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 ice with overlying deep snow. My tracks from today (Friday 6th January) from Humber Park to San Jacinto Peak and back will be largely visible but will be somewhat obscured in places. The first on Sunday 11th-Monday 12th may initially produce up to 1.5 inch of rain at the elevation of Idyllwild, transitioning to 2-4 inches of snow on Sunday night into Monday, while 10-12 inches of snow are forecast for the high country. PCT Mile 181.8 (9070 ft): 0-1 inch (was 6 inches on 9th November), Deer Springs Trail at top of Marion Mountain Trail (8700 ft): 0-1 inch, Tahquitz Peak (north side trail, 8700 ft): 0-1 inch, Tahquitz Peak (south side trail, 8500-8700 ft): 0 inch, Long Valley (8600 ft): 0-1 inch (was 2-3 inches on 9th November), Strawberry Junction (8100 ft): 0 inch (was approx. Both days I put spikes on at the Peak for the descent, on 24th keeping them on until about 8000 ft on Marion Mountain Trail, and on 28th until about 9900 ft on the Peak Trail, roughly one mile north of Wellman Divide. Sadly weight of snow has caused the roof of one shop in town to collapse, and I saw one collapsed car port (with cars inside) under the dramatic volume of snow. There is a very well-traveled track from Saddle Junction to Tahquitz Peak (multiple photos below). The 2,700 sq. For those interested in a detailed statewide discussion of this dramatic weather event, I recommend reading the excellent analysis on Weather West (linked here). Although not required, many hikers will find spikes useful especially for descending. 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. Snowshoes are not required anywhere on the established trail system, where snow is now too shallow, icy and compacted. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/ap/. However the remaining snow patches are icy in the morning. A remarkable further 9.5 inches of snow fell in Idyllwild today, bringing the storm total to 19.5 inches, before largely stopping and the cloud cover partly clearing out near dusk. February has been more settled than the very eventful January, but temperatures remain on something of a rollercoaster ride. In Idyllwild at 5550 ft, rainfall storm total today is 1.14 inches. Ernie Maxwell Trail has a well traveled track to follow along its entire length, through the increasingly patchy icy snow. 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. Altitudes are approximate. Hikers who have an ice axe (and know how to use it) may find it useful in places on this short section of trail. Mu Zhi Mountain gives great scenery over Taipei and the surrounding area, including Taiwan's tallest building, Taipei. In Idyllwild (at 5550 ft) additional light rain this morning has added up to 0.1 inch. 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. The Wellman Trail from Annies Junction to Wellman Divide has about 20% icy snow cover. Devils Slide Trail is functionally clear of snow below 7600 ft, about two miles up, and then snow cover is about 60% up to Saddle Junction but becoming almost continuous within 0.2 mile of the junction. Note that tracks are being obscured very quickly by drifting of snow from strong winds, sometimes in hours or even minutes (see photo below). On the afternoon of Monday 6th I was treated to moody clouds and virga, a cloud base just above my head at San Jacinto Peak, and the briefest possible flurry of small snow flakes while at the Peak (but nothing settled). The Vivian Creek route is the most popular, South Fork is #2 San Jacinto Peak (10810 ft): 39-44 inches (new snow 8 inches), Little Round Valley (9800 ft): 44-48 inches, heavily drifted, Wellman Divide (9700 ft): 42 inches (6 inches), Seven Pines Trail junction with Deer Springs Trail (8700 ft): 35 inches (6 inches), Annies Junction/PCT Mile 180.8 (9070 ft): 46 inches (5 inches), Long Valley (8600 ft): 22 inches (4 inches), Strawberry Junction (8100 ft): 16 inches (5 inches), Saddle Junction/PCT Mile 179 (8070 ft): 22 inches (6 inches), Devils Slide trailhead at Humber Park (6550 ft): 3-6 inches (6 inches, partly melted by afternoon of 15th), Idyllwild (at 5550 ft): 2 inches (5 inches, largely melted by afternoon of 15th). Seven Pines Trail has no sign of any hiker traffic since the snow on 12th. Ernie Maxwell Trail has good tracks to follow along its entire length, through the continuous snow cover a few inches deep. Please feel free to add this route to the mountain page. Two and three-tenths miles further is High Creek Camp (water available - 9,200'). They are not however required, depending upon your comfort level hiking on shallow variable snow, potentially mixed with slushy and icy patches, and on the quality of your footwear (tread grip, in particular). Cautious navigation is strongly recommended everywhere. At the Peak on Sunday 1st January 2023 at 0830 the air temperature was 17.9F (-8C), with a windchill temperature of -2.3F (-19C), 100% relative humidity, and a sharp WSW wind sustained at 11 mph gusting to 21.1 mph. However, snowshoes will become increasingly useful as conditions warm sufficiently for snow to become soft above about 8000 ft, especially on sunny slopes and afternoons. UPDATE Sunday 1st January 2023: A moderate overnight storm produced 1.53 inches of rain in Idyllwild (at 5550ft). Long Valley at 8600 ft on the east slope received only about two inches of fresh snow. Consequently I put on crampons at Wellmans Cienega, keeping them on all day until low down on Deer Springs Trail. A classic La Nina pattern cool but relatively dry is in place for the third winter in a row. WEATHER UPDATE 23rd December: forecasts have been shifting dramatically in recent days. Also, they don't necessarily share the same parent. This will likely continue to be the case for several weeks, given fresh snowfall expected. From there I used snowshoes to ascend via Annies Junction and Wellman Divide. Monday 5th was the first day since the snow storm in early November that I did not use spikes for descending, as the icy snow in the high country was crisp and grippy in cold, cloudy conditions. 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. Deer Springs Trail has an excellent posthole track to follow along its entire length. Section B. Warner Springs to I-10/San Gorgonio Pass. 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. Snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Given cold temperatures for the foreseeable future, melting is expected to slow (or largely stop in the high country). Members | Girl Scouts Cactus to Clouds (C2C) - Modern Hiker 2023 GSSGC Summer Camp--General Application Be trail aware Watch your surroundings, the trail looks different when you are coming back down. 2-3 inches on 9th), Saddle Junction/approx. 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. Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal are all options. Spikes tend to be especially useful for descending trails. Spikes are currently recommended throughout the trail system above about 7500 ft. For example, the Share sensitive information only Snow cover is shallow up to about 7000 ft, but relatively heavy above 8000 ft. 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 steadily melting 1-2 inches of icy snow. An excellent track is easy to follow to Little Round Valley. While searchers said three of the men who died were experienced hikers, Kumm is better described as an outdoors enthusiast, said Cpl. Note that generally the maximum depths so far this winter were immediately following the major storm sequence on 14th-17th January 2023 (details of those depths available here). Thankfully it was relatively straightforward in crampons as the underlying snow was very solid due to freeze/thaw cycles, and the overlying powder was generally shallow. Section D. I-15/Cajon Pass to Hwy-14/Agua Dulce. 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). Spikes are recommended. Currently the USFS gate at Humber Park is closed. $2,480,000 Last Sold Price. Cliff Weston, the San Bernardino County sheriff's search-and-rescue coordinator. And he said he doesn't have any doubt that his friend is still alive. 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. . Note however that snow depth itself is rarely indicative of the difficulty (or otherwise) of hiking a particular trail. San Bernardino Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost 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. Camping on the mountain or anywhere within the San Gorgonio Wilderness requires a permit that can be obtained from the San Gorgonio Ranger District at 34701 Mill Creek Road in Mentone, CA. 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. Average snow cover is 60%, but is nearly continuous near Humber Park. I measured 1.5 inches of fresh snow at Saddle Junction early this morning, with about one inch at Humber Park, and 0.8 inch of snow (following 0.7 inch of rain) at 5550 ft in Idyllwild. Currently trails above about 7500 ft (lower in places) are largely obscured by moderate to deep snow. I recorded a short video at the Peak, available here on YouTube. WEATHER UPDATE Thursday 26th January 2023: Wild Santa Ana (north-east) winds today in the San Jacinto mountains have included gusts of 69 and 73 mph early this morning at automated stations at each end of Bonita Vista Road. 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). Dan Hendley, a colleague of Kumm's at Kiewit Industries in Long Beach, said he was surprised to learn that his friend had taken on the 11,500-foot-high mountain by himself. Current air temperature at San Jacinto Peak is 17.8F (-8C) with a windchill of -5.6F (-21C) and a steady SW wind sustained at 19 mph gusting to 30.2 mph. There is no planned reopening date at this time. On the afternoon of 18th I saw posthole tracks that head down the start of the Caramba Trail, and following the PCT southbound toward Chinquapin Flat, but I have no further details at this time. Temperatures will be below freezing (max 28F on Mon night, min 25F on Wed morning). They are not currently recommended for traversing moderate or higher angle slopes above 9000 ft that have challenging ice underlying powder. It's remote trailhead is probibly the only reason it's not as popular as the other routes. Snowshoes are dangerous due to the angle of the icy snow. Amounts listed may The other bonus was an immaculate set of fresh Mountain Lion tracks in the trail (photos below), with sign that the lion had crossed back-and-forth across Devils Slide in multiple locations further up also. Aminian's body was found Jan. 14. The USFS gate at Humber Park remains closed. Marion Mountain Trail [updated 22nd December] has a well-defined but lumpy posthole track throughout. There is a very well-traveled track on the lowest section of Deer Springs Trail continuing out to Suicide Rock. The freeze level has remained around 7500 ft for most of today, but is forecast to drop overnight closer to 6000 ft. It is especially obscure 0.1-0.3 mile east of the Willow Creek crossing, becoming more obvious near Caramba. Trail crews are back in the wilderness! 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). Snowshoes can be used for ascending the highest peaks, but with considerable caution. If there are Road Closed signs further down at the junction with Forest Drive sometimes the case at weekends and holidays when snow is present then those nine spaces are also theoretically unavailable for legal parking. I have typically postholed barebooting to 8900-9200 ft before putting on crampons. The Wellman Trail from Annies Junction to Wellman Divide has about 40% icy snow cover. Currently, and increasingly as snow conditions change, spikes are strongly recommended for the foreseeable future everywhere above about 6000 ft, lower in places. This will make trail conditions more complicated, and if in any doubt whatsoever carry and use traction devices accordingly (see discussion in introduction above). Currently crampons, always with an ice axe, and advanced knowledge of how to use this equipment, are required. Melting may be slow and largely confined to the most sun-exposed slopes, but freeze/thaw cycles, compaction, and low overnight temperatures may lead to very icy conditions. Included in the re-opening were hiking trails outside of the burned area. It finally stopped snowing at about 0700, and some blue sky has resulted in spectacular vistas. My tracks from Wednesday were still largely visible and helped a little with traction. 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. Altitudes are approximate. 18632 Deer Trail Road, Banning, CA 92220 Property Records Eventually with compaction of the trails caused by increasing hiker traffic and freeze/thaw cycles snowshoes may steadily become less useful, however they will certainly remain valuable for off-trail travel in the high country well into February at least. . Relatively little snow is therefore expected throughout the mid elevations including Idyllwild. San Gorgonio : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost