Escape desert heat atop San Jacinto Peak

Temperatures high on San Jacinto Peak usually are 20 to 30 degrees
cooler than on the valley floor.

The following entry was originally written for and published by the Uken Report.

If you live in the Palm Springs area and want to get outside, there’s no better way to escape the heat right now than to gain some elevation.

One great way to do that is heading to the top of San Jacinto Peak, where daytime temperatures are a good 20 to 30 degrees cooler than on the Coachella Valley floor. That alone almost makes the mountain’s fragrant evergreens, shaded trails, and fantastic views a mere afterthought.

San Jacinto Peak
Towering 10,824 feet into the sky – a full 1.95 miles above Palm Springs – San Jacinto Peak is the highest point in the San Jacinto Mountains and Riverside County, and the sixth highest in the lower 48. It dominates Palm Springs’ skyline and can be seen throughout the valley.

Plenty of hiking trails run across San Jacinto Peak. A good one that will be a challenge for new hikers but a moderate workout for longtimers is the 8-mile round trip Willow Creek Trail.

The best way to reach the trail is to cheat a little by taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tram. From Palm Springs, drive Calif. Hwy. 111 north to the tram’s Valley Station, which sits at 2634 feet elevation. The tram climbs 6000 feet and lets you start the hike at 8516 feet. There is a fee to use the tram.

After taking a few steps off the tram, you’ll probably wonder why you’re breathing a lot harder. There really is less oxygen up there, so take it easy for a bit. Fortunately, the tram’s mountain station is a good spot to acclimate yourself to the higher elevation. The station includes an observation area, restaurant, snack bar and gift shop.

Jeffrey pine
From the station, walk into Mt. San Jacinto State Park by heading uphill and west to Round Valley. At 0.3 miles is the Willow Creek Trail; go left/south onto it. Divide Peak and the 9356-foot high Landells Peak to its right loom ahead.

Jeffrey pine appears all along the trail. It typically grows around 80-130 feet tall but is smaller when at or near the tree line. Its resin smells like butterscotch. The tree often is confused with the ponderosa pine, as both look quite similar. To tell the difference, look at the cones – the Jeffrey pine’s barbs point inward so that they feel smooth, but the ponderosa pine’s barbs stick outward so they are prickly in the hand.

At 1.3 miles, the High Trail comes in from the right. Continue straight-left/south.

You’ll soon enter the Hidden Divide Natural Preserve. It’s so-named because the watershed splits there between the Long Valley Creek drainage to the north and Tahquitz Creek to the south. As a high point, this part of the trail offers great views of the San Jacinto range’s southern end, the Santa Rosa Mountains, and on a clear day even Palomar Mountain about 30 miles away. No off-trail hiking is allowed within the preserve.

Wildflowers
Upon leaving the preserve, the trail descends. You’ll cross an intermittent stream. The trail soon leaves the state park and enters San Bernardino National Forest. In the national forest, the trail also is marked as “3E02” on maps.

Two interesting wildflowers bloom during summer along the trail.

The plain mariposa lily is one of them. A truly Californian plant, it grows in the conifer forests of the state’s southern and central mountains, though it has been found in one Nevada county. Usually its bell-shaped flowers bloom during June and July in a loose cluster. Up to six erect bell-shaped flowers sit in a loose cluster. Its color ranges from white to light purple and sometimes there is spotting low at the base and greenish streaking on the outer petals.

The lemon lily also is in bloom during June and July. While found across the Southwest, in California it only grows in moist areas of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains and around Palomar Mountain. Wonderfully fragrant, its bright yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers bloom in groups of up to 31 to a stem. Sometimes a few reddish spots appear on the flowers.

Mountain Fire
At 3.6 miles, you’ll reach a junction with the Cedar Trail that heads to Laws Camp. Continue right/northwest to stay on the Willow Creek Trail.

You’ll soon notice several burnt pine trunks. These are remnants of 2013’s Mountain Fire. The fire burned for 16 days and required 3500 firefighters to put it out.

The trail reaches Willow Creek at 4 miles. This is a good spot to turn back.

If you’ve got some extra energy, though, the trail does continue, crossing Skunk Cabbage Meadow and junctioning the Pacific Crest Trail in Saddle Junction at 5.6 miles from the trailhead, making for a 11.2 miles round trip hike.

Willow Creek Trail topo map. Click for larger version.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

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 heads to cool vistas of Coachella Valley

 The Desert View Trail offers five lookouts of California's Coachella Valley.

Desert View Trail topo map.

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

A walk through a cool evergreen forest with scenic overlooks of California’s Coachella Valley await day hikers on the Desert View Trail.

Combined with a ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tram, the trip to Mount San Jacinto State Park
is a great way to beat the summer heat. Located high in the mountains above the valley floor, temps can be around 40 degrees cooler at the state park – so if it's 110 on the valley floor, expect the hike to be in about 70 degree or so weather.

There are plenty of trails at the 14,000-acre state park to hike – more than 54 miles of them – but an easy choice is the Desert View Trail. Though only 1.5-miles round trip, that still delivers a vigorous walk thanks to the high altitude. the hike begins at 8516 feet above sea level – and there really is less oxygen up there than on the valley floor.

Tram ride
The quickest and easiest way to reach the state park is to take the aerial tram. From Palm Springs, drive Calif. Hwy. 111 north to the tram's Valley Station, which sits at 2,634 feet elevation. The tram climbs nearly 6000 feet in an 11-minute ride. There is a fee to use the tram.

After the tram lets you off, head to the Mountain Station’s first floor and take the concrete walkway to the sandy trailhead for the Discovery Nature and the Desert View trails. In 0.1 miles, the Discovery Nature Trail splits off the Desert View Trail; go left to head along the mountainside.

The Desert View is a wide trail through an alpine forest of towering Jeffrey pine with grassy knolls in the San Jacinto Wilderness.

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. They can grow up to 131 feet tall, but the higher the elevation, usually the shorter and slimmer the tree.

The cones are large – 4.7 to 9.4 inches long – and you’ll see them scattered across the mountain floor throughout the hike.

Notches
Five signposts marked as “Notches” appear on the trail to indicate lookouts of the Coachella Valley about 8000 feet below. Notch 3 arguably offers the best vista, an unimpeded 120 degree view in which the bulk of Palm Springs can be seen. The contrast between the green mountain environment and stark desert below will make an impression.

Notches 4 and 5 each view the Santa Rosa Mountains to the southeast. El Toro Peak, the Santa Rosas’ highest summit, stands out. On clear days, you can see the edge of the Salton Sea beyond.

The trail can be rocky in sections. To avoid getting lost, look for stone cairns marking the route.

Among the cairns and pinecones you’ll likely spot a Western gray squirrel or two. They used to be common at lower elevations in Southern California. Fox squirrels brought by settlers have outcompeted the Western gray, though, forcing it into the mountains where it holds the edge.

Usually weighing no more than a couple of pounds, the 24-inch long Western gray actually is the largest native tree squirrel on the West Coast. It’s easy to to spot as its bushy tail remains curved in an “S” shape. Western grays aren’t picky eaters, either, liking berries, nuts, seeds, and bird eggs.

San Jacinto Peak
After passing the fifth notch, the trail gives a good view of San Jacinto Peak to the west. Towering 10,824 feet into the sky – a full 1.95 miles above Palm Springs – San Jacinto Peak is the highest point in the San Jacinto Mountains and Riverside County, and the six highest in the lower 48.

The trail next comes to Y-intersection; go right/northeast and cross a wooden bridge. You’ll then come to the stem that you walked in on. Go left/northeast. This brings you back onto the Nature Trail. Keep veering right and you’ll soon reach the concrete walkway that goes into the tram station.

Notes: Dogs are not allowed on the trail. Cell phone reception will be weak and at times nonexistent.