Trails Other Than ...

[magikwalt]

Following up on a post by Cathy...What are your favorite trails other than that "route" we won't mention?

[Rick M]

If we are talking about anywhere, I think mine is the New Hance-Tonto-Hermit trail "loop". Not as busy as the Bright Angel or Kaibab trails. If you know the trails I'm talking about you know it's not a day hike. We've always loved the Grand Canyon trails but haven't been on any in awhile because of the permit system. We once risked it all when a long stretch of ice covering the trail right to the edge blocked our path and we used improvised "rock daggers" to get across it (absolutely the dumbist thing we could have done). One slip would have been 150' vertical fall over the edge...my pre SAR days. Reminds me of when we used "rock daggers" to climb up the ice to our rock climbing route on Temple Crag...another stupid thing.

If we're talking about trails in the Mt San Jacinto-Santa Rosa Mt area I would have to say I like the PCT from I-10 to Highway 74 (obviously, not as a day hike). Long ago, I used to prospect for a mining company in the area around Garner Valley and Palm Canyon and I used the PCT as an easy way into some of the areas I prospected. I remember telling my boss when I looked at some potential areas there, that it would be difficult to develope because of the PCT and him telling me "they can hike somewhere else". Oddly, I was also a Sierra Club member at the time...conflict of interest?

[trekadam]

Again, if we are talking about anywhere... I'd have to say my favorite trail is the 3.7 mile long Lost Palms Oasis Trail in Joshua Tree during early spring along with the 1 mile side trip to Mastodon Peak (3371 ft). Total milage comes out to be 8.4 at the end of the day - unless of course you continue past the oasis along the unmarked trail into the extreme southwest edge of the Eagle Mountains. The desert scenery is spectacular, in my opinion. I simply never get tired of this place.

Here is my SP page about Lost Palms Oasis - http://www.summitpost.org/route/333396/lost-palms-oasis.html

On San Jac I'd have to say my favorite trail is from the wilderness zone border just beyond the ranger station in long valley to the ranger station in round valley...yeah, there are always tons of people here but on the more "quiet" days in the summer its nice to hike up to round valley and plop down on the rocks by the round valley station and read a book and relax.

[magikwalt]

Since we are on the Mt. San Jacinto & Santa Rosa Mountians part of the board we'll try to keep it narrowed down to that area.

[KathyW]

I don't have a favorite trail in the area, but I really do like the Desert Divide between the junction of Fobes Trail and the PCT and Red Tahquitz that section of the PCT is beautiful and there are some fun peaks to scramble up along the route.

In the Santa Rosas, the hike to Rosa Point was a really nice hike.

I'd like to do the hike to Sheep Mountain in the Santa Rosas soon - sometime in the next month. A year or two ago we did the hike out to Martinez Mountain near Sheep and that was a nice day.

I also have lots of hikes in the Palm Springs area I would like to do - I haven't done the trek up Murray Hill yet and it's been on my list for a while.

[Andy]

I would have to say that the West side of San Jacinto is my favorite. I like to start at the Black Mountain trail head for the PCT and hike Fuller ridge east to the peak via Little Round Valley. After lunch at the peak, I'll head back through Wellman's Divide and across the south side to Strawberry Junction and back to Black Mountain. Its quite a long jaunt but without a whole lot of up and down and with an early start it makes for an awesome hike. The views from this side on a clear day are fantastic!

[lipbiter]

i've only hiked it a few times, but i like the Seven Pines Trail - (definitely a trail - no routefinding necessary). there aren't a lot of people on it. it has waterfalls, beautiful views to the north, great rock formations, lots of elevation gain for the quads, and did i mention not many people use it? also, when South Ridge Trail is bloody hot in the summer, much of Seven Pines is blissfully shaded

[halhiker]

I like the Apple Canyon Trail through the Zen Center and then following the PCT to Red Tahquitz. It's the best section on the PCT, very scenic with great views.

In the desert, I like the West Fork Trail in the Indian Canyons with a little side trip to the Needles Eye. One year on the trail I came face to face with one of the Palominos that lived up there. Very exciting.

There is only one "trail" that I really don't like and that's the Bump and Grind in Rancho Mirage. First, it's a road and not a trail. Second, the parking is terrible. Third, it is overused. Fourth, there are now very good alternatives in Palm Desert and lastly, it's not very scenic (although it does offer a nice view). I wish they would just close it.

Hal

[Hikin_Jim]

I'd echo Kathy and Hal that the section of the PCT south of Red Tahquitz is a great area.

A fun one is to go up the South Ridge trail, ascend Red Tahquitz, then take the PCT south to South Peak and Antsell Rock. Antsell Rock is class three. It's kind of fun in my opinion, but I'm pretty comfortable on class 3. Makes you feel like you've really accomplished something. You then descend via the Apple Canyon trail and then car shuttle back to the South Ridge trailhead.

I haven't ever been out to Apache or Spitler, but they're on my list.

Another fun one is to circumnavigate San Jacinto: ascend via the tram, go to Round Valley, hit the Summit, descend to LRV, go south to Strawberry jct, turn west at the jct, and go to the jct with the Wellman's Divide trail, ascend to Wellman's and then back to the tram. If you want to extend things a bit, instead of going to Wellman's, turn right at the jct and go to Saddle Jct and then return via Hidden Divide either through Laws or Willow Creek Crossing. If you do the longer loops, you visit a nice cross section of the wilderness. For most folks, these loops would be overnighters.

A nice short loop if you got some friends over that aren't serious hikers (or you're pressed for time) is to go from the tram to Round Valley and then return via the trail that joins the trail coming over Hidden Divide, turning left (north) when the trail over Hidden Divide is met and returning to the tram. The trail that joins the main RV trail with the trail coming over Hidden Divide gets a bit less use than the main trail to RV and is a nice trail.

[Brad P]

Don't know if it's my favorite, but the agreeing with lipbiter that the seven pines trail is cool because it hides in plain sight, is well marked, is on every map and seldom used...kind of cool in my book.