No permits at LRV, what to do?

[sporkbunny]

I am dead-set on hiking up Fuller Ridge tomorrow to SJ peak. Ranger tells me all permits are taken for LRV. I would be fine with camping below the SP boundary but there's no water from what the ranger tells me. Can anyone confirm this? Any suggestions on how to make this better? Its ridiculous that I can get a permit if I take the tram but not if I get myself up the mountain on my own two feet.

[Ellen]

Howdy Sporkbunny

Can you hike down Deer Springs (past Fuller Ridge) and camp? There are excellent water sources on both Fuller Ridge and on Deer Springs very near the trail junction.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[Hikin_Jim]

Its ridiculous that I can get a permit if I take the tram but not if I get myself up the mountain on my own two feet.

No, not really. You can get unlimited day permits if you go up the tram, but you cannot get unlimited overnight permits. Overnight permits are subjected to the same limits no matter what your entry point is.

I am dead-set on hiking up Fuller Ridge tomorrow to SJ peak. Ranger tells me all permits are taken for LRV. I would be fine with camping below the SP boundary but there's no water from what the ranger tells me. Can anyone confirm this? Any suggestions on how to make this better?

If you can't get a permit for LRV, it honestly doesn't make sense to me to try to make an overnighter out of the hike. I think you'd do better to just get a good, early start and make a day hike out of it.

However, if one were really really determined to a) do Fuller Ridge and b) make it an overnighter, then I have a couple of thoughts.

Take a look at this map of the area around Fuller Ridge and SJ Peak
A is the Fuller Ridge Trailhead
B is the State Park boundary. You might be able to find a spot to camp near the boundary, but there's no water here.
C is Deer Springs Junction. There should be water here, but camping is prohibited. HOWEVER, you could descend to point "D"
D is where the Seven Pines trail crosses the N Fork of the SJ River. This is approximately where the State Park boundary is. I haven't been there personally this season, but there should be water here. I haven't been up that trail for a while so I don't have a specific site recommendation, but you probably could find some place to camp, particularly for just a single individual.

En route to the peak, there should also be water at points "E", "F", and "G". Point "F" is probably the best water collection point of the three. There was still water in the meadow ("G") at LRV at last report.

HJ

[Florian]

I am dead-set on hiking up Fuller Ridge tomorrow to SJ peak. Ranger tells me all permits are taken for LRV.

I'm pretty sure there are no quotas for hiking any trails except the Humber Park trailhead. If you're overnighting there may be limits.

-Florian

[Florian]

You did say camping. Sorry. I missed that.

-Florian

[WOLFDOG]

I went up to Little Round two days ago (Aug. 2) and noticed a rock constructed fire ring next to the Owl's Hootch campsite cutoff right on the Trail. Really strange because I thought campfires are not allowed in the State Park Wilderness. Has the rules changed, or is the S.P. out of funding to enforce. Lastly, there is a new sign erected pointing to the "Seasonal Ranger Station" , which looks as though it hasn't been used for over 15 years.

[Hikin_Jim]

Jon,

Fires are still illegal in the entire wilderness area in both the state controlled are and the federally controlled area. However, there's little enforcement, so...

Pretty interesting that they'd put up a new sign to that "ranger station". Seems like a ranger station in name only. Is the commode in LRV still in really bad shape too? Last time I was there I really wondered if it were safe to sit down.

HJ

[recordalley]

and noticed a rock constructed fire ring next to the Owl's Hootch campsite cutoff right on the Trail.

Met LRV campers who got to the campground just after firefighters put out a fire from that fire ring. There were water dropping helicopters & firefighters on foot. They were able to douse the fire before it became major & they were able to camp there.

[Ulysses]

I was in LRV Friday evening and watched 3 firefighters assisted by a Cal-Fire helicopter put out the remains of the fire at the western-most designated campsite. Obviously started by a campfire.

That campsite has been destroyed for the forseeable future. One less permit available for LRV. It's probably just as well. There is so much toilet paper around the LRV now that it's disgusting. I counted 4 other campfire rings in the area. People make campfires anywhere up there and just walk away and leave their trash and the firerings.

Can someone please help me understand why a person feels the need to build a campfire in the San Jacinto Mountains in August? To put so many lives, and so much property, and the wilderness we all enjoy at risk for what purpose?

[WOLFDOG]

Really sad and how ironic that I bring this to attention that it's not only me who sees and has experienced this carelessness of "LOSERS" camping in our wilderness. Jim, I did not go in the commode, but it is one of those new pvc ones (not wood), but who knows, the toilet seat could be falling apart with grafitti engraved all over it. Lastly, the Marion Mountain Trail is in such bad condition with rampant switch-back trail cutting, makes you wonder if the State has given up on Management of the San Jacintos. Really steams; me, been hiking up there since the 70's (never this bad) and being an environmental planner I feeling like calling the State and Senators to voice my disgust over this