Devil's Slide Weekend Quota Question

[KathyW]

Can one request a permit in advance?

Yes, but only by snail mail I think.

They don't do fax back? Mill Creek RS which is also SBNF let's you fax it in and will fax it back. I've gotten things turned around in a single day before.

HJ

Requesting in advance is okay for people who plan in advance for hikes, but if the quota hasn't been reached the available permits should be left out for people who decide at the last minute to go for a hike. Overnight permits should be left out too. If this is not done, there should not be volunteer rangers on the trail asking for permits. There is no excuse for turning someone back without a permit if the quota has not been met for that trail.

This is especially important for the ranger stations that are not open every day or do not tend to answer their phone.

Also, the quota should be per person and not per group of 12.

Maybe Baldy is crowded, but the trail is in good condition and many people get to enjoy the hike up Baldy.

I would think that a better use of the volunteers stationed at the trailhead or on the trails early in the morning would be to have them open the ranger stations early to issue permits.

[Hikin_Jim]

Also, the quota should be per person and not per group of 12.

Nice, but I don't see how the FS can do it with their current dinosaur age technology. They really need something more sophisticated than basically paper and a notebook. But don't anybody hold their breath for a sophisticated web based online, real time application. That would take funding and good project management.

I would think that a better use of the volunteers stationed at the trailhead or on the trails early in the morning would be to have them open the ranger stations early to issue permits.

Now, that is a good idea.

Clearly something has to change.

HJ

[Hikin_Jim]

Does anyone know why they stopped leaving out unused permits the night before for DST?

HJ

[Ulysses]

Hi Jim. They didn't stop leaving self-issue permits at the kiosk in front of the ranger station. The self issue permits are almost always available. The issue is that they want you to have a permit that is stamped at the ranger station for the specific date you are hiking Devils Slide on weekends (between Memorial Day and Labor Day).

As someone mentioned here, this really isn't fair to those folks who want to get an early start. If they aren't going to issue permits before 8AM, they shouldn't have anybody checking permits on the trail before 8AM.

Brett

[GoPlayer]

...They didn't stop leaving self-issue permits at the kiosk in front of the ranger station. The self issue permits are almost always available. The issue is that they want you to have a permit that is stamped at the ranger station for the specific date you are hiking Devils Slide on weekends (between Memorial Day and Labor Day)....

When I went out there to hike Marion trail a couple of weeks ago I called a couple of days ahead of time to ask if they have self-issue permits outside before opening for trails other than DST. I was told they do. When I got there at 7am there were no permits. Some other hikers arrived shortly after us, they had also called and received the same info. We all waited....
I asked they ranger who finally issued our permit and she told me "Oh no between Memorial Day and Labor Day we do not leave self-issue permits outside because people use them for DST even though they are not supposed to." Would be nice if everyone who answers the phones there knew. Of course this may change with out notice I guess.

I agree with the others here the permit system is broken and way behind the times. Not everybody has easy access to a fax. Last weekend I tried to get a permit from Mills Crk station for Gorgonio (South Fork) via fax. When I did not hear back from them for 3 days I called and got snapped at for inquiring about this. Turns out they had not paid attention to the "Return via fax" check box and were holding the permit. Which was ok, but it would have been better if they had returned some note saying a permit was granted.
This was my first attempt at getting a permit via fax. How do they handle this if they do it correctly? Do they return anything if no permit is granted?

BTW, despite the tight limits on the Vivien Creek permits Gorgonio was very crowded last Saturday around 1pm.

[Hikin_Jim]

Hi Jim. They didn't stop leaving self-issue permits at the kiosk in front of the ranger station. The self issue permits are almost always available. The issue is that they want you to have a permit that is stamped at the ranger station for the specific date you are hiking Devils Slide on weekends (between Memorial Day and Labor Day).

As someone mentioned here, this really isn't fair to those folks who want to get an early start. If they aren't going to issue permits before 8AM, they shouldn't have anybody checking permits on the trail before 8AM.

Brett

Oh. Well, that's dumb. Why don't they just post a sign "no hiking to San Jacinto Peak on weekends via the DST"?

I guess the answer is to get a permit well in advance or just hike another trail.

HJ

[Hikin_Jim]

Last weekend I tried to get a permit from Mill Crk station for Gorgonio (South Fork) via fax. When I did not hear back from them for 3 days I called and got snapped at for inquiring about this. Turns out they had not paid attention to the "Return via fax" check box and were holding the permit. Which was ok, but it would have been better if they had returned some note saying a permit was granted.
This was my first attempt at getting a permit via fax. How do they handle this if they do it correctly? Do they return anything if no permit is granted?

I haven't had a problem with Mill Creek before. They usually just fax back the permit if it is granted.

BTW, despite the tight limits on the Vivian Creek permits Gorgonio was very crowded last Saturday around 1pm.

Well, keep in mind that people can reach the summit from the S. Fork, Lost Creek, Aspen Grove, Fish Creek, Forsee, Vivian, Momyer, and San Bernardino Peak trail heads, each of which has a separate quota, and of course there are both day and overnight permits for each trail head. It can get crowded where all the routes converge.

HJ

[Whmscl]

I called today and talked to a ranger about a day hiking permit for July 5 using the Humber Park trailhead. He confirmed the 30 permits a day quota and pretty much told me that my chances of getting one that day were 0%.

Is the only place to get a permit the Idyllwild ranger station? My husband and I will be camping at Stone Creek. We arrive July 4 and will hike the next day. If we do the peak via Marion Mountain instead of Humber Park, do we still need to drive all the way back into Idyllwild on the day of our hike to get a permit for Marion?

[Hikin_Jim]

The permit requests generally go through Idyllwild if you are requesting a USFS permit (State Park permits are different).

Did you mention that you wanted Marion Mountain? Devils Slide is probably all booked up, but Marion is less popular and may still be available. The near by Seven Pines Trail might be another option. I would call back and ask for a day hike permit for either Marion or Seven Pines and see what they can do for you.

HJ

[Whmscl]

So my question is...can I get a wilderness dayhiking permit for Marion before the day of our hike? Or only on the day of the actual hike?