper elevations and almost all ephemeral water sources are now dry. The Round Valley faucet continued to flow very well as of 5th August.

Be rattlesnake aware. Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus [oreganus] helleri) have been abundant on the trail system this summer. Above about 5000 ft, the venom of this rattlesnake species in these mountains is predominantly neurotoxic, almost always fatal for dogs and sometimes for humans (see my detailed 2020 article linked here for further information). Devil’s Slide Trail, lower Deer Springs and lower Marion Mountain trails, Suicide Rock, near Strawberry Cienega, and trails around Tahquitz Peak are all common locations for sightings, but rattlesnakes have been recorded everywhere to 9350 ft. (See additional photos of another individual at foot of this posting.)

Be bear aware. Although rarely reported in recent years, up to three Black Bears have been in the San Jacinto mountains since 2017. I have seen at least one annually for the past six years, most recently on upper Marion Mountain Trail on 14th September 2023. I also 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.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will be closed starting Monday 9th September 2024 for annual maintenance, with a tentative reopening date of Monday 7th October.

WEATHER

After a lengthy and record-breaking heatwave in the first half of July temperatures dropped somewhat between 14th-17th, before a second heat dome rose temperatures again to well above seasonal for another ten days. Some pleasant cooling arrived for 27th July-2nd August (although temperatures nevertheless largely remained at or slightly above seasonal!).

A third heat dome of the summer moved over the desert south-west around 3rd August, and temperatures will be well above average for 3rd-13th August at least (i.e. generally near or above 90°F in Idyllwild and close to 60°F at San Jacinto Peak). As is increasingly the case with a steadily heating climate in the San Jacinto mountains, overnight low temperatures in particular were well above seasonal throughout July and this will continue throughout the first half of August.

There is currently no significant precipitation in the forecasts, but monsoonal thunderstorms are always a possibility in late summer, generally in afternoons, and currently most likely on August 9th-11th.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Tuesday 6th August 2024 at 0710 the air temperature was 56.7°F (14°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 54.7°F (13°C), 45% relative humidity, and a gentle WNW wind sustained at 3 mph gusting to 5.5 mph.

At the Peak on Monday 5th August 2024 at 0805 the air temperature was 59.0°F (15°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 54.5°F (12.5°C), 57% relative humidity, and a variable WSW wind sustained at 4 mph gusting to 10.4 mph.

At the Peak on Saturday 3rd August 2024 at 0735 the air temperature was 53.5°F (12°C), with a windchill temperature of 48.3°F (9°C), 52% relative humidity, and a fresh SSE wind sustained at 7 mph gusting to 11.4 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

Snow was completely gone from the high country trails by mid June.

The State Park announced closure of 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, on 12th July due to “dangerously high temperatures impacting the Palm Springs region”. The trail “will continue to be closed until further notice”.

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 recent 2024 surveys 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 unconscionable. 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). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

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 an earlier 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 (photo in previous Report linked here). 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.

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. Note that 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

July 2024 started with a record-breaking heatwave, with Idyllwild setting an all-time record by surpassing 90°F (32°C) for 12 consecutive days from 2nd-13th July. Remarkably most of those days peaked in the mid to high 90s. Although temperatures have averaged slightly cooler since, July 2024 is already virtually certain to be the hottest month in recorded Idyllwild history, with all 31 days exceeding the monthly average for overnight low temperatures, and almost all exceeding the average daytime highs also.

Despite some slight cooling on 14th-17th July, temperatures rose further starting Thursday 18th July and will remain well above average until Saturday 27th, with a second consecutive “heat dome” over the region. Overnight low temperatures in particular have been 5-15°F above average for the entire month and are forecast to remain elevated until the last few days of July. Some pleasant cooling is expected for 27th-29th (although temperatures will probably remain at or slightly above seasonal!).

The temperature I measured at San Jacinto Peak on the morning of Monday 22nd July (68.7°F [20°C]) set a new all-time record high for that location, just breaking a record set only two weeks earlier. More significantly San Jacinto Peak shattered its record for consecutive days of at least 60°F (16°C) with all ten days from 3rd-12th July surpassing that temperature (the prior record was just four days, observed three times since 2018).

Hikers must be prepared for unseasonably hot weather in the high country, with temperatures above seasonal at all times of day and at all mountain elevations. Please give considerable extra thought to start times, route choice (factors 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 planning. Earlier this month a 61-year-old PCT section hiker from Chula Vista 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, Saturday 6th was the hottest day of the year in the San Jacinto mountains, and that section of trail is extremely sun-exposed chaparral with no shade.

Monsoon conditions are forecast as possible in early August. Consequently hikers should be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions in the high country. Thunderstorms with lightning, intense precipitation, and rapid temperature drops can occur in the high country, usually in the afternoons, even when such storms are not forecast for lower elevations.

The State Park announced closure of 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, on 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 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 daily on 21st-26th July), plus a wide range of 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 rapidly at upper elevations and almost all ephemeral water sources are now dry. The Round Valley faucet continues to flow well as of 26th July.

Be rattlesnake aware. Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus [oreganus] helleri) have been abundant on the trail system this season. Above about 5000 ft, the venom of this rattlesnake species in these mountains is predominantly neurotoxic, almost always fatal for dogs and sometimes for humans (see my detailed 2020 article linked here for further information). Devil’s Slide Trail, lower Deer Springs and lower Marion Mountains trails, Suicide Rock, near Strawberry Cienega, and trails around Tahquitz Peak are common locations for sightings, but rattlesnakes have been recorded everywhere to 9350 ft. (See additional photos of another individual at foot of this posting.)

Be bear aware. Although rarely reported in recent years, up to three Black Bears have been in the San Jacinto mountains since 2017. I have seen at least one annually for the past six years, most recently on upper Marion Mountain Trail on 14th September 2023. I also 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

Remarkably temperatures have been above seasonal almost continuously since 21st June and forecasts suggest that this trend will continue into August. After the lengthy heatwave described above, temperatures dropped somewhat starting Sunday 14th July, although remaining at or above seasonal. From Friday 19th onwards, temperatures rose again (i.e. to 90°F or above in Idyllwild and around 60°F at San Jacinto Peak) and are forecast to generally remain at or above seasonal until the end of July. 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 throughout July.

Temperatures will remain well above seasonal averages until Friday 26th, with a notable (albeit brief) cooling on 27th-30th July. Temperatures may even drop just below average on 27th-29th. Thereafter temperatures are forecast to rise rapidly again to well above average into the first week of August.

There is little relief in the high country, with a record duration of unusually warm temperatures, combined at times with record high temperatures, even above 10,000 ft elevation. There is no significant precipitation in the forecasts, but monsoonal thunderstorms are possible in late summer afternoons, currently forecast as most likely in the first week of August. There is a chance for residual tropical storm rainfall around 5th-7th August, but that is speculative at this time.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Thursday 25th July 2024 at 0720 the air temperature was 55.3°F (13°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 51.3°F (11°C), 61% relative humidity, and a steady WSW wind sustained at 7 mph gusting to 10.4 mph.

At the Peak on Wednesday 24th July 2024 at 0755 the air temperature was 60.8°F (16°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 57.2°F (14°C), 48% relative humidity, and a very light SSE breeze sustained at 2 mph gusting to 4.7 mph.

At the Peak on Tuesday 23rd July 2024 at 0725 the air temperature was 57.6°F (14°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 53.6°F (12°C), 69% relative humidity, and a light SSE wind sustained at 5 mph gusting to 9.4 mph.

At the Peak on Monday 22nd July 2024 at 0730 the air temperature was 68.7°F (20°C), with no meaningful windchill, 47% relative humidity, and almost calm conditions with an occasional SE breeze gusting to 2.5 mph. As described above, this is an all-time record high temperature for San Jacinto Peak, surpassing the 68.2°F I had recorded exactly two weeks earlier, which itself broke the prior record of 67.6°F I observed during a prior heat dome event on 12th July 2021.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

Snow was gone from the high country trails by mid June.

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 recent 2024 surveys 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 unconscionable. 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). A further 15 smaller trees are down from Miles 168.5-170.5 (Spitler Peak Trail to Zen Center Trail).

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 (photo below). 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.

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. Note that 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 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

Very hot temperatures far above seasonal even for July – close to 100°F (38°C) as high as 6000 ft – are forecast for 3rd-13th, with the hottest days expected to dangerously coincide with the extended holiday weekend. Overnight low temperatures in particular will be at least 15°F above seasonal into mid July. 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, clothing, sun protection, and hydration requirements, or indeed whether it is wise to be hiking at all in such conditions.

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.

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 daily on 1st-5th July), plus many other trails on intervening days.

All major springs, creeks, and pipes are flowing relatively well at this time (example photos below). However flow rates are dropping steadily at upper elevations and most 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 into mid July (at least). Forecast temperatures suggest the first two weeks of July will be very hot and well above average for the month on 2nd-13th at least. There will be little relief in the high country, with near-record temperatures expected even above 10,000 ft elevation on 4th-12th July. As is increasingly the case with a steadily heating climate in the San Jacinto mountains, overnight low temperatures in particular will be well above seasonal into mid July. There is currently no significant precipitation in the forecasts, but a slim chance of light monsoonal rain on 13th-14th most likely around the highest peaks.

The latest video forecast issued on 2nd July by NWS San Diego (linked here) describes in detail the imminent “heat dome” that will impact us in early July, plus expectations for the remainder of the month.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 5th July 2024 at 0645 the air temperature was 61.6°F (16°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 58.1°F (14°C), 24% relative humidity, and a steady NE wind sustained at 11 mph gusting to 13.5 mph.

At the Peak on Thursday 4th July 2024 at 0750 the air temperature was 64.4°F (18°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 59.8°F (15°C), 33% relative humidity, and a subtle ESE breeze sustained at 2 mph gusting to 4.1 mph.

At the Peak on Wednesday 3rd July 2024 at 0910 the air temperature was 61.4°F (16°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 58.5°F (15°C), 44% relative humidity, and a very light SSE wind sustained at 3 mph gusting to 6.2 mph.

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 below).

Willow Creek Trail is in much more hiker-friendly condition than this time last year. Smaller treefall hazards on the Forest Service section were cut in June. The two huge (c.50 inch diameter) hazards remaining on the Forest Service side are being removed in early July. Whitethorn along the trail has not (yet) grown back significantly, other than a couple of minor areas near Hidden Divide in the State Park section. Treefall hazards currently on the State Park side include two large ones remaining from last year, plus three small new ones, but none pose significant 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 trail for the past five years is unconscionable. 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 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, and it has been functionally abandoned by both the State Park and Forest Service for years. Since 2020 about 75 downed trees have been cut and the trail is thoroughly trimmed and cleared 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 near the PCT would need to be removed to fully restore the original route of the trail. Although the condition of the trail is literally many times better than just a few years ago, Seven Pines remains a genuine wilderness trail unlike the wider, 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. Be advised that in general Seven Pines Trail becomes most obscure in the mile closest to its junction with the PCT.

The Zen Center Trail continues to deteriorate since 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.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

Cooler, seasonal, temperatures on 17th-19th June rapidly transitioned to hot summer temperatures from 21st. Very hot temperatures are forecast for 2nd-8th July, dangerously coinciding with the extended holiday weekend. Overnight low temperatures in particular will be far above seasonal into the second week of July at least. Hikers should be prepared for unseasonably hot weather in the high country, with temperatures above seasonal at all times of day and at all mountain elevations. Give considerable extra thought to start times, route choice, clothing, sun protection, and hydration requirements.

We are already in fire season. Fires – thankfully so far all relatively small – are starting almost daily in the surrounding lowlands of interior Southern California. The first to impact the fringe of the San Jacinto mountains was the Tuscany Fire on 17th June on BLM land on the south side of Chino Canyon (near the Tramway road, north-west Palm Springs), contained at 126 acres.

Survey hikes every day in the San Jacinto mountains include varied routes to San Jacinto Peak multiple times per week (most recently on 21st, 24th, and twice on 28th June) plus many other trails on intervening days. I fully surveyed the northern Desert Divide and associated side trails (PCT Miles 170.5-179) on 18th June.

All major springs, creeks, and pipes are flowing well at this time (example photos below). However flow rates are dropping steadily at upper elevations, many ephemeral water sources are dry, and grassy meadows below 7000 ft are already largely dry. A long, hot, dry summer is forecast.

Campgrounds, forest roads, and fire lookouts all opened in time for the Memorial Day weekend, as described in detail in the previous Report (available here).

Be rattlesnake aware. Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus helleri) have been seen on the trail system up to at least 8800 ft elevation already, and may be seen as high as 9300 ft this month. The volume of sightings suggest 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

Temperatures above average for June are forecast starting 21st and continuing to the end of the month. Forecast temperatures suggest the first two weeks of July will be hot, and well above average for that month on 1st-8th at least. As is increasingly the case with a heating climate in the San Jacinto mountains, overnight low temperatures in particular will be well above seasonal in late June and into July. There is currently no significant new precipitation in the forecasts.

This video forecast from NWS San Diego (linked here) details the forthcoming heat dome, and the current projections for July and the remainder of the summer. Below average precipitation and above average temperatures are predicted, with vegetation moisture content (a key indicator of fire risk) already below average in much of interior Southern California.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Friday 28th June 2024 at 0715 the air temperature was 52.4°F (11°C), with a windchill temperature of 42.8°F (6°C), 11% relative humidity, and a pleasantly fresh WSW wind sustained at 14 mph gusting to 22.7 mph.

At the Peak on Monday 24th June 2024 at 0800 the air temperature was 56.2°F (13°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 50.8°F (10°C), 76% relative humidity, and a light ESE wind sustained at 5 mph gusting to 10.6 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

Snow was gone from the high country trails by mid June.

Trail maintenance has made progress this month, although ultimately less than hoped. An American Conservation Experience (and PCTA-supported) crew worked on Miles 162-165 (south from Fobes Saddle, trimmed plus 17 trees cut), and Miles 177-179 (Tahquitz Creek to Saddle Junction, nine trees cut and tread improved). In mid June several smaller trees were removed from Willow Creek Trail and six trees were cleared from the Little Tahquitz Valley Trail by Forest Service. The Trail Report cleared several trees from the PCT section north of Saddle Junction (Miles 179-181) on 10th June, more than 30 trees from Spitler Peak Trail on 14th, and half-a-dozen more from Deer Springs Trail on 27th.

Deer Springs Trail is clear of snow. About 12 treefall hazards on the 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 below).

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.

Willow Creek Trail is in much more hiker-friendly than this time last year. Several of the smaller trees on the Forest Service section were cut in June. Whitethorn along the trail has not (yet) grown back significantly, other than a couple of minor areas near Hidden Divide in the State Park section. Remaining treefall hazards on the trail include three on the Forest Service section and five on the State Park side (two large ones from last year, plus three small new ones). Unfortunately two of the remaining trees on the Forest Service section are huge (four-plus feet diameter) and some hikers will find them challenging to cross (see photo in previous Report linked here).

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.

Seven Pines Trail is largely (by its formerly low standards) clear of treefall hazards, with about ten down across the trail, most in the central mile, but they are easily 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, 70 downed trees have been removed and the trail is thoroughly trimmed and cleared regularly (but not yet in 2024). 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.

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 trail for the past five years is unconscionable. 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 Zen Center Trail continues to deteriorate since 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 route, but even the experienced find navigating the central section tricky. Long trousers and scrambling gloves are strongly recommended.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.

Regrettably we are periodically experiencing July-August temperatures in the first half of June. Overnight low temperatures in particular will generally be well above seasonal into late June. Hikers should be prepared for unseasonably warm weather in the high country on most days, with temperatures at or above seasonal at all times of day and at all mountain elevations. Give considerable extra thought to route choice, start times, clothing, sun protection, and hydration requirements.

Prescribed burning actions on Thomas Mountain started on Monday 10th June and are expected to impact access in that area for 7-10 days. Thomas Mountain Road (6S13 to 6S15) and Rouse Ridge Road (5S15) are closed, along with all camping areas on Thomas Mountain. Ramona Trail (3E2) is also closed. Fobes Ranch Road/Quinn Flat is being used for crew staging and as a helicopter base, and may have reduced access.

After years of neglect, there is encouraging news regarding trail maintenance along the PCT on Forest Service lands. An ACE (American Conservation Experience) crew, supported by PCTA, worked last week south from Fobes Saddle, roughly Miles 165-160. Trees were cleared by Forest Service south from Saddle Junction to near Red Tahquitz on 10th-11th June (Miles 179-175), followed by an ACE crew working south from Mile 175 on 12th-18th June down the Desert Divide, the notorious PCT section with 100+ downed trees. The Trail Report cleared several obstructing trees on the PCT section north of Saddle Junction (Miles 179-181) on 10th June, and cut almost all of 35 trees down on Spitler Peak Trail on 14th June.

Snow is gone from the high country trails. Some high elevation areas still hold localized patches (e.g,, north and east flanks of San Jacinto Peak, north side of Jean Peak). Traction devices are no longer required.

Survey hikes every day in the San Jacinto mountains include varied routes to San Jacinto Peak multiple times per week (most recently on 7th, 9th, 10th, and 13th June), Tahquitz Peak and area at least once per week (most recently on 11th June), plus many other trails on intervening days.

All major springs, creeks, and pipes are flowing well at this time. However, flow rates are dropping steadily at upper elevations, many ephemeral water sources are drying, and grassy meadows below 7000 ft are already largely dry. A long, hot summer seems inevitable.

Campgrounds, forest roads, and fire lookouts all opened in time for the Memorial Day weekend, as described in detail in the previous Report (available here).

Be rattlesnake aware. Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus helleri) have been seen on the trail system up to at least 8100 ft elevation already, and may be seen as high as 9300 ft this month. The volume of sightings suggest abundant snake populations this year in the San Jacinto mountains.

WEATHER

Temperatures more typical of midsummer started last week and will persist on some days into mid June (notably on 14th-15th and from 20th onwards). Temperatures will be briefly seasonal (and feel pleasantly cool) on 17th-19th June. As is increasingly the case with a heating climate in the San Jacinto mountains, overnight low temperatures in particular will be above seasonal almost daily into the third week of June. Remaining snow patches will of course disappear rapidly. There is currently no new precipitation in the forecasts.

At San Jacinto Peak (3295m/10,810ft) on Thursday 13th June 2024 at 0750 the air temperature was 46.6°F (8°C), with a windchill temperature of 34.9°F (2°C), 28% relative humidity, and a strong SSW wind sustained at 19 mph gusting to 32.3 mph.

At the Peak on Monday 10th June 2024 at 0800 the air temperature was 54.0°F (12°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 47.3°F (8°C), 18% relative humidity, and a gusty SSE wind sustained at 5 mph gusting to 12.9 mph.

At the Peak on Sunday 9th June 2024 at 0745 the air temperature was 51.3°F (11°C), with a “windchill” temperature of 48.4°F (9°C), 16% relative humidity, and a very light SW breeze sustained at 1 mph gusting to 4.6 mph.

TRAIL CONDITIONS

Trails are clear of snow, with the few tiny remaining patches mentioned below. No notable snow remains below 10,000 ft, and above that elevation only in a handful of less-traveled areas.

South Ridge Trail is clear of snow to Tahquitz Peak. The Trail Report cleared this winter’s accumulated treefall hazards from South Ridge Trail in April and has also undertaken extensive trail trimming in recent months. The notorious 0.4 mile section of South Ridge Trail between Chinquapin Flat/PCT Mile 177 and Tahquitz Peak is now completely clear of snow.

The Peak Trail is clear of snow to its junction with Deer Springs Trail. The area immediately around San Jacinto Peak is now almost entirely snow-free. The East Ridge trail route is now only 10% snow-covered, with the track now largely visible and easy to follow. The Round Valley Trail is now clear of snow.

Deer Springs Trail is clear of snow. The remaining snow patches through and above Little Round Valley have gone in the last few days.

Willow Creek Trail is clear of snow. Overall the trail is in reasonable condition, and certainly far more hiker-friendly than this time last year. Whitethorn along the trail has not (yet) grown back significantly, other than a couple of minor areas near Hidden Divide in the State Park section. Sixteen treefall hazards on the trail include 11 on the Forest Service section (two remaining from last year, plus nine new this winter) and five on the State Park side (two large ones from last year, plus three small new ones). Almost all of the downed trees on the USFS section are north of Willow Creek. Unfortunately two of the hazards on the Forest Service section are huge (four-plus feet diameter) and some hikers will find them challenging to cross (see photo in previous Report linked here).

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.

Seven Pines Trail is largely (by its formerly low standards) clear of treefall hazards, with about ten down across the trail, most in the central mile, but they are easily 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, 70 downed trees have been removed and the trail is thoroughly trimmed and cleared regularly (but not yet in 2024). 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.

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 in mid June. The couple that remain pose no problem for hikers. Note that the upper trail in particular is currently heavily overgrown with lush seasonal vegetation.

The Pacific Crest Trail is now clear of snow through the San Jacinto mountains. Treefall hazards remain a problem in many places, most notably between Apache Peak and Red Tahquitz, with at least 110 down in my most recent survey. Large downed trees make for especially slow-going around Miles 172-175 (a section severely burned in the July 2013 Mountain Fire). However as described above, significant work is expected in this area in June 2024. A crew is working this week on the PCT south from Fobes Saddle, roughly Miles 160-165. Trees should be cleared by Forest Service south from Saddle Junction early next week (Miles 179-175) and then another crew will be working south from Mile 175 from 12th-18th June. The Trail Report cleared the section north of Saddle Junction (PCT Miles 179-181) on 10th June of several trees across the trail from this past winter.

While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover operating costs. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Thank you very much for your support.