Where to car camp in April??

[hvydrt]

I would like to to hike San J in april. I live about 2 hours away, so i was thinking of car camping in the area for a weekend and day hiking to the summit. What would be the best place to camp if a I want to do the marion trail?? What if I want to do the devils slide trail? Any info or suggestions would be great. Thanks
Mark

[Pilgrim]

Considering the low snow levels on San J this year, you could just backpack into San J and camp in the wilderness. Normally I don't before May, but this year, I'm planning on going once or twice in April.

The easiest places to camp are the State Park Campground and County Park Campground in Idylwild. A few minutes drive can take you to your trail heads.

The closest campground to marion are some campgrounds on some of the dirtroads in the area but I don't know if any are open before May. You should try calling the San Jacinto NFS office or the San Jacinto State park office and ask about those. The State Park Campground in town is the closest place to camp to Devil's Slide but you will still need to drive to the trailhead.

[KathyW]

You should camp at the Marion Mountain Campground:

Marion Mountain; Number of Sites: 24; Elevation: 6,400; Vegetation: Pines; Toilet: Vaulted; Water: Piped; Fee: $10; [near Mount San Jacinto State Park] Idyllwild 7 miles north on Hwy.243, right turn onto Forest Service Rd.#4S02 & continue 2 miles to the campground. Open April- October

You can pick up the Marion Mountain Trail right at the campground. I've done that before - it makes for a nice weekend.