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Mt.
San Jacinto - Devil's
Slide Trail
Trail
Stats
Distance
- 15.3
Miles
Elevation Gain/Loss
- 4500 ft.
Max Elevation Reached
- 10,850 ft.
Difficulty Level
- Strenuous
Trailhead - Link
Track
Download Google
Earth KML - Link
Download GPX - Link
Description
Mt. San Jacinto
is the second highest peak
in Southern California! Located in Mt. San Jacinto State
Park,
this peak is accessible via several different trails from almost all
directions. This description focuses on the Devil's Slide Trail which
starts within the boundary of San Bernadino National Forest. This map
shows the various trails and trail camps in the wilderness area.
The trailhead is located in Idyllwild, CA.
Drive to Humber Park at the very end of Fern Valley Rd. Since the hike
starts within the NF, you will need a permit to enter the wilderness.
The permits are limited. They typically run out on summer weekends and
can
be collected at the Ranger Station in Idyllwild.
Needless to say, this hike is pretty
streneous. The trail gains elevation pretty much from the get go. The
trail is generally in very good condition. It is fairly well
shaded except at the very high elevations. From Humber Park, the trail
takes you to Saddle Junction where it itersects the Pacific
Crest
Trail. This is also the junction where a trail branches off to
Tahquitz
Peak. Your path to the San Jacinto peak follows the PCT for some
distance after which PCT branches off to the left towards Strawberry
Jct. You continue straight and head for Wellman's Divide, another
prominient junction bringing in loads of hikers who take the Palm
Springs Aeiral Tramway to the Mountain Station and hike from there. From
Wellman's divide you head uphill climbing another 1000 odd feet to the
summit.
Just before the summit is a stone shelter,
well roofed and well maintained by fellow hikers and backpackers. It
seems to be well stocked, thanks to generous donations from
well
meaning hikers who often leave water, nutrition bars, crackers and
such. It even has warm clothing and some bedding as well.
The summit is marked by huge boulders, most
of which you can easily climb and pose for stunning photographs. Of
course, there is the famous summit sign and a couple of official USGS
markers as well.
Elevation
Profile
Trail Log
June
28th, 2009
Started from San Diego - 4:45 am
Started from Trailhead - 7:30 am
Reached the summit - 2:00 pm
Started back - 3:00 pm
Reached Trailhead - 6:30 pm
Started Driving back
- 7:00 pm
Reached San Diego - 9:30 pm or later
Photos - Link
Notes -
Sachin. D, Raymond. D, Sesh. K and I started
driving from San Diego
at 4:45. We started hike at 7:30 when it was still cool. We had our
breakfast on the move and were done with it by the time we got to
Saddle Junction, our first break.
We took it easy on our way up, stopping many
times for mini breaks, photo-ops etc. There seemed to be several groups
of backpackers wheo were on their way back after spending a night at
some trail camp (or possibly multiple different trail camps?)
Our next big break was at Wellman's Divide where we met up with a bit
group of boy scouts. Their troop leader, an elderly gentleman, had just
returned from Chennai, India and was narrating his experiences there.
At the summit, we had lunch and we took lots
of photos, of our group as well as others. After lunch we
lay
down and and relaxed high above the desert floor.
The descent was quite quick without any
significant breaks.
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