If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Due to the difficult nature of the hike, we decided to arrive at the trailhead at 5am to get an early start. Snowshoes are not required anywhere on the established trail system, where snow is now too shallow, icy and compacted. My blogging throughout the storms gave more day-to-day detail and is available here. shawnsisler. When the gate is closed there are still nine legal parking spaces this side of the locked gate (which still require an Adventure Pass or equivalent to be displayed). Add : Sale Price: $8.88 . UPDATE Wednesday 28th December: the overnight rain storm produced 0.73 inch in Idyllwild (measured at 5550 ft) while Long Valley (8600 ft) led San Jacinto mountain locations in rainfall with 1.01 inch. View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. 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. The route does not follow the established trail for the most part, and steepens considerably as it nears Wellman Divide. An additional six inches of accumulation today brings the total in Idyllwild since 21st February to 20.5 inches. Such warm conditions will soon be a distant memory. The avalanche was an unusual occurrence on Mount San Jacinto, RMRU President Eric Holden said. Average snow cover is 60%, but is nearly continuous near Humber Park. Devils Slide Trail has a very lightly traveled track to Saddle Junction in place. There is a very well-traveled track from Saddle Junction to Tahquitz Peak (multiple photos below). "I'm assuming, with all the snow, he just got turned around," Henley said. (16), Additions & Corrections "It's just a sheet of ice up there," said John Amrhein, emergency services coordinator for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. All trails above about 6500 ft are currently lightly, or above 8000 ft moderately, snow-covered. 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. If you have general comments or questions, they can be submitted via our Contacts page. In Palm Springs, artist Lauren Bon displays The Smallest Sea with the Largest Heart. The remainder of February is currently forecast to continue the cold temperatures of recent days, generally at or below seasonal at all mountain elevations, and to be increasingly unsettled. Spikes are expected to remain extremely useful over the next few weeks given the unpredictable weather. There was no evidence of hiker tracks on Fuller Ridge Trail or Seven Pines Trail as of Monday 23rd January. Idyllwild (at 5550 ft): 0-1 inch (0.5 inch hail/sleet plus 1.04 inch rain on 5th). At San Jacinto Peak (10,810ft/3295m) 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. It continued to rain heavily overnight at mid elevations everywhere below about 7000 ft. Idyllwild at 5550 ft elevation recorded an impressive 4.01 inches of rain in the 24 hour period up to 0700 this morning. With two further snowfalls expected in the next ten days, and moderate to strong winds in the high country expected for most of those days causing some daily drifting of snow, much of the trail system may remain completely or somewhat obscured by moderate snow at least into the third week of January. In Idyllwild at 5550 ft, rainfall storm total today is 1.14 inches. Devils Slide Trail is almost clear of icy snow to about 7700 ft although some extended dirty icy patches remain below that. These impacts are especially striking in Southern California mountains, where the sun is relatively potent even in midwinter and where even on the coldest days temperatures at mid elevations may fluctuate either side of freezing. The flow of atmospheric river storm systems continues unabated across California. What does it mean if I have a California Campfire Permit? Crampons are recommended for the traversing slopes. South Ridge Trail has been broken from the top of South Ridge Road to Tahquitz Peak with a simple posthole track. Cautious navigation remains required for those who do not have significant experience of hiking this trail. Spikes tend to be especially useful for descending trails. 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. March 4 - San Gorgonio via Dobbs ridge/peak and return same route. They are strongly recommended on certain moderate and higher angle slopes, at a minimum on the Peak Trail above Wellman Divide, the Wellman Trail, Deer Springs Trail above Little Round Valley, and uppermost South Ridge Trail, and on both flanks but critically on the north face of Tahquitz Peak. These icy slopes are notoriously treacherous and have been an area of multiple hiker fatalities in winter conditions in recent decades. This will make trail conditions more complicated, and if in any doubt whatsoever carry and use traction devices accordingly (see discussion in introduction above). PCT Mile 181.8 (9070 ft): 5.5 inches (storm total 5 inches), Marion Mountain Trail at junction with PCT (8700 ft): 6 inches (storm total 5 inches), Long Valley (8600 ft): 5-6 inches (storm total 5 inches) [thanks to Kyle Eubanks for this measurement], Strawberry Junction (8100 ft): 3-4 inches (storm total 3-4 inches), Saddle Junction/approx. Days change quickly from pleasant to snow and ice. Once it stopped snowing, the mountain was shrouded in thick foggy cloud, such that visibility was as low as 100 feet on the exposed slopes of the Peak Trail. 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. "He's a pretty smart dude and a great physical man at 6-2, 240 pounds. On the morning of Monday 12th a further 2.5 inches of snow settled in Idyllwild. Taking the Pacific Coast Highway is one of the best road trips from Los Angeles and the best choice when taking a road trip to mountainous Big Sur. Forecasts are inconsistent regarding the amount of snowfall in this next storm, but those that I trust suggest 12+ inches in Idyllwild over the next 24 hours, with 1-2 feet in the high country. This morning Anabel and I broke trail up Devils Slide Trail to Saddle Junction. 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. In addition, there is the possibility of minor snow storms on Thursday 19th and around Sunday 29th January. 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. Altitudes are approximate. San Bernadino Peak Trail Conditions. The first number is the current total snow depth, followed in parentheses by the greatest depth of the winter to date following the latest storm on 11th-12th December. Even when the gate is closed there are nine legal parking spaces this side of the locked gate (near the upper Ernie Maxwell trailhead). (800) 735-2922 (TDD/TTY), Offices may be closed on select federal holidays, https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/sbnf/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=26575&actid=50. I snowshoed down from San Jacinto Peak via Wellman Divide, Saddle Junction, and Devils Slide Trail. Discover your local Girl Scout council: about Girl Scouts, what they do, what activities are available locally, and how to contact us. Todays rainfall total has passed an inch in Idyllwild, and various locations in Pine Cove (5800-6500 ft) were reporting 1.1 to 1.3 inches two hours ago. San Bernardino National Forest including the San Jacinto Ranger District is closed until at least 16 March 2023. Share. I descended via Deer Springs Trail, breaking trail through virgin powder all the way down to the Suicide Rock Trail junction. A positive start to the new year, this is a summary of conditions following the fifth Pacific storm (but only the third significant snowfall) of winter 2022/23 to impact the San Jacinto mountains. Very shallow snow is often icy and potentially perilous, while deeper powder can actually be much safer, albeit slow-going for hiking. Ernie Maxwell Trail has a well traveled track to follow along its entire length, through the increasingly patchy icy snow. There was a dusting of snow in Garner Valley (4300 ft). There is evidence of a relatively well-traveled track south from Saddle Junction on the PCT, but as of the morning of Saturday 17th this track did not make it through to Chinquapin Flat. Overall, melting is proceeding somewhat faster than expected but this holiday weekend trails will remain very icy. Every year seems to have unique challenges and 2022 has been no exception. Searchers planned to be back out this morning looking for both men. As discussed above, additional snowfall expected on 10th and 14th-16th January will further complicate the trail conditions. With significant further snowfalls expected in the next week (at least), and moderate to strong winds in the high country expected for many of those days causing some daily drifting of snow, much of the trail system may remain completely or somewhat obscured by snow throughout most or all of January. SNOW DEPTHS measured on 1st January 2023 are as follows. Effective 26th January 2023 the State Park closed the section of Skyline Trail that falls within its jurisdiction, above 5800 ft elevation, until further notice due to dangerous weather conditions. Spikes could potentially be used to ascend to the highest peaks at this time, although crampons are certainly safer for traversing. Spikes tend to be especially useful for descending trails. 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). Reliable tracks are in place (at least) for Devils Slide Trail. 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. (130) Good Coverage. The Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail is largely clear of icy snow, with a few patches remaining, mostly close to Humber Park. SGWA is testing a new interactive trail map! 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. 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 Ernie Maxwell Trail is functionally clear of icy snow, although a few minor patches remain, especially close to Humber Park. Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal are all options. 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). Although I made a concerted effort to put in a track as faithful to the trail routes as conditions permitted, further strong winds and blowing powder in the high country were erasing tracks within hours or even minutes. If you want a permit for Vivian for a dayhike on the weekend in the summertime, you must get it 3-4 weeks in advance. Snowshoes will remain valuable anywhere off trail above about 8000 ft for the foreseeable future. This will continue to be the case for at least a week, given fresh snowfall expected. In Idyllwild (at 5550 ft) additional light rain this morning has added up to 0.1 inch. The open section of trail below 5800 ft is clear of snow. Trails down to 5000 ft elevation currently have patchy shallow snow cover. The initial freeze level was at about 9000 ft but has already dropped. The second week of January is expected to be relatively warm and sunny, so extensive melting will start, especially at mid elevations. Although the high country currently has its deepest snow accumulation since March 2019, this winter nevertheless remains well below the average for snowfall in the San Jacinto mountains to date. Spikes are recommended especially in the morning as the snow is now hard, compacted and very icy in places. Relatively little snow is therefore expected throughout the mid elevations including Idyllwild. As mentioned last week, current trail conditions are oddly reminiscent of spring, with snow distribution and iciness typical of April rather than December. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/ap/. 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. Minor storm overnight on 27th-28th December. 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. Section D. I-15/Cajon Pass to Hwy-14/Agua Dulce. The Vivian Creek route is the most popular, South Fork is #2
Between the dustings of snow yesterday and today, high country tracks are becoming obscured and cautious navigation is strongly advised.