[UPDATE 1st December 2022: the double storm system that looks likely to bring significant precipitation to northern and central California appears to be missing the San Jacinto mountains, despite optimistic forecasts over the previous week. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock Through and below Little Round Valley, my track almost entirely follows the established trail. Terms & Conditions; Advertising; ABOUT US; (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. In general most hikers will likely prefer to use spikes at least for descending down to about 10,000 ft (or lower). At San Jacinto Peak (10,810ft/3295m) 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. In Idyllwild at 5550 ft, rainfall storm total today is 1.14 inches. Be aware of your surroundings trails look different in the snow and are sometimes are hard to find. Does anybody have accurate GPS or other reading of the actual total elevation gain? However the fresh powder is very fine and drifting heavily in the strong SW wind, and I had 2-3 inches in places in the upper Peak Trail. 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 0.4 mile section of South Ridge Trail between Chinquapin Flat/PCT and Tahquitz Peak has no steps to follow through the steeply angled icy snow. Type of Hike Day hike. 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!) There is considerable uncertainty regarding timing and precipitation amounts for Southern California. Map showing recreational areas. 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). Crampons are recommended for the traversing slopes. After that you have one of the best and most encouraging views of the summit of any route. The 20th storm of winter 2022/23, the second of two storms across three days, is currently impacting the San Jacinto mountains. 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. Altitudes are approximate. Conditions remain very unsettled for the first week of January. Both Mt. There is a very well-traveled track on the lowest section of Deer Springs Trail continuing out to Suicide Rock. Those systems are summarized here: Conditions will remain very unsettled throughout the second and third weeks of January. Contact the San Bernardino National Forest, San Gorgonio Ranger District, 34701 Mill Creek Rd., Mentone, CA 92359 (909) 794-1123 or fax (909) 794-1125. "If he's not hurt, he's on the move somewhere. Multiple mild storm systems are forecast to bring extremely unsettled weather to the San Jacinto mountains starting Tuesday 27th December, lasting well into the first week of January. So don't be fooled into thinking you are going for 16 miles. Currently the snow is relatively powdery; this will steadily change over the next few days and weeks. 0:57. Still one of the most scenic trails in San Gorgonio, Now is the time to do this hike before the weather changes. Section C. I-10/San Gorgonio Pass to I-15/Cajon Pass. With such strong Santa Ana winds on Thursday 26th causing extensive drifting, and a light snowfall early on 30th, by the 30th prior tracks had been thoroughly erased and I was once again breaking trail the entire way from Humber Park to San Jacinto Peak, largely through relatively shallow powder. It turned to occasional light snow showers at about 1430, with just 0.5 inch settled so far. However the snow conditions may not be suitable for snowshoeing on certain slopes, depending on the ice conditions below the surface due to multiple freezing rain incidents this winter. Note that tracks discussed are obscured quickly by heavy drifting of snow from strong winds, sometimes in days or even hours. Forecast models have a higher degree of confidence for the Tuesday storm than the storm next weekend. Lightly cloudy conditions made for a delightful hike on the evening of Monday 21st ascending San Jacinto Peak via Marion Mountain and Deer Spring trails, descending the east side (Devils Slide, Wellman, and Peak trails). The upper end of this trail offers outstanding views of Yucaipa Ridge and Galena Peak, as well as sweeping panoramic views from the top of Mt. They are not however required, depending upon your comfort level hiking on shallow variable snow, potentially mixed with slushy and icy patches. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. 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. Trails above about 7500 ft currently remain lightly covered with patchy icy snow (more continuous above about 9000 ft). After some early sleety drizzle it has been snowing in Long Valley (8600 ft) since late morning with 0.75 inch accumulating so far. "It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed." The State Park cut about a dozen trees on the section of trail under their jurisdiction in late July. 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. At 11,503, "Old Grayback" provides an excellent high altitude training for those . An informal use trail to Laws is much more direct and avoids all of the very challenging bushwhacking of the former trails (local hikers Charles Phelan and Mark Gumprecht kindly nicknamed it the King Trail when I established the route in 2019). Snow, weather, and trail conditions for the San Jacinto mountains. Snowshoes are useful in low to moderate 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. Spikes are currently recommended throughout the trail system above about 6500 ft. The traversing slopes above Wellmans Divide (roughly 9800-10,500 ft) were extremely firm early in the morning and potentially treacherous. San Gorgonio. Melting is expected to be steady and start to accelerate into February, but freeze/thaw cycles, compaction, and refreezing overnight may ultimately combine to produce very icy conditions. High freeze levels may mean rain and/or freezing rain at the highest peaks at times, and icy or mixed snow/ice conditions at all elevations. See more of the Johns Meadow Trail clearing on volunteer John Flippins website, High Lake Photography. Spikes are not required for ascending, but some hikers will find them useful for descending. There was thin patchy snow at the trailhead (4900 ft) and then it was largely continuous above 5800 ft. February is forecast to be somewhat more settled than the very eventful January. Currently the USFS gate at Humber Park remains closed. 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. Following an unusually warm weekend, multiple atmospheric river storms will bring cold, cloudy weather with variable precipitation from Tuesday 27th December well into the first week of January. The Ernie Maxwell Trail is functionally clear of icy snow, although a few minor patches remain, especially close to Humber Park. Spikes will likely become increasingly useful over the next few days and weeks as established trails become consolidated by hiker traffic and undergo freeze-thaw cycles. . All trails above about 5500 ft are currently lightly (or above 8500 ft, moderately) snow-covered. February 2011 recorded 45.5 inches, and there were 45.5 inches in March 2006. 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. South Ridge Trail has been broken from the top of South Ridge Road to Tahquitz Peak with a simple posthole track. We are leveraging crowd-sourced info for water availability and other conditions. Nearby homes similar to 641 Avenida Vaquero have recently sold between $2,480K to $2,480K at an average of $1,060 per square foot. Vivian Creek 9.3 miles 5,422' gain The total snow accumulation was ultimately somewhat below prior forecasts, with San Jacinto Peak receiving about 9-10 inches overnight (rather than the 12-16 anticipated). Combined with a weak sun at this time of year, snow melt will generally be very slow at upper elevations, and conditions will be ideal for freeze/thaw cycles and hence icy trails. I was very happy to find no new treefall hazards down on Spitler Peak Trail. It was very disturbing to see. more We were heading NB from Horsethief Canyon to the Interstate 15. Indeed the final third of December may be one of the warmest on record for the holiday period. Cliff Weston, the San Bernardino County sheriff's search-and-rescue coordinator. By late afternoon, with the sun sinking, the search was suspended for another long, cold night. Emergency-Closure-Forest-Order-No.-05-12-00-23-02-SIGNED-1. Otherwise, reliable posthole tracks are in place from Saddle Junctions through to San Jacinto Peak via Wellman Divide, but parts will become obscured by drifting snow. Provisional forecasts suggest the later storm systems, around 25th-27th February, could produce much more significant snowfall, potentially 10-12 inches in Idyllwild and 24+ inches at the highest elevations. PCT Mile 179.9 (8070 ft): 0-1 inch (was 3 inches on 9th November), Devils Slide Trail at Humber Park (6550 ft): 0 inch (was 2.5 inches on 9th November), Idyllwild (at 5550 ft): 0 inch (was <1 inch on 9th November). U.S. Forest Service personnel were preparing similar advisories to be given to hikers who buy parking and hiking permits in the San Bernardino, Cleveland, Angeles and Los Padres national forests. Bring extra food, flashlight, and warm clothes. In 1852, the summit of the nearby10,624 - foot San Bernardino Peak provided the initial baseline and meridian from which all land surveys for Southern California originate. Your contribution helps SGWA protect the Wilderness and educate visitors! It remains well above freezing there, currently at 41F. Forecasts are currently predicting 30-50 inches of snow for the highest peaks of the San Jacinto mountains (>10,000 ft) mainly between 23rd and 25th February, and about 18-30 inches for the Idyllwild area (5000-6000 ft elevations). Note that tracks discussed can be obscured quickly by drifting of snow from strong winds, sometimes in days or even hours. The traversing slopes above Wellmans Divide were very firm and relatively tricky in snowshoes, and some hikers may prefer to use spikes (or probably crampons) plus an ice axe above about 9800 ft. As I descended past Saddle Junction I was surprised not to see any other tracks as of early afternoon on Friday 6th, which I mention only because of the lack of broken trails this indicates. It is a very popular mountain with several trails that lead to the summit. Spitler Peak Trail (surveyed 18th November) is clear of snow. My Actual Distance: 18.4 miles. I recorded a short video at the Peak, available here on YouTube. Even around the 10,000 ft peaks temperatures are expected to fluctuate either side of freezing for at least the first half of February, which will lead to freeze/thaw cycles and likely icy conditions in the mornings followed by soft, challenging snow in the afternoons. These conditions are expected to change significantly over the next ten days due to the highly unsettled weather forecast into early January. Spikes are currently recommended throughout the trail system above about 7500 ft. San Gorgonio, located in the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area. There is a decapitated boar head hanging from the fence by its teeth about half a mile south of hikertown on 1/30/23. A weather system, possibly in two waves across a broad time window between 2nd and 5th December, is currently forecast to produce light precipitation at all elevations, including a possible dusting of snow in the high country [update 1st December: no precipitation is now expected from these storms passing to the north of us]. As discussed above, additional light snowfall on 3rd and 5th January will further complicate the trail conditions. Snow cover is about 60% from Strawberry Junction north for about 1.0 mile (roughly 8500 ft), and thereafter >90% to San Jacinto Peak. Crampons (or perhaps spikes or snowshoes on some days) are recommended. This was discussed in, Minor snow storm in the early hours of Tuesday 3rd January 2023 then turned to rain all day. Conversely in places scouring by the wind means the depths are well below the average. It's 7.8 miles (Gary Suttle's book lists it as 8.4 miles) with almost 5,500 feet in elevation gain. No longer required at all the San Gorgonio Trailheads - only South Fork, Vivian, and Momyer still require it. The trail is clearest above immediately above LRV and again close to the Peak junction. The summit of San Gorgonio (11,499') is 3 miles beyond High Creek. Discover your local Girl Scout council: about Girl Scouts, what they do, what activities are available locally, and how to contact us. By my measurements, Idyllwild is up to 51 inches of snow to date for this winter, compared to the average for the thirty year period 1991-2020 of 31 inches. The fresh snow overnight could have covered any tracks or other signs of a campsite, but "if he's still moving, we'd be able to see his footprints clearly," Amrhein said. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Spikes are currently usefulthroughout the trail system above about 5000 ft, potentially lower in places. The system was generally very mild, with the freeze level near 8000 ft, but this is expected to drop overnight, by which time the precipitation will have largely passed. Snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. 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. These concerns may steadily increase over the next few weeks with rising then falling temperatures, seasonally stronger insolation, and highly variable snowmelt. The highest peaks appeared to add slightly less snow than some lower locations, probably because they were above the cloud for some of the precipitation events. SNOW DEPTHS measured on 22nd-27th December 2022 are as follows. Dogs : Yes. Mu Zhi Mountain. Also, Mill Creek RS phone number is now 909-382-2882 and they are closed Tues/Wed. At the Peak on Thursday 24th November 2022 at 0810 the air temperature was 29.0F (-2C), with a windchill temperature of 5.7F (-15C), 16% relative humidity, and a severe NNW wind sustained at 25 mph gusting to 35.1 mph. The second storm on 15th-16th is expected to be colder with a lower freeze level which may result in 1-2 inches of snow down to 5000 ft or possibly even lower. Official websites use .gov A .gov An excellent track is easy to follow to Little Round Valley. PCT Mile 179.9 (8070 ft): 8 inches (8-9 inches), Devils Slide trailhead at Humber Park (6550 ft): 4 inches (total 4 inches). There is no planned reopening date at this time. Note that average depth is given; due to strong winds accompanying storms there is extensive drifting. Snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. Eventually with compaction of the trails caused by increasing hiker traffic and freeze/thaw cycles snowshoes may steadily become less useful, however they will likely remain valuable for off-trail travel in the high country into February. You can check out the latest hike logs from San Gorgonio here. Spikes will not be required by most hikers, depending upon comfort level hiking on patchy angled icy snow. Snowshoes are not currently advisable on these slopes due to the angle of the underlying ice. The Peak Trail has about 80% cover of icy snow, largely continuous above 9900 ft. Spikes are recommended. Strong winds expected on 11th-12th, and again on 14th, will likely obscure many tracks. As always after storms in the San Jacinto range be aware of considerable ice fall from overhead trees. At the Peak on Wednesday 1st February 2023 at 0935 the air temperature was 16.6F (-8C), with a windchill temperature of -8.0F (-22C), 13% relative humidity, and a wild NNE wind sustained at 21 mph gusting to 35.2 mph. (909) 382-2682 (Voice) Average snow cover is 60%, but is nearly continuous near Humber Park. When the gate is closed there are nine legal parking spaces this side of the locked gate (which still require an Adventure Pass or equivalent to be displayed). Even Devils Slide Trail was largely obscured in deep drifted powder (photo below). Amrhein spoke at the command post at the closed Vivian Creek hiking trailhead, where weary search-and-rescue teams fanned out on a foot of fresh snow atop sheer ice, looking for Eugene Kumm, 25, of Seal Beach, missing since he set out alone for San Gorgonio peak Saturday. Marion Mountain Trail (surveyed at least weekly in past month) now has only about 20% icy snow cover, largely in the central section between about 7400-8200 ft elevation which is less sun-exposed. --Meursault in 'The Stranger', Routes Even if its warm and sunny at lower elevations, its cold and icy in the wilderness. The Conditions will remain very unsettled well into the third week of January. Hikers should be prepared for temperatures generally below freezing in the high country, and well below freezing when considering wind chill effects (see below for my recent weather observations from San Jacinto Peak). Potentially stormy weather forecast for four periods in the past ten days all failed to significantly impact the San Jacinto mountains. San Bernardino 9 Peaks Traverse. Spikes are recommended, at least for descending. Storm total at San Jacinto Peak is about 14 inches for a current total depth of 36+ inches (but very heavily drifted). On the morning of Friday 6th January, getting an Alpine start, I broke trail the entire way from Humber Park to San Jacinto Peak via Devils Slide, PCT, Wellman, Peak, and East Ridge trails. Forecast precipitation is currently only a dusting of 1-2 inches of snow at upper elevations, but combined with strong winds this will be sufficient to complicate route-finding. The latter includes interpreting the snow/ice conditions, understanding your physical and mental abilities, and conservative decision making. I hope to provide a more thorough Report tomorrow. South Ridge Road (5S11) is also currently closed to vehicle traffic. SNOW DEPTHS measured (largely) on 21st November 2022 are as follows, with depths from 9th November 2022 in parentheses where known. The finally push to the summit from Sky High trail was relatively easy. Spikes are recommended especially in the morning as the snow is now hard, compacted and very icy in places. Underlying that powder are layers of ice (largely from freezing rain storms) which are much more perilous. Such warm conditions will soon be a distant memory. Current trail conditions are oddly reminiscent of spring, with snow distribution and iciness feeling more typical for April or May than late November. While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to cover costs. Crunchy layers as high as 9800 ft elevation told me it had rained that high at the start of the storm yesterday, but conversely there was very light snow (<1 inch) down to 5500 ft in Idyllwild. This trail will become significantly more treacherous as it undergoes freeze/thaw cycles and compaction over the next week or two. 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. Avalanche risk in the high country is currently minimal due to snow depths and conditions, with the exception of the traditionally unstable north face of San Jacinto Peak which avalanches to some extent every winter.

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