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 Reporter |
Summary: This is a pretty straightforward trail through oak, chinnapquin, chapparal, and eventually a pine forest. You get lovely views all along the trail, and some of the boulders along the way are fascinating. At the top is a fire lookout manned by some friendly people from May-November. You can walk around it to see in every direction. The route starts with some switchbacking, then flattens out for a bit, and for the last mile, the switchbacks are pretty steep, but that's the best part, right? If it seems short - that is because it is. It is only 6 miles round trip up and back. Trailhead: Head south on the 243 from Idyllwild, turn left on Saunders Meadow Road. Turn north onto Pine Avenue (you can only turn north) then turn right onto Tahquitz View Drive, follow it until you see a sign for South Ridge Road. It isn't really a sign for the road, but it lists the trail as an option on the sign. Turn right and follow it to it's completion. The trail begins it's steady climb from here. Be courteous with parking on the weekends, this trail gets a lot of use. (Lat:33.75527 Lon:-116.67707) Trail Guides for Tahquitz Peak - South Ridge Trail: 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) California Hiking by Tom Sinestra and Ann Marie Brown (Avalon Travel) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Ranger Contact: San Jacinto Wilderness (909) 659-2117 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 4 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Grumpy&Bionicle on 1/19/2010 Sunday Jan-17, the day before the week long storm, quiet day, saw only 2 other groups, with dogs OFF LEASH terrorizing the trail and sniffing our food. Otherwise, trail good condition, a few slippery patches of crunchy ice, and 2 fallen trees you have to go around. the view point had some ice and snow, a bit windy in the exposed areas, but nice and warm on the fallen log to eat lunch. headed turned back at noon, and in the car by 1pm, just in time for the rain to start.
Reviewed by Atlas duo on 10/23/2009 parked in the dirt lot up the S Ridge trail, had (free) wilderness permit from ranger station in town, and adventure parking decal on the car. trail well maintained. Lookout tower manned by a very nice old retired couple. Views of Diamond Lake, Salton Sea, Coachella valley, Mt Baldy, San Gab mtns, San Jacinto mtns, Saddleback mountain. Breezy and cool at the summit, lunch with a few curious bees and wasps. Left summit at 1:30PM at the car by 3PM, a bit hot on the downhill.
Reviewed by Real Mileage-2 on 8/15/2009 Clarification: Those GPS readings are for the trail length 4.4, 4.1, 4.7 miles, and USGS 4.0 miles. So if you plan to return to your car, then X 2. You are looking at about 8 miles. 4 hours up, and 1.5 hours down. Plan on having lunch at the tower.
Reviewed by Real Mileage on 8/15/2009 Allen Riedel is a great adventurer (love his book on hiking with dogs) but he often under-estimated the distance and time, implying his lightning speed and your poor performance. I took various GPS reading under various GPS configurations and came up with the following distances: 4.4, 4.1, 4.7 miles. all depends on how often the GPS takes a reading, every 1 or 3 or 10 miles. The USGS (reliable source) has it for 4 miles. that's ONE way. If you are carrying a heavy load and take photo breaks, you can estimate 1 MPH uphill, and 3 MPH downhill. 
Reviewed by Brian on 6/15/2009 Great time with my dog Buzz! Although, I think I'll carry his water in my pack next time. He was wearing his water in a dogpack and it was a little much for him. With our breaks,amazing scenery and rests (long one at the top), it took us just under 4 hours up and back.
Reviewed by JR on 5/21/2009 My family and I hiked this on 5/17/09, it was a great afternoon hike. We left the trail head at around 11:45 and were at the peak by about 2:15, the views along the way were absolutely beautiful and you have to hop thru window rock and check out the view on the otherside. We will be doing it again this weekend with some friends, this time though we are going to come down Devils Slide and then pick up Ernie Maxwell to bring us back. I'll let you know how it goes... :)
Reviewed by AC on 4/14/2009 We hiked it on 4/12/09. It snowed the evening before so it was muddy and we had to park and walk up the road. It was a little confusing as they are clearing some area's so when it says follow the road til the end, what they mean is, follow the road til you come to a fork and stay on the road to your left. Then it ends and you will see the signs. Also with some snow still on the trail it was a little confusing but we were able to manage. Beautiful views all through the hike and will do it again later on in the year.
Reviewed by David on 4/6/2009 Enjoyed a hike this weekend. Less snow than what was there last weekend. No real concerns. Great views. Have fun and bring lots of water. 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||