Mark, no way to string these two together into an overnight. Technically the Pacific Crest Trail travels near both of these peaks, but it’s much more than a simple overnight, as the two peaks are actually a long way apart.

I’ll be hiking them back-to-back in a couple weeks. I’m hiking San Jacinto, then driving to a campsite near Big Bear, then hiking San Bernardino and San Gorgonio. Those two peaks (Bernardino and Gorgonio) CAN be strung together in an overnight trip.

Thanks very much if you have ideas!

Best,

Mark

Hi John! Watch the weather reports — snow can occur in late October or early November. Also, check with the ranger station in Idylwild to make sure the road to the trailhead is still open. There is a gate that gets closed when the road becomes treacherous (i.e. snow).

With that out of the way… GENERALLY you should be fine the first week of November. If for some reason, the road to the Marion Mountain trailhead is closed, you could also hike San Jacinto from Palm Springs via the tram. It’s about a 12 mile hike from the tram, and because you start higher, there is less vertical gain, but it’s still an awesome hike.

As far as your fear of heights goes, there is some boulder scrambling to the summit. There’s no precipitous drop-off, but something that you’ll probably want to take your time on.

Thanks for this report and the web page in general. I have 2 questions you might be able to help with. How are the conditions on the trail the first week in November typically? I’m from the East coast so I’m not familiar with the climate at that elevation. Also, is there significant exposure on this trail? I begrudgingly had to rule out the Devil’s Backbone & Mt Baldy because a greater than average fear of heights so I’m hoping this beautiful hike isn’t ruled out as well.

Thanks!
John

Hey Shark! I like the Tom Harrison maps. They are water-resistant, durable and include junction-to-junction mileage. Here’s a link to the one for the Mount San Jacinto area.

You usually recommend a map to purchase that covers the trail, at least in the Six Pack guides. Is there a certain map you would recommend for San Jacinto? I’m planning on hiking this in about a month.

Thanks!

-Joe

Thank you for any tip you could share!
Thom

It was hard is some places. Lots of rocks. Makes the descend really slow.

Thanks and let the hiking gods be with you.

http://www.cattywampur.com/2016/05/08/san-jacinto-deer-spring-trail/

This is such a great thread.
Hector, how was it?
I am just a kid from warm Texas so I don’t own any of the gear I think I would need. i really want to do it thought. if you know of any places for equipment rental.
If that does not work then I would be happy with a Mountain Bike trail too if anyone knows of anything. Thanks again.
Blaine

Good point! The 243 is generally open (barring recent snow), but I’m not sure about Marion Mtn. Road. You could potentially hike in from the 243.

I would give the Idyllwild Ranger Station a call to confirm. Their number is (909) 382-2921. They are closed today for the President’s Day holiday. Let us know what you discover.

It’s likely open, but icy. I chatted with a guy who went up the other side a couple weeks ago and he said there were light patches of snow, but it was very icy.

So you may want to bring some traction devices and trekking poles for sure.

I would also give the ranger station a call first. They usually have a pretty good idea of conditions. Note that they almost always try to talk people out of going in less than ideal conditions.

Blaine, thanks for stopping by and commenting!

March is often very snowy and would normally require snowshoes, crampons, or other specialized gear. Last year I went snowshoeing up at San Jacinto (not to the summit). I’m hoping to go again this year to the summit, and hopefully IN snow.

Of course, so far this year we’ve had very little precipitation, so it may not be a “typical” year.

I would suggest calling the ranger station for the latest conditions.

I really enjoyed reading this post. I am contemplating doing this hike on the first weekend of March. Would this be too early in the year to attempt? I am not sure what the snow levels are like. Thank you for any information.

I would check with the ranger station. You’re referring to Round Valley, not Little Round Valley, right? If so, the last time I camped in Round Valley, there was actually a faucet for water. The rangers can confirm.

Round Valley is on east side of San Jacinto, closer to the tram, and also tends to have a little more water than Little Round Valley on the west side.

As for toilets, there may be some chemical toilets, either porta-potty style or something a little more permanent, but most of them are pretty nasty. You’d be smart to bring a trowel, find a secluded spot, and dig a hole at least 6 inches deep to bury your poop.

That is good to know, Jean-Guille. Thanks for the update!

Jeff,

Thank you for the info; we backpacked the route and it was great. For anyone rolling up in the near future, in between the Seven Pines Trail junction and Little Round Valley, there were no fewer than five water sources, in the form of springs, flowing nicely. I did not expect you to have that current level of info, but I did expect that the rangers would. No biggie, we packed in what we needed, but just sayin’…

Thanks again,

J-G

J-G, at this time of the year, I would agree with the ranger. The seasonal creeks run in the spring or after rain. This time of year they would be mostly dry.

There may be some water trickling through Little Round Valley, but to be safe, I wouldn’t count on it.

On the flip side, there is usually some bottles of water in the hut near the top of San Jacinto. Again, probably not wise to count on that, but good to know in case of emergency.

Have a great hike! Let me know how it goes.

I am planning to summit via this route next week, and while I don’t expect you to have current conditions, I was wondering about water sources. The gal at the ranger station seemed a bit confused when I asked, and said I needed to pack all my water in (saying Round Valley was the only reliable water source on the mountain), but the maps and your trail report show seasonal creeks. Any idea if those would be flowing this time of year, or if there is another reliable source of water along this route?

Thanks for any info you might have…

J-G

Wow. That sounds amazing! I’m definitely going to be checking out Banner on my TOPO’s when I get home tonight! Hope you have a blast on the JMT! Can’t wait to hear all about it! I’d like to do that trail myself someday.

I would agree… San Jacinto is my favorite of the SoCal peaks. It has the sub-alpine meadows, forest, great views, and “feels” more like a summit at the top than most of the others. A great way to spend the day.

In spite of the impression you might get from my most recent trail guides, I’m not primarily a peak bagger. But I have bagged a few, and my all-time favorite was Banner Peak in the Minarets, above Thousand Island Lake. I hiked around the “back” side (west face), up a glacier, along a precarious ridge to the final boulder scramble to the top. Sitting at the edge my feet dangling thousands of feet above the lake was an amazing experience.

We’ll be camping at Thousand Island Lake in a couple weeks as part of our thru-hike of the John Muir Trail. We won’t have time for a side trip to Banner Peak, but someday I’d like to go back, and maybe climb it’s twin Mt. Ritter as well.

San Jacinto ranks near the top of my list of favorite peaks. What would you say are your top favorites?

Thanks, Glenn! I’ve only done this via the tram as well (until this hike). It was a good hike though, and cheaper than the tram, too!

San G was great: https://socalhiker.net//2010/07/san-gorgonio-via-vivian-creek/

Doing San G? It’s been *years* since I was last up there. Have fun!

Yes, the sign looked very new. Didn’t find (or even look for) the summit log! Somehow that slipped my mind.

San G will be fun… looking forward to a good night’s sleep tonight in preparation for a LONG day tomorrow.

I never saw a chemical toilet at LRV, it must be new!

Good show. Good luck on San G.

Thanks, Tim! Next one this Saturday is San Gorgonio — the biggest yet — with over 5,000 vertical feet gained. Then we settle into maintenance mode as we finish packing food and other last minute details for the JMT. 26 days and counting…