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Ernie Maxwell Trail


Highlights:

Easy family hike, lovely forested trail, great views of Tahquitz/Suicide Rock
Near:Idyllwild, CA
Scenery:
Distance:5 miles round trip
Elevation Gain:400 ft
Hike Time:2.5 hours
Difficulty:Easy
Trail Condition:Well maintained trail
HikeType:Out and Back


Summary: This is a perfect setting for a leasurly family hike. The trail acends very gently from the south end of Idyllwild to Humber Park, passing through a wonderful dense forest of pines. As you approach Humber Park, spectacular views of Suicide and Tahquitz rocks come in to view. Once you reach Humber Park, walk up the road a few hundred yards to the Devil's Slide Trail head and find a peaceful spot for a picnic lunch.

If you still have some energy left, hike a half mile or so up the Devil's Slide trail for unbelievable views of both Tahquitz and Suicide rock. Return the way you came.

Trailhead: From the 10 near Banning, take highway 243 to the town of Idyllwild. On the south edge of Idyllwild, take Saunders Meadow Road past Desert Sun School, turning left on Pine Avenue, then right on Tahquitz View Drive. Drive past the South Fork Trail junction to the start of the Ernie Maxwell trail. There will be a trailhead marker on the right side of the dirt road. Note that you can also start the hike from the opposite end just below Humber park, but you wind up walking uphill on the way back (not my preference!) (Lat:33.74022 Lon:-116.7024)
Trail Guides for Ernie Maxwell Trail:
100 Great hikes in and near Palm Springs
by Philip Ferranti  (Westcliffe Publishers)

California Hiking
by Tom Stienstra & Ann Marie Brown  (Foghorn Press)

San Bernardino Mountain Trails
by John W. Robinson  (Wilderness Press)

Best Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall
User Groups: Hikers, Dogs
Ranger Contact: USDA Forest Service (909) 659-2177
Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Jim Zuber, who has posted  104 other hikes on this site
Trail Reviews  Page 1 of 2   Submit your own review
Reviewed by S.L. on 1/31/2010
very beautiful mountain view. A little crowded.

Reviewed by Anjana on 11/16/2009
Nice easy hike - definite plus if you have small children. My husband & I were a little bored towards the end, but it's good scenery.

Reviewed by Curt on 11/4/2009
I was on this very nice trail and enjoyed the good weather and great photo opportunities. Seeing a cyclist on it was a bit of a surprise.Strawberry Creek was completely dry but the fall colors were superb October 18th, 2009

Reviewed by Shane L on 7/18/2009
Ok hike for excercise or if you want to just do a fairly easy trail. I finished my hike with this trail after starting from Devils slide and going to the lookout and down the back side. The trails dont connect so i had to take a dirt road for a mile to Earnie Max then back to Humber.

Reviewed by MM on 8/12/2008
I hiked this trail and camped in the State Park in early May. I enjoyed the hike and noticed there seemed to be a lot of other people on the trail who were handling it well. A lot of good scenery and a lot of local birds can be seen. The weather was good on the hike but it got a bit colder at night while camping than I had anticipated.

Reviewed by Marlon on 4/22/2008
We hiked this trail on 4/20/08. We started hiking at 8:00am and the weather was cold but with clear skies. We cleared the cloud cover as we drove up the mountain towards the trail. The kids (4 and 10 year olds) loved the creek and had fun running downhill on the way back. The trail is easy for adults but tired our 4yr old and we needed to carry him through some spots. We saw a few squirrels and a patch of beautiful yellow flowers planted along the trail. After the hike we visited Lake Fulmor off of the 243 Hwy.See Photos Here

Reviewed by BL on 3/30/2008
We just hiked this trail this morning with two of our kids (13 & 8). There was still some snow on the ground in a few places. The creeks were all running with water, especially Strawberry Creek. We saw grey squirrels, blue birds and chipmunks. We started at the back end and hiked to Humber Park. It was nice to have the downhill walk back to our car. By the way, for those who want to start at the back end, there is extremely limited parking along the dirt road. Be prepared to park down the road from the trailhead.

Reviewed by FW on 10/1/2007
We did the hike yesterday (9-30-07) and the weather was beautiful. The hike itself was great. We took our 2 young boys (3 and 5) with us and they did well considering the first half is uphill. We were able to see squirrels, birds, lots of lizards and we even managed to see a baby snake. As for the horse droppings mentioned in the previous post, we never saw any. Time wise, it took us longer due to the boys, but they really enjoyed seeing the animals and collecting acorns. When were done, we drove into Idyllwild and had a great lunch. We would hike it again!


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

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