backpacking trip planning

[Scott]

Hi everyone first time on this site
I am planning a 2 night backpacking trip with some Boy Scouts on April 20th we want to camp at round valley but are looking for recommendations on the best route up there. The plan is to overnight at or near a trail head then over night at round valley then summit and then hike all the way out on the last day. We are not set on round valley so we are open to other suggestions if something else makes more sense.
Scott

[Wildhorse]

The shortest route to Round Valley starts at the Tram. It is only about 2.5 miles to the campsites from there.

It sounds like you want to camp somewhere else the first night.

If the trail is not icy, you could hike up the Devil Slide Trail from Idyllwild and camp in the Skunk Cabbage Zone (maybe three miles from the trailhead in Humber Park. The next day you could hike to Round Valley, either on the Willow Creek Trail or head up the PCT towards Wellman's Divide and drop into Round Valley from there. The only thing is that if you do this, you will have a long hard hike to the peak and back down to Humber Park on the last day (about 12 miles, with less than 1500 feet of gain going to the peak, but about 4400 feet of descent.)

If you decide to spend two nights at Round Valley, you could hike a loop on Saturday from Round Valley to Saddle Junction, up the PCT, to Wellman's Divide and back to Round Valley. Then on Sunday you could climb San Jacinto in the morning return to camp around noon, pack up and head for the tram. This plan would give you a great tour of the high country in the San Jacintos.

In most years the snow is still an obstacle in April. This year, so dry, it may not be.

If snow becomes an obstacle, you could hike up one of the trails along the Desert Divide. One great area is around Butterfly Peak. That area is in the National Forest, not the wilderness. I am not sure what the camping rules are there. Another option might be to climb the Spitler Peak Trail to the PCT and from there to hike towards Tahquitz Valley. You could probably climb Red Tahquitz in April, even if there is still much snow at Tahquitz Peak and San Jacinto. You would probably find water in Tahquitz Creek.

[Sally]

Hi Scott,

I would suggest that you consider taking the Deer Springs trail to Little Round Valley. If you camp there it's just a fairly short hike to the Peak.

There are some campgrounds around Idyllwild you could stay at.