They are not currently recommended for moderate angle slopes above 9000 ft that have challenging ice underlying shallow powder. Seven Pines Trail has one set of hiker tracks through the snow since the storm in early November 2022.
Cactus to Clouds (C2C) - Modern Hiker Forest Service campgrounds at Boulder Basin, Marion Mountain, and Fern Basin are now closed for the season. Currently spikes at a minimum, and ideally crampons, with an ice axe (and knowledge of how to use it), are strongly recommended. My posthole/glissading track between LRV and San Jacinto Peak is very direct and steep, and of limited help to an ascending hiker. contact San Bernardino National Forest, San Gorgonio Ranger District, 34701 Mill Creek Rd., Mentone, CA 92359 909-382-2882 or fax (909) 794-1125. Spikes are not required. The State Park wilderness was also closed a couple of days ago (see earlier Trail Report or State Park website). When you apply for a permit, youll get a link to forms where you can report water info, hazards, and any other info including lost or found items. This trail will become significantly more treacherous as it is expected to add freezing rain and/or layers of snow and ice over the next ten days. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. The freeze level will again start very high, but is forecast to fall lower, with the possibility of a light dusting of snow down to about 5500 ft. Another inch of rain is forecast for mid elevations, but a heavier snowfall is expected in the high country, with predictions ranging from 8-20 inches above 10,000 ft. Further precipitation is tentatively forecast for 3rd-6th January, but amounts, timing, and freeze levels remain uncertain this far ahead. Sadly at first light the precipitation turned to drizzle at all elevations on the western slope between (at least) Idyllwild and 8100 ft at Saddle Junction, and consequently the snow quality was deteriorating fast at mid elevations this morning. Spikes are not required. Devils Slide Trail has a relatively well-traveled and compacted track to Saddle Junction in place already. Details of snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. Remarkably Tropical Storm Kay did not add any new treefall hazards to this trail. I switched to crampons and then finished breaking the Peak Trail through to near Miller Peak (photo below). While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to cover costs. Spikes are currently usefulthroughout the trail system above about 6000 ft, potentially lower in places. Ironically the closure is due to unprecedented snow fall, although such snow fall was average prior to this century, and would have even been below average in the 1970s. Steady melting of snow, especially on sun-exposed slopes, and freeze-thaw cycles will combine to change trail conditions and potentially the preferred equipment for the terrain. Currently, and as conditions change, spikes are strongly recommended for the foreseeable future everywhere above about 7000 ft. Although the high country currently has its deepest snow accumulation in almost four years, since March 2019, this winter nevertheless remains well below the average for snowfall in the San Jacinto mountains to late January. The USFS gate at Humber Park remains closed. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock
Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. Altitudes are approximate. Although the flakes are small, it has been steadily accumulating at an inch per hour, with about six inches fresh powder so far today, for a Peak area total of about 30 inches. This morning I broke South Ridge Trail to Tahquitz Peak. Trip Report By. The track on Deer Springs Trail largely follows the existing trail route up to Little Round Valley. The high country added only another couple of inches of snow overnight. South Ridge Road (5S11) remains closed to vehicle traffic. My tracks from Wednesday 11th January from Humber Park to San Jacinto Peak and down Deer Springs Trail will be largely visible but may be somewhat obscured in places. The freeze level has remained around 7500 ft for most of today, but is forecast to drop overnight closer to 6000 ft. This morning Anabel and I broke trail up Devils Slide Trail to Saddle Junction. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Free shipping for many products! Also, they don't necessarily share the same parent. Seven Pines Trail has not been traveled since the storm in mid December, at least not in its uppermost section, and there is no track to follow through the snow. Temperatures will be below freezing (max 28F on Mon night, min 25F on Wed morning).
Rare avalanche spotted on Mount San Jacinto above Coachella Valley May 20th is the Erie Zoo Earth Day Celebration and they've invited the Girl Scouts to the party. Section C/D: The Ernie Maxwell Trail is clear of snow. This storm is expected to have two periods of precipitation, one each on 11th and 12th. Forecasts range widely from 6-22 inches of snow for the highest elevations across multiple days, with a mix of rain and several inches of snow at mid elevations. PM me if you are interested. A well-traveled snowshoe track is in place up to Strawberry Junction. Hikers should be prepared for temperatures below freezing in the high country, and far below freezing when considering wind chill effects (see below for my recent weather observations from San Jacinto Peak). 2 night trip SB Peak Trail to Limber Pine, Trail Fork Springs and back. In general most hikers will likely prefer to use spikes at least for descending down to about 10,000 ft (or lower). Time: ~10 hours. Thursday 5th January saw the fifth storm in the past ten days in the San Jacinto mountains. Trail Conditions. An official website of the
18632 Deer Trail Road, Banning, CA 92220 Property Records Even when the gate is closed there are nine legal parking spaces below the locked gate (which still require an Adventure Pass or equivalent to be displayed). There are no significant changes to snow/ice conditions, and advice below basically spikes recommended throughout the high country remains valid. The week from 21st-26th December may be among the warmest on record for the year-end holiday period. Details of snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. Although excellent tracks are now in place for almost all major trails cautious navigation remains recommended. Spitler Peak Trail has a very visible boot track through light snow to the PCT. but her friend Joyce Schwartz took some short videos from which this still image is taken. Camping Shade Solitude Views / Vista. PCT Mile 179.9 (8070 ft): 0-1 inch (4 inches on 12th December), Devils Slide trailhead at Humber Park (6550 ft): 0 inch (3.5 inches on 12th December). Note that near its junction with Deer Springs Trail, the route was not close to the established trail, so cautious navigation may be needed. Section B. Warner Springs to I-10/San Gorgonio Pass. The first number is the current average total snow depth at that location, followed in parentheses by the depth of fresh snow added by the latest storm on Tuesday 10th. Note that tracks are being obscured very quickly by drifting of snow from strong winds, sometimes in hours or even minutes (see photo below). At the Peak on Thursday 15th December 2022 at 0715 the air temperature was 28.0F (-2C), with a windchill temperature of 13.9F (-10C), 52% relative humidity, and a chilly WNW wind sustained at 9 mph gusting to 14.5 mph. We removed nine treefall hazards on 18th November and the trail is now completely clear again, bringing to 56 the number of trees we have removed from this trail since mid 2021. On 15th I barebooted (i.e. Deer Springs Trail [updated 22nd December] has an accurate track to follow all the way to San Jacinto Peak as I broke trail the entire way down to the Suicide Rock Trail junction on 15th December. For example, the It warmed last night to just above freezing below 6000 ft, with a mixture of rain and sleet falling on top of the prior snow, turning it increasingly to wet slush at mid elevations (we measured about 0.25 inch rain in Idyllwild). I barebooted to Saddle, and then snowshoed back down to help consolidate the track. Such unseasonably warm temperatures led to rapid snow melt everywhere, despite the low sun angle at this time of year, while in many areas freeze/thaw cycles have resulted in icy trails and roads especially in the early mornings. Snow depths are currently suitable for snowshoeing above about 9000 ft, potentially lower in places. It is especially obscure 0.1-0.3 mile east of the Willow Creek crossing, becoming more obvious near Caramba. Long Valley (8600 ft) looks to have added about 12 inches since last night. A major warming trend will significantly change conditions on the trail system in the next week or two. On my hike up to San Jacinto Peak it started snowing gently at 1025 in the high country. The next comprehensive update of the Report will likely be in the evening of Wednesday 11th.
March | 2023 | San Gorgonio Wilderness Association The storm started relatively mild, as might be expected from an atmospheric river system pulling moisture in from warmer latitudes, and as a result the freeze level was above 6500 ft for most of the storm, with rain as high as 9000 ft, before finally falling to about 5000 ft on the afternoon of Sunday 1st. This started as low as Devils Slide Trail and continued all morning. Altitudes are approximate. After a relatively benign day, it started snowing gently at 1340, and has become steady with large wet flakes in the past hour or so. The system averaged colder than the November storm, with more snow at lower elevations, although it was still notable that it initially rained as high as 9500 ft on the morning of Sunday 11th. Please check this page for periodic updates (the most recent is at the top). However, snowshoes will become increasingly useful as snow depths increase over the coming days; they may initially be useful as low as 4000 ft, steadily rising to 5000-6000 ft next week. On 23rd January I saw posthole tracks from Saddle Junction that head down the start of the Caramba Trail, the start of Willow Creek Trail, and following the PCT southbound toward Chinquapin Flat, but I have no further details at this time. Sadly this phenomenon has become much more of a factor in recent years with freezing rainfall (rather than snow) occurring at higher elevations at higher frequency with much warmer weather systems. However the combined effect of the two minor storms, in combination with wild gusty winds pushing spindrift snow all over the high country, had completely erased the few tracks that were in place by the morning of Wednesday 15th. At about 10K feet we began seeing our fist snow obstructing the trail. Snow from the moderate storm on 8th-9th November (summarized in a prior Report) has been melting steadily as temperatures in the past week have been above seasonal. Hard to believe being so close to the Los Angeles/Southern California area.Regarding San Gorgonio's elevation:In keeping with the standard (USGS) for determining US elevations, I have posted the height at 11,490 feet. Spikes are generally not required for ascending, but most hikers find them useful at least for descending. San Jacinto Peak (10810 ft): 6 inches (was 12 inches on 9th), Little Round Valley (9800 ft): 5-6 inches (was approx. I put on my Kahtoola microspikes to descend from the Peak, ultimately leaving them on most of the way down Devils Slide Trail. Dark Canyon Road (4S02, the access to Seven Pines Trail) and Santa Rosa Truck Trail (7S02) closed to vehicle traffic for the season on 7th November 2022. On my ascent I put crampons on at Wellmans Cienega (9300 ft) and they were more-or-less essential for traversing the icy slopes of the Peak Trail. Seven Pines Trail has one set of hiker tracks through the snow since the storm in early November 2022. At least two further minor storm systems are forecast, overnight into Tuesday 3rd January, and then again all day on Thursday 5th January, as described in more detail in the Weather section below. Snow cover is continuous from there, with a posthole track to Tahquitz Peak. By dusk today it had rained 0.68 inch in Idyllwild, and Long Valley had 1.5 inches of fresh snowfall. Even when the gate is closed there are nine legal parking spaces below the locked gate (which still require an Adventure Pass or equivalent to be displayed). UPDATE Sunday 1st January 2023: A moderate overnight storm produced 1.53 inches of rain in Idyllwild (at 5550ft). It turned to occasional light snow showers at about 1430, with just 0.5 inch settled so far. South Fork camps such as Dry and Dollar Lakes are also filling several weeks in advance.If you want to hike during the week, you have a better chance of getting a permit.Self-issue permits aren't always available - they oftentimes run out, or get stolen. Devils Slide Trail is functionally clear of icy snow to about 7700 ft (about 1.7 miles up) although some dirty icy patches remain below that. MLS# EV23025164.
San Gorgonio Mountain - Social Hiker Many hikers may find spikes are already useful, and will become increasingly so during and after this weekend with melting and compaction. website belongs to an official government organization in the
In the week since the last storm we have surveyed trails around Tahquitz Peak twice, plus South Ridge, Spitler Peak, and Marion Mountain trails, among others. However the remaining snow patches are icy in the morning. All trails above about 5000 ft are currently snow-covered. The lower half of the trail in particular is very icy. As always after storms in the San Jacinto range be aware of considerable ice fall from overhead trees. At the Peak on Thursday 29th December 2022 at 0910 the air temperature was 25.8F (-3C), with a windchill temperature of 7.2F (-14C), 81% relative humidity, and a harsh WNW wind sustained at 12 mph gusting to 25.4 mph. This will make trail conditions more complicated, and if in any doubt whatsoever carry and use traction devices accordingly (see discussion in introduction above). San Gorgonio, also known as "Old Greyback", is the highest mountain in Southern California. The snow pack was hard enough to walk on top in some places but we did experience many holes. "He usually goes with his girlfriend or a buddy," said Hendley, who lives across the street from Kumm.
Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal are all options. The 0.4 mile section of South Ridge Trail between Chinquapin Flat/PCT and Tahquitz Peak [checked 9th January] has no steps to follow through the steeply angled icy snow.
#32 | Salsa Dancing Up Half Dome, Redemption on San Gorgonio - Vurbl By the afternoon of 15th, melting was already underway below 7000 ft. My Time: 9 hours 17 minutes (moving), 11 hours 37 minutes total. Of course, this February was notable in that roughly 80% of the total fell all in the last week of the month, with no respite for significant melting. The holiday weekend had temperatures far above seasonal until Tuesday 27th. Trail Conditions. Momyer and Falls Creek current trail conditions? Complete list of supporters, I-10/San Gorgonio Pass to I-15/Cajon Pass, Hwy-14/Agua Dulce to Hwy-58/Mojave-Tehachapi, Hwy-58/Mojave-Tehachapi to Hwy-178/Walker Pass, Hwy-138/Mt. Obviously these depths are expected to change dramatically over the next few days. Although good tracks are now in place for most major trails (details below), cautious navigation is recommended everywhere. It is starting to turn to light sleet now as temperatures drop to near freezing. On the south east side of the 15. Suitable waterproof footwear is strongly recommended. As described above, crampons (always in conjunction with an ice axe) are currently recommended on certain moderate and higher angle slopes, at a minimum on the Peak Trail above Wellman Divide, and uppermost South Ridge Trail, especially on the north face of Tahquitz Peak. The permits can be obtained at the Ranger Station in Mentone, 34701 Mill Creek Rd. Approximately 200-250 people will be running on the Pacific Crest Trail south of Lake Hughes in Angeles National Forest on April 22, 2023. These mileages were all recently revised by the USFS and SGWA:
Estimated Time: 9-12 hours. The USFS gate at Humber Park remains closed. Spikes are currently usefulthroughout the trail system above about 7000 ft, possibly lower in places on cold (icy) mornings. Although not essential, spikes are recommended and many hikers will find them useful especially for descending.
San Bernardino National Forest - Vivian Creek Trail 1E08 (800) 735-2922 (TDD/TTY), Offices may be closed on select federal holidays, https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/sbnf/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=74247&actid=51. With compaction of the trails in the second week of January, snowshoes may steadily become less useful, however they will remain valuable for off-trail travel in the high country for the foreseeable future. Note that averages are given; due to strong winds and considerable powder there is extreme drifting. If there are Road Closed signs further down as was often the case last winter at weekends and holidays then those nine spaces are also unavailable for legal parking. So we recommend getting your permit in advance! Devils Slide Trail is almost clear of icy snow to about 7700 ft although some extended dirty icy patches remain below that. UPDATE Thursday 29th December: I have uploaded a video from my hike to San Jacinto Peak this morning (available here on YouTube) where I enjoyed a minor snow storm. The next, much more substantial, wave of snow arrives later this afternoon. The 0.4 mile section of South Ridge Trail between Chinquapin Flat/PCT and Tahquitz Peak has a well-traveled and level track to follow through the slowly melting inch of patchy icy snow (photo below from 30th). Authorities urged all hikers to travel with a companion, tell a friend or family member of their exact hiking path, stick to it if at all possible, know the weather forecast, dress warmly and understand that there are many mountainous pockets where cellphones don't work. . Here's the closure order: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/4302/25275/
This is the third time this century that Idyllwild has surpassed 60 inches of snow in a winter (62.8 inches in 2000/01, and 62.4 inches in 2010/11), so 60+ inch winters might be considered to occur roughly once every decade. Spikes can be useful for descending in particular. The Wellman Trail from Annies Junction to Wellman Divide has about 40% icy snow cover. Because of the 18K+ acre Lake Fire (which is still burning as of 6/24/15), a large section of the San Gorgonio Wilderness including all trails to the summit of San Gorgonio Mountain will be CLOSED until October 1, 2015
Easily the most popular San Gorgonio hike route, the Vivian Creek Trail is an iconic adventure up to the highest point in SoCal, at 11,503 feet. Dark Canyon Road (4S02, the access to Seven Pines Trail) and Santa Rosa Truck Trail (7S02) closed to vehicle traffic for the season on 7th November 2022. Trail Details. (909) 382-2682 (Voice)
There is a lightly traveled compacted snowshoe track on the East Ridge between Miller Peak and San Jacinto Peak but it does not accurately follow the route of the East Ridge Trail. Pack your camera and your taste buds for this delicious adventure to see the sights and explore the food of Southern Italy! SNOW DEPTHS measured on 19th December (east side) or 15th December (west side) 2022 are as follows. This is a popular trail for backpacking, hiking, and running, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The finally push to the summit from Sky High trail was relatively easy. Two or more inches of rain are likely for mid elevations (e.g., Idyllwild) on 27th-30th, with several inches of snow possible above 10,000 ft elevation on various days over the next week or so. Be prepared for trails above about 7500 ft (lower in places) obscured by moderate to deep snow, and even fresh tracks being erased by spindrift snow in places.