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 Reporter |
Summary: This is a long, but not so tough haul up the Western ridge of San Jacinto. You pass through different climactic zones, and the trail has its share of ups and downs, so coming back isn't the easiest route you can take. And for some odd reason, the return trip seems longer than the ascent. There are several campgrounds along the way should you decide to backpack. The trail is well shaded, and very gentle in its slope. There are a few steep spots, but hey, you are climbing a big mountain after all. John Muir called the sunrise from the peak "one of the most sublime vistas he'd ever seen," unfortunately sublime is not the way it is described now. The smog-ridden filth from LA is everywhere, by the time we summitted Baldy was covered and obscured. However, if you can catch the rare clear day in So Cal, this would be the must-see spot to catch it from. Trailhead: Take the 243 from either Banning or Idyllwild, drive until you reach Black Mountain road. Turn East onto the dirt road. It is rutted and rough, but you should be able to make it with even a low-clearance vehicle. Follow the road for 8 miles to the turnoff for the Fuller Ridge trail road (signed.) Drive to the parking area and the posts for the PCT are east to pick up. Give yourself a good hour and fifteen minutes drive time from Banning, although the trail is perfect for a late morning stroll. It doesn't get very hot, even in August. Take the PCT to the connection with the Deer Springs Trail, and then the short branch that takes you past the shelter to the peak. (Lat:33.81477 Lon:-116.67939) Trail Guides for San Jacinto Via Fuller Ridge: California Hiking by Tom Sinestra and Ann Marie Brown (Avalon Travel) San Bernardino Mountain Trails - 100 Hikes in Southern California by John W. Robinson (Wilderness Press) Day Hikers Guide to Southern California by John McKinney (Olympus Press) Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Summer, User Groups: Hikers, Ranger Contact: Mount San Jacinto State Park (909)794-1123 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Allen Riedel, who has posted 123 other hikes on this site. To visit this reporters web site, click here. Trail Reviews Page 1 of 2 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by greg on 11/9/2009 loved the hike we went on 11-6-09. camped at "R" camp really cool spot to camp,beautiful views of the sun setting and the city lights.good water source about half way up.way to many people at the peak.all in all, a great hike.good times with good friends
Reviewed by Skraw on 8/10/2009 Great Hike! Started at the Fuller Ridge trail head. Dirt Road is a 25 minute breeze with some juevos and a truck. Hiked up Friday 8/7, camped in Little Round Valley that night, Peaked on Saturday morning 8/8 and hiked back that day. 5 1/2 hours (6 miles) to Little Round Valley, and 3 hours back the next day. It is definitely faster on the way back. We really liked the Fuller Ridge trail head. It was a long and pretty hard hike, but we saw no one the whole way! The thorn bushes were present in a couple spots, but not that bad at all. Not even worth mentioning. There was filterable water on the trail about 4 miles in and at Little Round Valley. Great Trip with great scenery throughout!
Reviewed by Belinda on 7/13/2009 We did this hike on 7-12-09 It was a long drive to the trail head and didn’t have a good sign’s on where the parking area was. We had a late start but it was a nice day with lots of shade on the trail and some great views. The trail does have lots of ups and downs there and back and one area has the thorny bushes that will make you wish you wore pants. Made it to the summit and back it was a long day and we showed we hiked 16.7 miles on our GPS. We are getting ready for Whitney so this was a good hike for me. I am still trying to get in shape it was a long and hard hike for me. 
Reviewed by Viewer on 6/13/2009 This is an interesting way to hike San Jacinto but the unpaved road leading to the trailhead is a nightmare. For this reason alone, I would not hike this way again. The road is 8 miles and is in horrific condition, with ruts, potholes and assorted other nasty problems. Even with high-clearance Honda Pilot, it took 47 minutes to reach the trailhead. The hike itself I feel is grossly inferior to the traditional approach via Humber Park. The flow of the hike is strange, with many ups and downs. Once you hook up with the Marion Mtn. intersection the trail is overgrown with thorny bushes which make long pants almost mandatory unless you want to get scratched up pretty badly.
Reviewed by Linda on 5/18/2009 We hiked it on 5-17-09. We are getting ready to hike Mt. Whitney, so we did this one for a pre-workout. We found it quite difficult. We wore a GPS, and the final distance was 15.6 miles,not 14.5 miles. The vistas and views were beautiful, but the many ups and downs on the trail made our hike back (when we tired) very trying. Our GPS showed the final elevation at the top of the boulders as 10,500 feet.
Reviewed by Steve on 9/2/2008 My second time for this trail. Trail maintenance excellent. First time was only to Little Round Valley. This time was from trailhead to San Jacinto Peak and back. Sign says 8.0 miles, Forest service map adds up to about 7.5. I did the hike for the exercise (total time 6hr 20 min with 20 min lunch at peak. With sightseeing and walking only I estimate 8-9 hours duration. Yes it seems longer on the way back both because of the many uphill segments and because the switchbacks at the transition from SJP to Fuller ridge tend to make you think you are further along than actual.
Reviewed by BradL on 6/19/2008 I did this trail on Saturday, 6/14. I agree with the other recent report. Just wanted to add that the sign says 8 miles to the Peak (16 round trip) and that seems about right to me. Plus the drive up Black Mountain road does take a long time (~45 minutes) because it's pretty rough/slow-going. the extra 1.5 hour of driving makes this hike less-desirable for me, coming from San Diego. Good hike though.
Reviewed by Ros and Jon on 6/16/2008 This was a beautiful hike, but be prepared for a long difficult day hike. The trail itself was in great shape- ran into the trail gorillas doing maintenance- great job! Water was flowing great and was perfect to refill on the way down. We did it as a day hike and only made it partially up the deer springs trail. We started too late in the day to finish the hike before dark. Allow more time than you think to drive to the trail head. The hike back out does seem longer than the way in. There are some steep switchbacks on the way out- so make sure you have enough energy to get out to your car. We're in decent shape but with all of the ups and downs this really kicked out butts- but the views are worth the trip. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Riverside County Hiking, Riverside County Trails, Riverside County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
