Camping in the State Park

[bradleykal]

Hi All,

Have yet to visit San Jacinto and need some advice, between the two state park camp sites, Idyllwild or Stone creek, which is nicer? Am taking my girlfriend there this weekend and she is not an experienced camper.

Also, which would be best to day-hike from? and any suggestions on a good 4-6 mile hike?

thanks in advance.

[Ken7]

The Idyllwild County Park is the nicest campground.

A beautiful trail to consider, especially if your girlfriend is new to hiking, is the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail. You will need to drive a few miles to get there from the campground. You can either begin at Humber Park or from the street (dirt) named Tahquitz View. It is better to begin at Tahquitz View so that you begin hiking up the trail and come back hiking down. In addition, to park at Humber Park you need an adventure pass, but you do not need one at Tahquitz View. The trail is 2.6 miles one way, 5.2 round trip. The elevation gain is about 700 feet.

A more difficult trail, but very scenic, is the Devil's Slide Trail. It is 2.5 miles one way and the elevation gain is about 1700 feet. You would need a free wilderness permit to hike it - the number of permits is limited on weekends during the summer.

The Stone Creek campground is more rustic than the county campground and the trails there are generally more difficult.