Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. By 1st February there was a somewhat meandering snowshoe track from Round Valley (and presumably Long Valley) up to San Jacinto Peak, ultimately using the East Ridge route from near Miller Peak, that generally followed lower angle terrain and avoided the traversing slopes of the Peak Trail. Such warm conditions will soon be a distant memory. Self-issue permits aren't always available - they oftentimes run out, or get stolen. On multiple recent ascents of San Jacinto Peak I have generally ascended and descended via the east side (Devils Slide, Wellman, Peak, and East Ridge routes). Conditions immediately following last weeks snow storm, the second significant Pacific system of winter 2022/23, that impacted the San Jacinto mountains on 11th-12th December were summarized in the previous Report (available here). At the Peak on Wednesday 18th January 2023 at 1115 the air temperature was 16.8F (-8C), with a windchill temperature of -3.6F (-20C), 27% relative humidity, and a frigid NNW wind sustained at 10 mph gusting to 25.8 mph. Only 2.5 inches of snow fell at San Jacinto Peak (10,810ft) decreasing to 0.25 inch in upper Fern Valley (at approximately 6000 ft). The upper end of this trail offers outstanding views of Yucaipa Ridge and Galena Peak, as well as sweeping . It turned to occasional light snow at about 1500, but less than 0.5 inch has accumulated so far (at 5550 ft).
There are layers of hard ice and firm icy snow beneath the fresh powder, and crampons are ideal at present everywhere above 9000 ft, lower in places. Of those, 27 are in the 0.6 mile section between Willow Creek crossing and the State Park boundary. and here's the map showing the closed area ::
Every year seems to have its unique challenges, and clearly 2023 will be no exception. The Wellman Trail from Annies Junction to Wellman Divide has about 20% icy snow cover. 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. Although the snow is not currently particularly deep (10-12 inches) it is heavily drifted and has an ice layer underneath the fresh powder. For example, although Long Valley currently has about 5 feet of snow, publicly available records for the 1970s show that Long Valley averaged 119 inches (almost 10 feet!) 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. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. (21 ), Google Search for 'San Gorgonio Wilderness', http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/ap/, Bear Flat, C2C, Vivian Creek: SoCal Triple Crown, The Hard Way, A Sleepless Winter Night On Top San Gorgonio, Southern California County Highpoints Tour, Cactus to Clouds, 9 Peak Traverse, and Baldy for the SoCal Triple Crown, Ascent of San Gorgonio - snowboarding down, My Personal "San Bernardino Mtns Trail Marathon", Spring Ascent of San Gorgonio's North Face. In Palm Springs, artist Lauren Bon displays The Smallest Sea with the Largest Heart. According to "tarol" Adventure Passes are now required at only the Vivian, Momyer, and South Fork Trailheads - the other SG Wilderness Trailheads are free. 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. This trail has had limited hiker traffic since November 2018, largely because Dark Canyon Road has only been open for a few months since February 2019. Mountain Conditions. Conversely in places scouring by the wind means the depths can be well below the average. My tracks from Wednesday were still largely visible and helped a little with traction. They are not however required, depending upon your comfort level hiking on shallow variable snow, potentially mixed with slushy and icy patches. San Bernardino National Forest including the San Jacinto Ranger District is closed until at least 16 March 2023. Temperatures will be below freezing (max 28F on Mon night, min 25F on Wed morning). About 6-10 inches of snow are forecast for the high country on Saturday 14th, with 1-2 inches possible at the elevation of Idyllwild (preceded by 1-2 inches of rain). Palm Springs Desert Sun. Altitudes are approximate. The lower half of the trail in particular is very icy. Spikes are recommended. They will be especially valuable on well-consolidated tracks over the coming days and weeks before they clear of snow (e.g., Devils Slide, Ernie Maxwell, Deer Springs trails, at least), on colder mornings when conditions are icy, and for descending. Later that morning at San Jacinto Peak, I measured a windchill temperature of -26.3F (-32C), the fourth lowest temperature I have ever recorded there. Snow cover is shallow up to about 7000 ft, but relatively heavy above 8000 ft. Melting on sun-exposed slopes is already well underway, e.g., on lower Devils Slide Trail, South Ridge and Deer Springs trails. San Gorgonio Mountain (5.8km) Lake Peak (6.7km) Jepson Peak (7.3km) Charlton Peak (7.3km) . UPDATE Thursday 15th December 2022: Early this morning I hiked to San Jacinto Peak from Humber via Devils Slide, Wellman and Peak trails. Two and three-tenths miles further is High Creek Camp (water available - 9,200'). With some melting already underway and compaction caused by freeze-thaw cycles and hiker traffic, conditions will deteriorate for snowshoeing over the next few days, especially on more heavily traveled trails below 9000ft. Early on Monday 23rd January I ascended San Jacinto Peak via the east side (Devils Slide, Wellman, and Peak trails) that I had broken last Wednesday 18th, and descended the west side via (more-or-less) Deer Springs Trail. 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). 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. When plowed Humber will remain very icy for the next few days at least. Above seasonal temperatures will continue until Sunday 27th November. As of this morning, I saw no other broken tracks on the high country trail system. Willow Creek Trail remains a relatively slow, messy hike for a couple of miles. The second week of January is expected to be relatively warm and sunny, so extensive melting will start, especially at mid elevations. Mt. Additional moderate snowfall is tentatively forecast for 28th February-1st March. Above Little Round Valley there are multiple tracks through the snow ascending toward San Jacinto Peak, none of which entirely accurately follow the established trail. If you have general comments or questions, they can be submitted via our Contacts page. 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. The shortest way to the summit, and the most popular, is the Vivian Creek Trail. Note that average depth is given; due to strong winds accompanying the storm there is extensive drifting, often particularly accumulating in the trails. I kept those on for the rest of the ascent, and almost all of the descent, finally removing them most of the way down Devils Slide Trail. Hikers who have an ice axe (and know how to use it) may find it useful in places on this short section of trail. Snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. SNOW DEPTHS measured on 12th November 2022 are as follows (measured on 15th for Deer Springs Trail locations). 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. While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to cover costs. The high winds forecast did not materialize, although gusts up to 35 mph have been enough to cause very heavy drifting. The snowfall of this 20th storm of the winter brings the seasonal total here to 71.8 inches of snow, which is 233% of the average water year snowfall for Idyllwild. Deer Springs Trail [updated 15th December] now has an accurate snowshoe 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 the afternoon of 15th. South Ridge Road (5S11), Dark Canyon Road (4S02, the access to Seven Pines Trail), and Santa Rosa Truck Trail (7S02) are currently closed to vehicle traffic, as is Black Mountain Road at the gate 1.7 miles up from Highway 243. In Idyllwild (at 5550 ft) it started raining at 1100, where it has been relatively slow to accumulate so far, with 0.4 inch by 1500. While the shallow icy snow should melt steadily over the next few days, 4WD/AWD vehicles are recommended. 2-3 inches on 9th), Saddle Junction/approx. Thanks. Below is an excellent videograb of an avalanche in the Snow Creek drainage on the north face of San Jacinto Peak that was witnessed by friend of the Trail Report Catherine Peterson yesterday morning at about 0840. connected to the .gov website. Altitudes are approximate. IMPORTANT UPDATE Friday 13th January: back-to-back Pacific storm systems are forecast to impact the San Jacinto mountains this weekend, the first on Saturday 14th, immediately followed by another Sunday 15th-Monday 16th January. 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. After we took the Dry Lake trail for about a 1/4 of a mile, we split from the main trail and took the main winter route. Spikes are currently usefulthroughout the trail system above about 6000 ft, possibly lower in places on cold (icy) mornings. Trailhead directions: The trailhead is located on Jenks Lake Road, 2.5 miles from Highway 38. The high-pressure, bright, sunny weather system in recent weeks has created icy conditions with no snow covering it." With storms accompanied by strong west winds, the slopes above about 9500 ft on the east flanks of San Jacinto and Jean peaks may develop a snow structure with minor to moderate avalanche risk by the weekend of 25th-26th (as last seen on these slopes in early 2017). 71729 San Gorgonio Road, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 is a single family listed active at $939,000. Amounts listed may There is considerable uncertainty regarding timing and precipitation amounts for Southern California. The flow of atmospheric river storm systems continues unabated across California. On Thursday 15th I ascended San Jacinto Peak via the east side (Devils Slide, Wellman, and Peak trails) and descended the west side via Deer Springs Trail, while on Monday 19th we hiked to the Peak up and down the east side trails. There was thin patchy snow at the trailhead (4900 ft) and then it was largely continuous above 5800 ft. Photos (5,382) Directions. DM, The correction has been changed. Snowshoes are not advisable due to the angle of the icy snow. Estimated Distance: 17 miles. This rain produces huge masses of ice in the trees, including many chunks I have estimated as weighing 40-100 lb this winter, which can dislodge dramatically once direct sunlight warms the trees. Through and below Little Round Valley, my track almost entirely follows the established trail. Please report trail conditions. Snowshoes are recommended everywhere with snow above 4000 ft, potentially lower in places, and spikes are invaluable anywhere that has been cleared or compacted. South Ridge Road (5S11) remains closed to vehicle traffic. The table also shows that with another few inches, this could be the biggest snow season since the 1940s! Conversely in places scouring by the wind means the depths are well below the average. So rather than being a once-in-a-generation event, this may prove to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for most Idyllwild residents. San Gorgonio Wilderness Association; Google Search for 'San Gorgonio Wilderness' Lots of useful links. Note that snow depth itself is rarely indicative of the difficulty (or otherwise) of hiking a particular track or trail. The State Park wilderness was also closed a couple of days ago (see earlier Trail Report or State Park website). Snowshoes are useful in lower angle terrain with adequate snow depth above about 8000 ft, for example the Tahquitz area meadows near Saddle Junction, sections of Deer Springs Trail, and Long Valley/Round Valley. All trails above about 6500 ft are currently lightly, or above 8000 ft moderately, snow-covered. At the Peak on Thursday 17th November 2022 at 0825 the air temperature was 36.3F (2C), with a windchill temperature of 29.5F (-1C), 10% relative humidity, and a cool NW breeze sustained at 3 mph gusting to 6.3 mph. Seven Pines Trail has no sign of any hiker traffic since the snow on 12th. Spikes are recommended at least for descending, and will become increasingly important with increasing compaction and freeze/thaw cycles. Give yourself plenty of time if taking this route as the snow adds much effort. The USFS gate at Humber Park remains closed. These icy slopes are notoriously treacherous. Drive northeast for about 14 miles to the intersection with Valley of the Falls Road. The State Park cut about a dozen trees on the section of trail under their jurisdiction in late July. This trail will become significantly more treacherous as it undergoes freeze/thaw cycles and compaction over the next week or two. Map Information. Time of day, temperature, and sun exposure all have significant impacts on the nature of the snow, in turn changing the conditions underfoot, and hence both the hiking difficulty and the preferred traction device (if any). The Peak Trail still has about 90% cover of icy snow to San Jacinto Peak. Two moderate snow storms in the next ten days or so are expected to have a major combined impact on the San Jacinto mountains. All trails above about 5500 ft are currently snow-covered. Ernie Maxwell Trail [checked 2nd February] has a heavily traveled track to follow along its entire length, through the increasingly patchy icy snow. Hikers should be prepared for temperatures below freezing in the high country, and generally far freezing when considering wind chill effects. Thank you so much for your support. The total snow accumulation was ultimately very close to that forecast in the days immediately prior to the storm. All trails above about 5000 ft are currently lightly (or above 8000 ft, moderately) snow-covered. As discussed above, multiple additional snowfalls forecast for 14th-18th January will further complicate the trail conditions. The Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail is largely clear of icy snow, with a few patches remaining, mostly close to Humber Park. While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to cover costs. 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. Hikers who have an ice axe (and know how to use it) may find it useful in places on this short section of trail. It does not accurately follow the established trail route in significant sections but is navigable. San . The Trail Report has adopted Seven Pines Trail as a priority for maintenance work as the trail has had a disproportionate number of lost hiker rescues in the past decade.