Is Skyline The Greatest Elevation Gain?

[halhiker]

I think what MSJ is known for is the most gain in the shortest distance. This is especially true on the North Face.

I would also say it is probably the most gain on a TRAIL. I don't know if there is a trail all the way up Telescope Peak.

And what other place has as many hikes of such tremendous elevation gain?
We have the Skyline (8,000+), the PCT to the Peak from Snow Creek (10,000+), the little used Gordon Trail (8,000), the West Fork-Jo Pond-Cedar Creek Trail (6,000+) the Bo Hoff-Guadalupe-Cactus Spring Hike (5,000+) and Rabbit Peak (6,000+). For extreme hiking, I don't think any place can top PSP. Just don't tell anyone.

Hal

[Perry]

I think on one of the more technical routes on Rainier you can start very low. It's not a trail by any means. Not even a scramble. The popular route starting at Paradise is the least technical of all routes.

[Hikin_Jim]

Gordon Trail? Haven't heard of that one. Where does it start, end? I know about Rabbit but where are West Fork-Jo Pond-Cedar Creek Trail (6,000+) and the Bo Hoff-Guadalupe-Cactus Spring Hike are these all in the Santa Rosas?

[halhiker]

Gordon Trail? Haven't heard of that one. Where does it start, end? I know about Rabbit but where are West Fork-Jo Pond-Cedar Creek Trail (6,000+) and the Bo Hoff-Guadalupe-Cactus Spring Hike are these all in the Santa Rosas?

The Gordon Trail is an old trail that starts at the top of the Andreas Club in Palm Springs and goes to Caramba Camp in Tahquitz Canyon. From there, you can either hike to Idyllwild or up to the Tram. Since the Andreas Club is private, you have to climb the hillside near Eagle's Rest (the big white rock near Palm Springs) and then find the remnants of the trail from there. It is terribly overgrown in the middle sections and washed out in others but one can follow it most of the way. Of course, when I started hiking the Skyline back in the eighties it wasn't that much of a trail and was hard to follow. Now, it's a freaking highway.

Robinson mentions the Gordon Trail briefly in SB Mountain Trails.

The West Fork-Jo Pond-Cedar Spring Trail starts in the Indian Canyons and climbs up to Cedar Spring-just below the PCT-and out to Morris Ranch Road off Highway 74. The West Fork Trail has been there for a long time and so has the Cedar Spring Trail but the Jo Pond connection was put in about 12-15 years ago by the Coachella Valley Trails Council. The one problem with this hike is that one has to get dropped off at the Indian Canyons because you can't leave a car there past 5 p.m. You also can't start before 8 a.m.

Finally, the Guadalupe-Cactus Spring hike starts in La Quinta. It starts on the Boo Hoff Trail at the top of the La Quinta cove and ends up at the Cactus Springs Trailhead, just behind the Sugarloaf Cafe on Hwy 74 about 15 miles from Palm Desert.

All are great hikes and in their own ways even more challenging than Skyline.

[Cy Kaicener]

Halhiker - That was some good information for which we thank you. Would you know the mileage on the old Gordon trail.? No one has made a trip report of that trail that I know of. I tried a google search.

[magikwalt]

Hi Hikerhal,

The Gordon Trail starting point is still eluding me. I have been putting together a route leading up to the Caramba Lookout by taking off from the Manyard Mine Trail. I've seen Robinson's reference you mentioned but wasn't able locate anything on the Andreas Club or Eagle's Rest. I am familiar with a private drive that takes off the right side of S. Palm Cyn just before the toll-gate. In my hikes up to Manyard Mine I've also noted the small homes up on the northern side of Andreas Canyon. Perhaps thats what you are calling Andreas Club.

I am very interested in getting this located since the toll-gate doesn't open until 8:00am its a bit limiting on an early start. Is there a generally accepted place to start from if attempting to gain Eagle's Rest? I am assuming that Eagle's Rest would be north of Andreas Cyn but would it be north or south of Spot Creek or Tiger Creek. Could you give me an approximate elevation for it?

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm going to being doing a route up to Caramba in the next 2 weekends and would like to put this into the mix if possible. The wife and I live and work here in Palm Springs so if you are over hiking in that area I'd rush to join you for the outing.

Walt

[magikwalt]

Okay...sitting in the truck at S. Palm Cyn & Bogart Trail. Looking west and up at about 2800ft I see a large diangle slab that would be the whitest thing visable. I will bet this is what hikerhal refered to as Eagles Rest. It is pretty visable on a topo as well.

[halhiker]

Andreas Club is the private club of homes to the north of Andreas Canyon. You can see the houses on the hillside to the right if you are driving to the Indian Canyons. The story I heard is that they were built by railroad workers in the 30's and are now owned by the families of those workers. If someone wants to sell, they have to sell to someone within the club. Back when I was up there, there was NO electricity or other services, only water from a spring.

The trail started there but since access is tough I went up by Eagles Rest. This is the big white rock to the south of the canyon where the southern end of the South Lykken Trail comes out, between East Murray Canyon and Bogart Trail. I know this canyon as OsWit Canyon, which supposedly was the Cahuilla name for it, meaning wild cat, I think.

On the topo, the top of the knob behind Eagle's Rest is listed as 2829 ft. It's location is 33º 46' 24.50" N -116º 34' 15.82" W.

Once the weather cools down (say, October) I'd be happy to go out with someone who's looking for an interesting adventure. I haven't been up there in about 15 years but it'd be fun for me. Along the trail (what's left of it) is a lot of old historical litter (cans and such) and a good many deer antlers. We'd have to bring some loppers to trim some brush along the way and we'd have to get a shuttle in Idyllwild. Figure 12 hours+

I haven't had any luck finding the trail on Google Earth. The resolution just isn't that good. I'm also looking for another old trail leading from an old rockhouse near Oak Canyon (to the west of Palm Canyon) to Bullseye Flat. I've done some of the trail but never finished it.

That'd have to be another adventure.

Hal

[magikwalt]

Sounds like we are on the same page now. So the trail is kind of faint and grown over?? This is exactly what a one eyed fat man is designed for. I'll have a define trail up there in no time. I think that I'll start it from where the Lykken Trail meets the south end of the hill side. Instead of heading up turn south and head for the saddle. From there start up the ridge.

Perhaps I better start at the top and work my way down.