Map of San Jacinto Wilderness

[BobM]

Yesterday, while rejoining the trail down to Little Round Valley at 10,300' after a cross-country hike to Folly Peak, we encountered two men walking down the trail. We asked them where they were heading and they said the Tram Station. Neither had a map and didn't realize they were headed in the wrong direction. (They had gotten separated from a third member of their party who was their "navigator.") We took out our map and showed them where they were at and the correct turn to take once they hiked back up to the trail junction.

The State Park website has a good map of the San Jacinto Wilderness on its website, with mileage distances between points. It can be found at:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=636

[Pilgrim]

Thats scarry at how little some people pay attention to their surroundings. I don't understand how anyone could go the wrong way when every junction has large signs with arrows pointing the correct way to go. If that wasn't enough, the terrain looks completely different on the two sides of the mountain.

Having just done a big loop of the wilderness over memorial weekend (Humber Park to Strawberry via saddle jct, up over the peak via little round valley to Tamarack Valley, and back to Humber Park via Willow Creek), I never once bothered to pull my map out. Everything was too clearly marked to make me ever feel in doubt to where I was. If anything, the state park part of the wilderness is even better marked then the NF part.

[AlanK]

A few years ago, we were just past Round Valley, on the way back to the tram from the peak. It was nearly 5 PM in January, so it would be dark quickly. We met a group of 6 people who were walking rapidly towards Round Valley. They argued with us when we told them that they were headed in exactly the opposite direction from the tram station. Fortunately, one of their number decided to believe us when we said that were coming down from the peak and they turned around.

Yes, trails in that area are clearly marked. Yes, there are good maps. And, yes, people get headed in exactly the wrong direction.