snow on the top of San Jacinto

[john_h]

Hello everyone. This is my first posting and im excited to find a chat board on information on San Jacinto. My friends and I had a trip planned to hike to the peak via the fuller ridge trail on the 20th thru the 22nd. Thats the weekend after this weekend. I heard that right now there is 3 and a half feet of ice and snow at the peak, is this true? Does anyone think it will be passable by next weekend without crampons? If not then at what elevation does the ice start? Thank you for the help!

[john_h]

Also, if crampons will be necessary, can anyone recommend a good, on the cheaper side pair. Preferably under $70.

[zippetydude]

hi john_h. Welcome! I haven't been up to the peak lately, I wanted to mention to you that access to Fuller Ridge is via Black Mountain Truck Road, which may be closed due to snow. Check with the ranger to find out!

z

[Hikin_Jim]

I doubt very much that there will be 3' of snow up there based on the heat wave that is predicted. I'd be a lot more worried about whether or not that road to the trail head were open.

HJ

[john_h]

Thank you very much. Is the road to the marion mountain trailhead also affected by snow?

[zippetydude]

Not nearly so much, and it's a fairly short distance off the main highway anyway. Black Mountain Truck Trail is so twisty and rutted out that it could take you 30 - 40 minutes just to drive that last 7 miles. I've biked it a few times on a mountain bike and that's kind of fun, but the drive is kinda pesky. Starting from Marion you'll have a much steeper hike than you would from Fuller Ridge. It's one of the steeper trails - much like Skyline. All in all it's a fun day on the trail regardless of how you do it. And HJ is right, with the weather turning so warm you may be encountering slush rather than ice.

[Hikin_Jim]

The nice thing about the road to the Marion Mountain Trailhead is that it's paved the whole way. You do have to park off the pavement though. If anything outside of Idyllwild proper is open, it will be the Marion Mountain Trailhead road. Of course, you have to get a wilderness permit, so when you contact the ranger station for a permit, ask if the road is open.

If the road to Marion Mountain is for some reason not open, you could just take the Deer Springs Trail. The Deer Springs Trail starts right on Hwy 243. There's no way that's going to be closed.

HJ

[zippetydude]

BTW I always get a self-service permit right at the beginning of the road to the Marion Mountain trailhead. There's a little kiosk there and it's way more convenient than having to go get one somewhere else.

z

[Binx_Bolling]

I'd be curious to hear about the conditions from anyone who makes the ascent this weekend. While I also doubt that there is going to be 3' of snow, I am curious just how much snow/ice to plan on and at what point said snow/ice begins. I plan on working my way up Cactus to Sky on Monday and then connecting with the trail up to the top. I'm really hoping to get by with either my microspikes or yaktrax rather than crampons, seeing as to how I'm shooting for a speedy (run/hike) ascent and a quick decent.

First time commenting, though I've been looking at the forum quite a bit.

[7birdies]

If you want to go lighter than microspikes, this is what I use for running in wintry conditions.

http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm