Mt. San Jacinto State Park -- CLOSED?

[glamisking]

Foleymo- as far as bear canisters go you can always rent them...I know sport chalet rents them. I don't think there is really anything else you would need. Don't pass it up!

[KathyW]

I think you can rent to Bear Canisters at the Mill Creek Ranger Station too. You can also hang your food - last I knew the canisters are not required in the San Gorgonio Wilderness, but they do make life easier for you out there.

[phydeux]

Both the Tramway's website and the State Park's website have the closure listed on their opening pages. That sucks . . . I was going to go up via the Marion Mtn Trail this weekend. Guess I'll have to settle for a dayhike on Mt. Baldy.

[Hikin_Jim]

Thanks for the advice about SG. I read up about the area this morning after I got the news from the ranger. Unfortunately I don't have the proper gear to deal with the bears over there. I'm just hoping I'll get some good news tomorrow so I can get up on SJ. Otherwise I think I'll just go to work and save my last two vacation days of the year.

First, the bears are not bad in the SG Wilderness. The Vivian Creek Trail has had some problems, but most of the other trails are relatively problem free. You should still "bear bag" your food (counter balance it in a tree), but bear bagging is sufficient in the SGW.

If you want a bear canister (they are safer), you can also rent them at the Mill Creek Ranger Station:

Beginning September 6, 2002, the SGWA in partnership with the US Forest Service, San Bernardino National Forest will be offering bear backpacking canisters for rent at the Mill Creek Ranger Station starting at $10 for 1-3 nights. We believe this will make it a little easier for everyone wanting to help protect the bears by properly storing food while out on the trail. Please contact the Mill Creek Ranger Station for more details (909) 794.1123

As for a four day back pack, here's an outline of the "9 peaks grand tour" which will allow you to do a big loop covering a large part of the SGW, including 9 peaks (10 if you count Zahniser) that are all above 10,000 feet:
Night Before: Come up after work, hike 2.7 mi from Forsee Cr TH to Johns Meadow.
Day 1: John's meadow (water) - Limber Pine Bench (dry?)- High Meadow Spgs (water), 11.0 miles. Peaks: San Bernardino, E. San Bernardino, Anderson, Shields, Alto Diablo.
Day 2: High Meadow Spgs Camp (water)- Dollar Lake Sdl - Mt S Gorgonio - Mineshaft Sdl - Mineshaft Flt (water), 9.3 miles. Peaks: Charlton, Little Charlton, Jepson, S Gorgonio.
Day 3: Down Day/Exploratory Day. One of the great pleasures of backpacking is having a "down day" in the middle where there you are in the backcountry with no specific itinerary, a sheer joy. By camping at Mineshaft Flat, not only will you have water but you will be on the doorstep of the vast, trackless SE portion of the SG Wilderness. Woo hoo! Ditch your heavy pack, grab a fanny pack and take a ramble where few ever tread.
Day 4: Mineshaft Flat - Mineshaft Saddle - Dry Lake - S Fork Mdws - S Fork TH, 9.1 miles. Peaks: Zahniser. After you get to S Fork TH, you would then either hitch or walk back to the Forsee Cr TH, to your car.

Note1: There are multiple variations with this itinerary.
Note2: The mileages above are all trail mileages. The side scrambles to the peak tops are not included in the above mileages.

[MikeCaAlaska]

I just checked the tram way web site at noon today and the text across the top od the page shows that the State Park has opened the backcountry to day hiking only, no camping is allowed.

Mike