Leaving a Car

[Rees]

I am hiking north from Highway 74 on the Pacific Crest Trail with my nephew for three weeks beginning on May 16. My wife is going to join us for the first three and a half days. Our plan was to leave a car for that period in either Idyllwild or near the base of the Aerial Tramway so that my wife could exit the trail and retrieve the car relatively easily. None of us is familiar with the area. Any advice? Option 1. would seem to be to end her 3.5 days by walking the Devil's Slide Trail and the Fern Valley Road the 4.5 miles into Idyllwild to pick up the car. Option 2. would be to have exit east to the top of the Aerial Tramway and take it down to the base and pick up the car.

Is one option clearly better than the other? Any place in either location that you would suggest leaving a car for four days? Advice welcome and appreciated!

[bossco]

You can leave a car at the Tram valley station. You should park it in the "Bobcat" lot. It says for RVs, Buses and backpackers. You should tell the valley station supervisor approx how many days you will be gone. If you leave it in the main "Cougar" lot, the Tram will notify the State Park rangers that someone may be lost or overdue. The Tram will charge you one way price to ride the Tram down one way if you hike in from Idylwild. The Tram road gates are closed from 10pm to about 630am.