Two nighter in July

[Eagle Eye]

Hey Group,
I'm new to the board but have found it very insightful. My father used to hike these mountains as a Boy Scout way back when. My brothers, myself and father are wanting to make a two nighter up San Jacinto in July to bring him back to his youth! I have been looking at trail maps but wanted to know what would be the best trails to take for a two nighter. I was thinking of starting at the Deer Springs trailhead and making it up to Little Round Valley to stay the night. Then go to the peak the next day and mess around that day, stay the night at Little Round Valley again, then descend downt the East side of Marion Peak back to Strawberry Junction and back down Deer Springs. I might be way off on this, so any help would be appreciated. We would really love to make it a two nighter, so any suggestions would be great!! Also please keep in mind that most of the people in our group will not be adjusted to altitude, they are coming from Texas.

[Hikin_Jim]

EE:

Not a bad plan; I think it would work. One note: On your first day, you will be climbing from about 5800' at the trailhead to about 9900' at LRV, which is about 4000' of gain. That could be bit much for someone not acclimated, but you'd have to be the judge of that.

If you wanted to lighten things up a bit, you could take the tram up which would cost money but would elminate some of the climbing. On day one, hike over Hidden divide about 5 miles down to the Skunk Cabbage Meadow area, camping in one of the zones around the meadow. You could even take a side trip (e.g. the loop through Little Tahquitz and returning via the PCT, 2.8 miles) if you felt strong. The second day would be a bit tougher. You would hike about nine miles to LRV passing through Saddle Junction and Strawberry Junction and approaching LRV from the west. At least you'd have had a day to acclimate. You would go from around 8000 to around 10000' on day two, which would be about half the gain of day one of your original plan. You would however have some gain and some loss as you have to climb up the PCT a ways before you can go west to Strawberry Jct, which adds about 1000' of gain, but that's still less than the original plan and would allow you to see much of the same area as your original plan. The last day, you could climb the peak and then hike back to the tram (about 7 miles including the side trip to the peak).

Just an option.

HJ

[Eagle Eye]

Thanks HJ. We might want to stop at Strawberry Junction the first night to acclimate a little more. Then head up to LRV the next day. That would probably make it more feasable for the others. I will take a look at the map and locate your suggestions below. Thanks!

[halhiker]

There are so many variables and options that it's hard to pin down one recommendation. How many miles are you looking to do each day? Do you want day two to be a rest day? Because if you stay two nights are LRV that's what it will essentially be.

I agree with HJ that taking the Tram might be a great option especially if your visitors from TX have never been on it. It would make it more fun for them. I myself would follow HJ's advice and hike down to Skunk Cabbage area (a hike over to the Tahquitz Peak Lookout would be fun from there) and then hike up toward San Jacinto Peak but I would probably rather camp in Round Valley the second night, day hike to the Peak the third day and then come back, break camp and head back to the Tram. That way I'd not have to carry my full backpack as far.

On the Idyllwild side I think there are better choices than the Deer Springs Trail. The main reason is that Deer Springs Trail can be sweltering in July. I hiked it last summer and it was baking. Seven Pines or even Fuller Ridge might be better bets.

As far as acclimatizing you're pretty much out of luck on such a short trip. Acclimatizing takes at least a few days but fortunately you're not going to be that high so just make sure you stay hydrated and take some Tylenol if you get a headache.

There are plenty of options up there and none of them are bad. Oh, bring some earplugs. The yelping of some damn coyotes kept me awake last time I was up there overnight.

[Eagle Eye]

I'm liking the alternatives you all are giving me. thanks so much! Looking at a trail map, there doesn't seem to show camping in Skunk Cabbage, is there indeed camping there? What is the trail name to get down to SC? Is it easily marked from the tram?

[halhiker]

There is camping down near Skunk Cabbage. It is one the National Forest Service land and not designated on the State Park map. Maybe favorite campsite down there is known as Desert View 1. It is right between the confluence of Willow Creek and Tahquitz Creek, not quite to Skunk Cabbage.

You can get info from the San Jacinto Ranger Station in Idyllwild.


[url]http:www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/contact/sanjacinto.shtml[/url]

There's a link on their site to a camping map PDF with info.

Hal

[phydeux]

Another option is to hike from the Tram OVER the peak to Little Round Valley and stay there for the night. If you're really aggressive, you can hike south (downhill) from there to Strawberry Junction, then turn left and head back UP through Strawberry Cienega/Wellmans Cienega (both somwhat reliable water sources) to Wellmans Divide, then down to Round Valley for the second night.

An easier option for the second day is to get up before dawn and head up to the summit to enjoy the great sunrise from the top (its a 1+ mile, 1000 ft uphill hike). After sunrise, head down to Round Valley, drop you're stuff, and day hike over to the Hidden View area (a great overlook of the Coachella Valley area). After that its back to Round Valley for the night, then back to the Tram the next morning.

This is all in the STATE wilderness, so you'll need a state wilderness camping permit for the two nights. The link to the application is on the left side of this web page ("Wilderness Camping Permit Application"). Send it in as early as possible (I think its up to 8 weeks in advance for the SJW) - the Round Valley camp permits go quickly in summer, especially on weekends.

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

[Eagle Eye]

Thanks All! We will definately take the tram now. I appreciat your feedback, this has really helped. Happy Hiking!