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 Reporter |
Summary: This moderate all day outing is as good as it gets. The trip starts out by taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway almost a mile straight up into the San Jacinto wilderness. The first 2 miles of trail traverses a lovely pine forest, passing through Round Valley. The trail then begins a 1 mile accent to Wellman Divide, a great spot for lunch with breathtaking views. At this point the trail heads north towards the peak. The forest is somewhat open with the ground covered in lush vegetation, and ever more stunning views of the desert below. Near the summit you will encounter a small stone cabin, and after a easy rock scramble up a 100 yards or so, you will be at the peak. John Muir considered the view from San Jacinto peak one of the most sublime on earth. It is a great hike! Trailhead: From Interstate 10, take the Palm Springs exit (hwy 111) and drive 9 miles to Tramway road. Turn right and follow the road 3.5 miles to its end at the Tramway parking lot. The tram takes you from palm springs to the 8500 foot level near Long Valley in a short, but spectacular 12 minute ride. The cost was about twenty bucks round trip. (Lat:33.81308 Lon:-116.63841) Trail Guides for San Jacinto Peak via Palm Springs Tram: 100 Great hikes in and near Palm Springs by Philip Ferranti (Westcliffe Publishers) San Bernardino Mountain Trails by John W. Robinson (Wilderness Press) California Hiking by Tom Stienstra & Ann Marie Brown (Foghorn Press) Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Summer, User Groups: Hikers, Ranger Contact: USFS (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 10 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by BSA Troop 19 on 10/1/2009 We rode the tram up on Saturday, September 26, camped at Round Valley, then did the peak September 27 and hiked out to the tram. It was a great weekend. Saturday was cool, and Saturday night had a chill in the air. Sunday was warm. Seven Scouts and 4 dads all made it to the top. This is one of my favorite hikes. The forest is beautiful and the view from the peak is amazing. 
Reviewed by Ryan on 8/31/2009 We hiked up on Aug 28 around 5 pm and reahed the top right before sunset. View from the peak was stunning. We hiked down to the Little Round Valley, which is 1.6 miles from the peak, under the star lights and with the help of head lamps. Trail was easy to follow even at night. Air was thin and clean and it was a good weekend to escape fire and triple digit heat from San Gabriel valley. Day time temperature throughout the hike was in mid 70s and convenient 50s during night time at Little Round Valley.
Reviewed by DeaconBlues on 8/30/2009 Did this hike on Aug. 29. It was my first ascent to the top of San Jacinto and it turned out to be a great experience. The views from the top were marred by the haze and smoke from wildfires, however. The trail is narrow for much of the hike to the top so one finds themself standing off to the side to let other hikers get by. The trail also becomes much more rockier once the pines begin to thin out. I made it to the peak in just under three hours, which is actually quicker than I expected.
Reviewed by Climmb on 7/14/2009 I have hiked multiple times to the top of San Jacinto by all possible routes (even the direct route up from Palm Springs) and although this is the easiest route, even fairly fit hikers would rate it as more than moderate. The reason being that most people do not hike at an average altitude of 10,000ft very often, this fact should have be taken into account when rating this hike.
Reviewed by PuterProf on 7/2/2009 If this is moderate, I've got a lot of work still to do! Took me 9 hours tram-to-tram, wouldn't have made it without cloud cover ~half the time. Have done 10 mile hikes 16X in last 6 months, but at 1000-4000'. Today was 75-85 degrees at Long Valley, light breeze, high altitude made this strenous for the old guy. I'll wait 'till it cools off again.
Reviewed by Darren on 6/5/2009 6/30/09 Rode up the tram and we were hiking by 840am, there was a ranger checking permits. The trail is completely clear to the top and is plenty wide and well maintained. I did this is running shoes as did many people. The view front the top is spectacular, we could look across and see rain on San Gorgonio that day.
Reviewed by GC on 5/25/2009 The 360' view is incredible. Best done in summer June thru August. We get a group and do it every year!
Reviewed by Jordan on 5/8/2009 Done this hike in summer once and it was awesome... recently tried to do the hike from the idywild side and knee to at times hip high snow blocked us from tackling the pk... also did not bring waterproof boots... not a good idea nor gaitors did howver have ice axe and cramp ons. But what good are those w/ out the boots eh... anyway that was bout a month ago.. so gonna give it another go in the next couple days. view is awesome 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||