First hike at SJM. Camping at Idyllwild. Best hike?

[amystoddard]

Hello-

This is my first post on your forum. Everyone seems so helpful and your photos are inspiring. My husband and I have a quick camping trip scheduled at the MSJ State Park Campground at Idyllwild on August 20-22. The temperatures look just about perfect. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the 50s.

I'm not sure we're up to the task of the full Skyline/C2C hike. I have the PDF map and am looking at the nearest trailheads to camp. Are the trailheads at "Devil's Slide Trail" or "Deer Springs Trail/Suicide Rock" good places to start for intermediate hikers? We'd like to reach the MSJ Peak. Should we take a short drive and do the Marion Trail route?

I found a link for some hikes in Idyllwild. Can anyone tell me if one of their favorites is listed? http://www.localhikes.com/GetHikes.asp?ActiveHike=SetPref&SetPrefStateID=1

We managed Half Dome a couple years back. Both he and I will be working out between now and then so we're up for a rewarding hike. Can someone here recommend their favorite routes?

Also, can we rent a hiking GPS from REI? We've never used one.

Any good recommendations for restaurants in town at Idyllwild?

Thanks to anyone who might take time to respond. We're moving from South Korea back to SoCal and these hiking trips have me super excited. Can't wait to get back to the USA. [url][/url]

[guest]

Hi Amy,

Welcome to the board, (I'm only a sometime poster here), I'm sure others will have good info.

Here's some beta on 3 different trails to San Jac peak from the Idyllwild side, (taken from the Geocaching site).

via Devils Slide Trail 16 miles RT, 4400' elevation gain/loss

via Marion Mountain Trail- 12 miles RT, 4800 ft elevation gain/loss

via Deer Springs Trail- 19 miles, 5600'

I've been up all 3, but not recently. Devil's slide is the most popular, Dear Springs has very beautiful areas & Marion is tough.

Regarding Idyllwild spots:
Cafe Aroma (3/4 mile up (east) from downtown) is great, healthy food, cool folks, outdoor seating.
The Gastronome is an old standard, very nice building in the center of town, good food & service. The Bread Basket & Red Kettle both have very good breakfast & (I think BB does) outdoor seating!

Couldn't find anything on REI re. GPS rentals, but with a good map (& compass) and paying attention at trail jcts. you should be fine.

Welcome back to the good ol USA & lots of great hiking!

ss

[EMan]

Hello and welcome to our forum.

IMO, you might wish to check out the Fuller Ridge Trail. It's not as long or steep as the other trails you are considering and the views are stupendous.

Just my 2 cents.

[amystoddard]

Hello. Just want to thank you guys for your suggestions. I'll post our experience back here. We're really looking forward to this trip. Time to get out and run to shape up before this hike.

[Norris]

Hi, I really recommend Marion Mountain trail. It has a reputation for toughness because the lower part is steep, but its also shorter. It's very pretty. It has several good water sources too, which is important. Fuller ridge would be my second choice. There is also 7 Pines, which I've never done. Devil's slide is too popular, so the rangers strictly limit the number of self-issue day hike permits, they were gone before 7:00 am yesterday! That trail is too crowded in my opinion. Regardless of which one you do, I would strongly recommend an early start, like 7:00 am. It's much more pleasant doing the hike that way, cooler temps.

[amystoddard]

Thanks for the tip on getting an early start, Norris. You've given me so many good options. I know it will be amazing. Haha...right now I'm just dreaming of getting out of Korea.

[Hikin_Jim]

Hi, Amy,

Welcome to the forum. Where in Korea are you? My brother is living in Incheon and teaching English.

You might take a look at this map of the Mt. San Jacinto Area. It lists all the trails and all of the trailheads as well as their mileages.

I agree with Norris and Eman that the Fuller Ridge Trail is a good choice. Be aware that you do have to drive on a dirt road. Take a look at some maps and get an idea of the route before you go. Here's the LocalHikes.com page: http://www.localhikes.com/HikeData.asp? ... =0&ID=4585

All of the trail heads near Idyllwild are great. I personally would stay away (sorry Norris) from the Marion Mountain trail just because it is so steep. I'd want to get a feel for how fit I am by hiking a few other trails first. That's just me. However, having said that, here's the LocalHikes.com page: http://www.localhikes.com/HikeData.asp? ... =0&ID=5365

By the way, you do need a Wilderness Permit for all day or overnight hikes.

All routes to the top are going to take effort. If you hike at a 2mph pace (pretty typical for intermediate hikers), you're going to be spending seven or eight hours hiking to get to San Jacinto Peak and back. That's not counting rest stops, photo ops, lunch, etc. Getting an early start is definitely a good idea. Bring several liters of water. Generally it's good to set a turn around time in advance and to turn around even if you haven't made it all the way to the peak if you reach that turn around time. Any hike in the San Jacintos is going to be a great hike, peak or no peak.

Scott ("guest") listed some mileages, but I don't think he listed these two:
Fuller Ridge Trail: 14.6 miles, ~3.000 feet net gain
Seven Pines Trail: 13.2 miles, ~4.500 feet net gain

I've not heard of GPS rentals, but maybe there is such a thing. A GPS does take a bit of learning, so rent in advance. I think you'd be fine with just a map and a half decent compass.

Hope that helps,

HJ

[Norris]

Hey HJ, Marion Mountain is not THAT steep! It's just a good workout And its a LOT shorter than the others. About Seven Pines, have you ever done this one? It looks to me from a map that it would be really difficult / time-consuming to get to that trailhead as compared to Marion Mountain, is that the case? Does it require 4WD?

[Hikin_Jim]

Hey HJ, Marion Mountain is not THAT steep! It's just a good workout And its a LOT shorter than the others. About Seven Pines, have you ever done this one? It looks to me from a map that it would be really difficult / time-consuming to get to that trailhead as compared to Marion Mountain, is that the case? Does it require 4WD?

Norris, it's been about 10 - 12 years since I've gone up Seven Pines. I don't remember what the road was like. Sorry. I do remember that it was spring and things were really green and beautiful...

HJ

[sparky]

Norris, it's been about 10 - 12 years since I've gone up Seven Pines. I don't remember what the road was like. Sorry. I do remember that it was spring and things were really green and beautiful...

HJ

After some winters the roads get pretty rutted and washed out. After they grade (if they havn't all ready) they are pretty smooth. Black mountain road to fuller ridge was not graded last month and pretty rough, but we made it the 8 miles up in about an hour in a chevy on 24" rims and street racing tires haha Any stock car would be able to make it up with a competent driver.

The Road to Seven Pines....is that Azalia Trails I think?....You drive under this downed tree, pretty gnarly heh. it's not any worse than the trail up to Fuller Ridge. After it is graded, they are fairly smooth.

Oh and yes, Fuller Ridge is the most scenic trail in the wilderness without 10,000ft of elevation gain . I think it comes in at a measly +3000ft or so Also you can get some solitude during the week

I prefer the was up Deer Springs though, with its challenge, easy access, and after the split to Suicide Rock the crowds thin out. You can find solitude during the week.