Trail crosses forest on way to outcropping

Suicide Rock is a granite outcropping rising to 7528 feet elevation near
Idyllwild, Calif.

Suicide Rock Trail topo map. Click for larger version.

This article originally was written for and appeared in the Uken Report.

With summer’s annual baking of California’s Coachella Valley, the best way to beat the desert heat is to to gain some elevation. Pine-studded Mount San Jacinto State Park nicely fits that bill.

Hikers can head to a granite rock outcropping that offers great views via a route that heads through the park.

The 6.6-mile round trip to Suicide Rock – consisting of the Deer Springs and the Suicide Rock trails – begins in Idyllwild. You’ll need to pace yourself as the trail gains 1,900 feet at mile-high altitudes. The hike requires a wilderness permit, which can be obtained for free and is self-issued at the ranger station off of Calif. Hwy. 243.

Deer Springs Trail
To reach the trailhead, from Palm Desert take Calif. Hwy. 74 north. Turn right/north onto Calif. 243 and drive through Idyllwild, stopping at the ranger station for the permit. After passing the road for the Idyllwild Nature Center, look for an unpaved parking lot on the road’s right/north. The lot is the trailhead. You will need an Adventure Pass to park.

The hike starts at 5,600 feet on Deer Springs Trail. Oak trees line the route, but you’ll soon pass through a grove of manzanita, bushes that boast stunning red bark.

At 0.25 miles, the trail officially enters the Mount San Jacinto State Park and State Wilderness. Dogs are not allowed in state wilderness area.

The sandy trail can be dusty if the area has gone a few days without rain. Plenty of small, harmless lizards can be seen sunning on the sand and rocks in open spots.

Suicide Rock Trail
At 2.3 miles, the trail splits. Go right/northeast onto Suicide Rock Trail. The route has gained about 1300 feet elevation since the trailhead, and this is a good spot to rest.

In short order, the trail crosses the intermittent Marion Creek. If hiking in spring, snow melt will feed it and offer up a three-foot waterfall visible from the trail.

The trail dips before ascending to Suicide Rock. Watch for breaks in the trees that offers a fantastic view of Lily Rock which tops out at 7924 feet to the southeast.

At 2.5 miles, the trail enters the San Jacinto Wilderness portion of the San Bernardino National Forest. In addition to jurisdiction changes, you’ll also notice the trees changing to pines as entering subalpine elevations.

Suicide Rock
The trail finally reaches Suicide Rock at 3.3 miles. The outcropping tops out at 7528 feet.

If a fan of 1980s slasher films, Suicide Rock may look familiar to you. The outcropping played a vital role in the movie “Prey,” where it starred in the role of a Colorado mountain on which a group of campers is stalked and murdered.

The outcropping got its name from a legend in which a Native America princess and her lover, ordered to separate, instead committed suicide by jumping off the rock. There’s probably no truth to the story, though, as that legend is popular at a number of high points from California to the Midwest. It probably was appropriated for the rock in an effort to boost local tourism.

Though standing at the edge of Suicide Rock, imagining how the story might be true isn’t difficult. It’s a long, sharp drop down. Because of that, the outcropping with its 27 different walls is a popular rock climbing destination. More than 300 climbing routes have been identified on the rock wall.

Views from the top
Stay clear of the dangerous edges, though, and instead enjoy the impressive views. To the southeast is Strawberry Valley and Idyllwild below you. The peak on the other side of the valley is Lily Rock and beyond it Tahquitz Peak at 8721 feet. To the southwest is Bear Trap Canyon. Behind and above you to the north is Marion Mountain, peaking at 10,362 feet.

After taking in the sights, retrace your steps back to the trailhead.

During summer, go early in the morning when Idyllwild’s temperatures are in the low 60s. By afternoon, temperatures will climb to the low 90s. Going down the hill in the late afternoon, however, does mean more shade.

Also, bring plenty of water. Though cooler than the valley floor, the mountainside still is fairly arid, and you’ll work up a sweat on the ascent.

Trail clambers up San Jacinto Peak’s side

The Devils Slide Trail offers a fantastic view of Tahquitz Peak. 

Devil's Slide Trail topo map. Click for larger image.

September marks a perfect time to hike San Jacinto Peak – clear sunny skies, comfortable temperatures and no snow.

While most hikers take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to below the summit, that's not the only way to enjoy the Coachella Valley's most famous mountain. The 5-miles round trip Devil's Slide Trail lets you head up San Jacinto's southwest face, offering spectacular views along the way.

To reach the trailhead, from Palm Desert take Calif. Hwy 74 (the Pines to Palms Highway) into the mountains. At Mountain Center, turn right/north onto Calif. Hwy. 243. Once in Idyllwild, go right/northeast on Pine Crest Avenue. When the street curves east, it naturally becomes South Circle Drive. From South Circle Drive, turn left/north onto Fern Valley Road. The road ends at Humber Park; leave you vehicle in the parking spaces near the bathrooms on the park's southeast corner, from which the trail leaves.

The trail starts at about 6280 ft. above sea level and immediately enters the San Jacinto Wilderness Area, which is within the San Bernardino National Forest. It passes through a largely evergreen forest with plenty of granite boulders along the way.

After a few switchbacks, the trail generally levels out for a little more than quarter mile. It then ascends again and upon passing below the dry Jolley Spring, turns level once more.

Strawberry Creek headwaters
Towering above the trail at 10,824 feet into the sky – a full 1.95 miles above Palm Springs – is San Jacinto Peak summit. It's the highest point in the San Jacinto Mountains and Riverside County, and the six highest in the lower 48.

The Cahuilla Indians called San Jacinto Peak I a kitch (or Aya Kaich), which translates to “smooth cliffs,” an appropriate name given that the mountain’s north escarpment at 10,000 feet is the most severe in all of North America. For the Cahuilla, this was the home of Dakush, their founder.

Euro-American settlers in the area began climbing San Jacinto Peak in the 1870s with the first recorded ascent in 1874. The Wheeler Survey followed in 1878 and officially named the mountain “San Jacinto Peak.”

The best views from the trail are not of the Coachella Valley but to the west and south. Fern Valley and Idyllwild sit directly below the trail to the southwest while bald Tahquitz Rock/Lily Rock is to the southeast. Farther beyond, to the west is Hemet and the valley stretching from Riverside to Temecula. To the south are the mountains of the Cleveland National Forest; if you spot a shiny white dome in that range, it’s probably the Palomar Observatory.

The trail next crosses a tributary, fed by Powderbox Spring, to Strawberry Creek. At the next draw, the trail passes the creek’s headwaters at Middle Spring.

Saddle Junction
The trail then makes a broad switchback to an elevation about Middle Spring. It recrosses the first tributary and then switchbacks to Powderbox Spring.

In short order, the trail reaches Saddle Junction, having gained 1700 feet in elevation. From the junction, you can go a variety of directions – the Tahquitz Peak Lookout, the tram station, onto the Pacific Crest Trail, and even to San Jacinto's peak. The latter is still several miles of walking away, and a much shorter way to reach it is via the tram station.

From the junction, retrace your steps back to the parking lot. Since you're not going up the mountain face, you'll get to enjoy those views on the way down.

The trail requires an Adventure Pass to park your vehicle and a wilderness pass to hike the trail. Only a limited number of wilderness passes are given out, so start early if hiking on weekends, holidays, or from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The wilderness permits are free, but the parking pass comes at a nominal fee; both can be picked up at the Idyllwild Ranger Station, which you'll pass at the intersection of Hwy. 243 and Pine Crest Drive.

Trail heads to fire lookout on Tahquitz Peak

The views from the South Ridge Trail as approaching Tahquitz Peak
are stunning.

South Ridge Trail topo map. Click for larger version.

The following trail description originally was written for and appeared in the Uken Report.

When temps soar to triple digits in the Coachella Valley, the best way for hikers to escape the heat is to go up – way up, like to some of the summits surrounding the valley.

Tahquitz Peak, which rises over Palm Springs and Cathedral City, is one of those great destinations. Temperatures at the peak’s trailhead in Idyllwild average about 30 degrees lower than the valley floor – and the trail only gets cooler as approaching the summit.

The South Ridge Trail from Idyllwild to Tahquitz Peak, plus an access trail, runs about 9.8 miles round trip while gaining 3,057 feet in elevation. If a physically fit, experienced hiker, you easily can go to Tahquitz’s summit. If not, the hike always can be shortened to what you can handle; it’ll still offer great views.

To drive or to walk
To reach the trailhead, from Palm Desert take Calif. Hwy. 74 (the Pines to Palms Highway) south into the mountains. Upon reaching Mountain Center, turn right/north onto Calif. Hwy. 243. Go right/east onto Marian View Drive (if you passed Animal Rescue Friends of Idyllwild, you've gone too far). Next, take Saunders Meadow Road right/south. When the road reaches Clubhouse Drive, stay on Saunders Meadow by going left/northwest. Then take a left/north onto Pine Avenue followed by a right/east onto Tahquitz View Drive. In about 0.2 miles, you’ll reach Forest Route 5S11 on the right/south. Park well off the side of the road and head up the dirt forest road.

If you don’t mind a white-knuckle adventure, the mile-long Forest Route 5S11 can be driven rather than hiked, but you should have a 4WD and a high-clearance vehicle. A small dirt parking lot awaits at the end of the forest road with the South Ridge Trail running roughly north-south from it.

Those who opt to walk will gain 800 feet over a mile as heading through a scorched area recovering from the summer 2018 Cranston Fire, which burned much of Tahquitz Peak’s south ridge. Along the way you’ll pass South Ridge Spring. Once at the aforementioned parking lot, go left/north onto the South Ridge Trail. The lot is at 6,475 feet and 3.49 miles from the summit.

A granite mountain, Tahquitz is named for a luminous spirit-demon of Soboba Indians lore. After a battle with the demon – which resulted in many of the area’s natural formations – it was killed. When the demon’s body was burned, its spirit escaped and took up residence in a cave somewhere in the San Jacinto Mountains. In 1901, the U.S. Geological Survey called the peak Tahquitz on a topo map, cementing its name.

Lookout tower
From the end of the forest road, the trail is a steady grade up. To the left/west is Fern Valley below with San Jacinto Peak rising directly to the north. To the right/east is the impressive 1000-foot face of Tahquitz Peak.

The trail’s last half-mile or so is a series of switchbacks and the steepest portion of the hike. Jeffrey pines grow here.

Near the summit is two-person fire lookout overlooking Tahquitz’s face. You usually can climb it from late spring to mid-fall. It offers panoramic 270-degree views of the Inland Empire to the west, the Desert Divide to the south, the Santa Ana Mountains in the southwest, and San Diego County in the south.

Constructed in 1937, the fire lookout was the national forest’s last active tower when shot down in 1993. Volunteers reconstructed it in 1998 and have staffed it since. The tower is the second highest lookout in California and supplied by mules carrying materials up the trails.

View form the summit
Just a few more feet beyond the tower is the summit at 8,846 feet above sea level. Among the sights here are Palm Springs and the Santa Rosa Mountains to the east, the Desert Divide, Garner Valley, Lake Hemet, Thomas and Cahuilla mountains, the Palomar Range (on sunny afternoons, the dome of the Mt. Palomar telescope glitters), the Santa Anas, Temecula, and even the Laguna and the Cuyamaca mountains.

You’ll probably also notice several other trails coming from different directions up the mountain side. Among them is the Pacific Crest Trail, which is half-mile walk from the peak. The most direct route to the summit, however, is the South Ridge Trail.

Altitude sickness is a possibility on the hike. If you find yourself short of breath, dehydrated, or suffering a headache, rest and drink plenty of water. If the symptoms return after continuing the hike, turn back from home. Pace yourself, keep taking rest breaks, and the symptoms should go away as you lose elevation. There really is less oxygen that high in the mountains.

Also, since the trail sits in the San Bernardino National Forest, the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa National Monument, and the San Jacinto Wilderness, a permit is required for this hike. Fortunately, it’s free, and you don’t even have to talk to anyone to get it. While on Hwy. 243, instead of turning on to Marian View Drive, simply go to the Idyllwild Ranger Station at 54270 Pine Crest Ave. After filling out the permit form, take the carbon copy on the the hike, and drop the top sheet into the marked slot. You’ll also need a recreation pass to park in the national forest; that costs $5 for a day permit or $30 for an annual pass.

Discover California’s top mountain pines

The male cone of the Coulter pine, a common California
mountain tree seen on the Panorama Point Trail.

Panorama Point Trail topo map.

This article originally was written for and published by the Uken Report.

Coachella Valley day hikers can explore a transition zone between two mountain forests on the Panorama Point Trail in Mt. San Jacinto State Park.

The 1-mile loop to a scenic viewpoint is a perfect hike for those looking to escape the desert heat or those taking a day trip to Idyllwild. During late summer, morning temps usually are in the mid-60s with highs reaching near the 80s around noon.

To reach the trailhead, for those living in the northern Coachella Valley, take Interstate 10 west over the San Gorgonio Pass. In Banning, turn left/south onto Calif. Hwy. 243. From Palm Desert and all points south in the Coachella Valley, take Calif. Hwy. 74 (the aptly named Palms to Pines Highway) into the mountains. At Mountain Center, turn right/north onto Calif. Hwy. 243. Both routes lead to Forest Route 4S02; turn north onto it into the Stone Creek Campground. At the next two intersections in the campground, veer right and look for the small parking lot on the right/south.

From the parking lot, walk northeast on the campground road, staying right at each junction.

Once you reach the road's east side, watch for the trail sign and turn right/east onto the dirt but extremely well-graded path.

Stone Creek Campground sits at roughly 6000 feet, so you’re more than a mile above the Pacific Ocean. This area of the San Jacinto Mountains is a transition zone in the forests.

Low forest
The lower forest largely consists of manzanita and black oak, which thrive on the drier, hotter slopes. You’ll also find fragrant ponderosa and Coulter pines.

While ponderosa pine is widespread across the western United States, there are several subspecies and varieties. The type in Southern California sticks to mountain ranges and can be found all along the Pacific Coast north through Oregon and in the Sierra Nevada. The California species boasts the longest needles, which sometimes measure nearly eight inches.

Regardless of the subspecies or variety, all ponderosa pines are easy to identify by their bark color. Younger tree sport a very dark brown bark and so were nicknamed blackjacks by loggers. As the tree matures, its bark turns yellow to orange-red and appears in broad plates with black crevices between them.

Coulter pines are common in Southern and Baja California, but its numbers are decreasing. Its spiny cones are the largest of any pine species, usually between 8 to nearly 16 inches long and weighing up to 11 pounds. Foresters working in Coulter pine groves call them “widowmakers” for good reason!

High forest
The higher forest boasts two other common California mountain trees – sugar and Jeffrey pines.

Sugar pines are the tallest and largest of the pines, growing up to 195 feet high with a trunk diameter of 4 feet 11 inches to 8 feet 2 inches. Under the right conditions and if given enough time, they can grow much larger; the tallest recorded one at 273 feet 9 inches was discovered in 2015 at Yosemite National Park. Their slender cones also can grow longer than the Coulter pines (but don’t weigh as much). No wonder naturalist John Muir nicknamed them the “king of the conifers.”

Sugar pines got their name, however, from their sweet resin. Native Americans for centuries used the resin as a sweetener, and Muir even preferred it to maple sugar.

Jeffrey pines – aka as Jeffrey's pine, yellow pine, or black pine – usually grow at an elevation of 5,900 feet to 9,500 feet in this part of its range, and can be found from Baja California to Oregon. The higher the elevation, usually the shorter and slimmer the tree.

Because the Jeffrey and ponderosa pine are closely related, their appearance is often confused, especially when they mix as they do on this trail. One good way to tell them apart is to look at the cone. If the barbs point inward so that the cone feels smooth in your hand, you’ve got a Jeffrey pine. The ponderosa pine’s barbs point outward and will feel like you’re holding needles if in your palm. Just remember this common memory device – “gentle Jeffrey and prickly ponderosa.”

Making their homes amid and below these various trees along the trail are chickadees, squirrels and plenty of harmless lizards.

San Jacinto and Panorama Point
Beyond the trees, 10,834-foot San Jacinto Peak looms on the northern horizon. If facing the summit so that it's at 12 o'clock, Palm Springs would be at the 1 o'clock position on the peak's other side.

Another highlight of the trail is Panorama Point, which looks south to Hemet, Menifee, and Lake Elsinore on the plain below. On a clear day, you can see the Pacific Ocean.

While the chickadees and slight breeze rustling through the pines provides an impressive soundtrack to the hike, you can download an audio tour of the trail to play on your portable media player. Created by the state park service, the mp3 format files can be downloaded here.

Since the loop runs through a state park, there is a nominal fee for day-use. Dogs are allowed if on leash. And while the trail is dirt, it is level and packed so well that it has been deemed wheelchair accessible.

Final note: Don’t confuse this route with the mountain biking trail of the same name off of Interstate 10 in Redlands.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.

Trail offers great views in Idyllwild, Calif.

Tahquitz Rock  is visible from the Summit Trail.

Map of Summit-Hillside Trails Loop.

This article was written for and originally appeared at the Uken Report.

The best way for Coachella Valley hikers to escape the summer heat is to gain elevation. One good nearby spot to do that is the other side of Mt. San Jacinto in Idyllwild.

Nestled in the foothills at a little more that 5000 feet up, the quaint town offers a number of great trails, especially at the Idyllwild Nature Center. While there, try the 2.6-miles round trip Summit-Hillside Trails Loop. Morning is the best time to hike as temperatures generally are in the 70s.

To reach the nature center, from northern Coachella Valley, take I-10 west to Banning then go left/south on Calif. Hwy. 243 to Idyllwild; from central or southern Coachella Valley, take Calif. Hwy. 74 south then turn right/north onto Hwy. 243 to Idyllwild. The center is at 25225 Calif. Hwy. 243 at the end of a driveway. Both the nature center and its trails are part of the Riverside County park and open space system.

From the nature center parking lot, go right/west and follow the path around the building’s side. In about 0.1 miles, go right/west.

You’ll soon start hearing a variety of different songbirds. Several of them settle in the park between March through November before snow sends them migrating.

In another 0.1 miles, you’ll come to a trail junction; continue straight/southwest. At the next junction in 0.1 miles, you've reached the Hillside Trail; go right/west onto it.

The Hillside Trail crosses Lily Creek, which usually is dry by late summer.

After about 0.2 miles, you’ll arrive at the Summit Trail. Go straight/west onto it; this is the beginning of a loop. Steep and the most difficult portion of the hike, this trail definitely is an aerobic climb.

But the effort is worth it, and not just for your heart. You’ll pass a number of rocks/boulders to scramble over, which will be a joy for any kids with you. There’s also a good view of the 800-foot high Tahquitz Rock, the larger of the two granite crags above Idyllwild that are popular with rock climbers.

Upon reaching the hilltop, the trail briefly levels out. From the summit there are great views of treetops stretching seemingly forever. Mt. San Jacinto rises to the north and blue Lake Hemet to the southeast.

After about a mile on the Summit Trail, you’ll reach a three-way junction. Go left/northeast onto the Hillside Trail. You’ll descend from here for a moderate workout through fragrant, green terrain.

In 0.6 miles, the Hillside reaches the junction with Summit Trail where you began the loop. Go right/east. You’ll recross Lily Creek; at the next trail junction, go left/north and retrace your steps back to the parking lot.

Once back, be sure to stop at the nature center, which offers displays on local wildlife and the Cahuilla Native Americans who have lived in this area for the past 2000-2500 years. Be forewarned that the nature center is not open every day and closes near evening.

Though plenty of pines line the route, a few yards here and there aren't shaded, so don sunscreen and wear a brimmed hat.

A fee is charged to enter the park. Dogs also can hike the trail but must be leashed, and a nominal entry fee is charged for their entry.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.