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 slowly melting inch of patchy icy snow (photo below from 30th November). San Gorgonio Mountain lies at the easternmost extremity of the Transverse Ranges.The mountain is a heavily eroded, partially dissected plateau.. Big Bear Lake, California is the largest city near San Gorgonio, and hosts two major ski resorts; it is also used for summer recreation.. Geology. scotchybob. Skyline Trail has a good track to follow through light icy snow above about 7200 ft (the Traverse to Grubbs Notch). Length 19.0 miElevation gain 5,492 ftRoute type Out & back. 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. With another storm imminent tomorrow, I do not plan a thorough update until Wednesday 15th. Deer Springs Trail is clear from the Highway 243 trailhead to the Suicide Rock trail junction at 7000 ft, and functionally clear from there to Strawberry Junction (8100 ft), with a few icy snow patches increasing in length and frequency as you ascend. 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. Conditions will remain very unsettled well into the third week of January. In the high country temperatures will be more like April or May, some 10-20F above seasonal, before finally cooling (but still remaining above average) in the last couple of days of the year. Snow depths are currently suitable for snowshoeing above about 9000 ft, potentially lower in places. SNOW DEPTHS measured on or around 28th November 2022 are as follows, with depths after the last significant storm (on 9th November) for comparison in parentheses where known. South Ridge Trail has been broken from the top of South Ridge Road to Tahquitz Peak with a simple posthole track. $2,480,000 Last Sold Price. Thank you so much for your support. Melting of snow on sun-exposed slopes and freeze-thaw cycles will combine to change trail conditions and potentially the preferred equipment for the terrain. Momyer trailhead is now open. 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). Multiple atmospheric river storm systems are forecast to bring very unsettled weather to the San Jacinto mountains starting Tuesday 27th December, lasting well into the first week of January. Trail Conditions Map; Wilderness Trip Planner . Forecasts are increasingly confident of a moderate storm on Sunday 11th, with up to 1.5 inch of rain at the elevation of Idyllwild, turning into 1-3 inches of light snow on Sunday night, while 8-14 inches of snow are forecast for the high country. Rain started overnight in Idyllwild, and by late this afternoon (at 1550) totals 1.22 inch. 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. At San Jacinto Peak (10,810ft/3295m) 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. There are two new treefall hazards to pass on the upper trail. Altitudes are approximate. Details of snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. At the Peak on Sunday 15th January 2023 at 0750 the air temperature was 17.8F (-8C), with a windchill temperature of -5.6F (-21C), 100% relative humidity, and a wild SW wind sustained at 19 mph gusting to 30.2 mph. 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. A rapidly warming montane climate, with changes especially striking at high elevation, is exacerbating all of these issues. Through LRV and up to San Jacinto Peak, there are at least three tracks (two posthole, one snowshoe), none of which attempt to follow the trail route, and all are steep and very direct. There are other South Fork Trails in Southern California, so make sure you are going to South Fork . The lower half of the trail should be largely clear of snow by the weekend. Forest Service campgrounds at Boulder Basin, Marion Mountain, and Fern Basin, and the State Park campground at Stone Creek, are closed for the season. From Laws east to Caramba the route of the original Caramba Trail has been well-cairned by myself and others and can largely be followed with very careful route-finding. There may be patches, but nothing you can't get around or easily through without special gear. South Ridge Road (5S11) is also currently closed to vehicle traffic. Best, Cautious navigation remains required for those who do not have significant experience of hiking this trail. Spikes are not required. Access to San Gorgonio is regularly limited by use of hiking permits, with 25 to 30 people a day allowed in the area at a time. potentially dangerous) windchill temperatures. Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. Currently there is less than three feet of snow at San Jacinto Peak; I suspect it would be 5-8 feet had we had fractionally cooler conditions in the past month. Go Hiking Trip Reports San Gorgonio Wilderness-California. This is the flattest portion of the PCT in the San Jacinto mountains, and snow depth currently averages about 13 inches. Note that average depth is given; due to strong winds accompanying storms there is extensive drifting, often accumulating in the trails. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. We surveyed the PCT where it crosses Highway 74 (approx. However the combined effect of the two minor storms, in combination with wild gusty winds pushing spindrift snow all over the high country, had completely erased the few tracks that were in place by the morning of Wednesday 15th. There is a compacted, well-traveled track on continuous light icy snow from Long Valley/Tram to Wellman Divide. The San Gorgonio Mountain maintains the longest recorded line of sight in the contiguous United States it is plainly visible from the summit of Mount Whitney, 190 miles away. As described above, crampons with hiking poles and an ice axe, depending on terrain are currently very useful everywhere above about 9000 ft. On Friday 20th I broke South Ridge Trail to Tahquitz Peak. 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). Precipitation on Sunday 4th into the early hours of Monday 5th is significantly less likely in the latest models. Deer Springs Trail is clear from the Highway 243 trailhead to the Suicide Rock trail junction at 7000 ft, and functionally clear from there to Strawberry Junction (8100 ft), with a few icy snow patches increasing in length and frequency as you ascend. Trails down to 5000 ft elevation currently have patchy shallow snow cover. Current snow depth at Devils Slide trailhead at Humber Park is 4-5 inches on top of 1-2 inches of ice/icy snow from recent freezing rain. "I'm assuming, with all the snow, he just got turned around," Henley said. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. Ernie Maxwell Trail has a well traveled track to follow along its entire length, through the increasingly patchy icy snow. Overnight in Idyllwild we had three inches of snow, the first notable snowfall of this latest storm series, but temperatures actually warmed during the night (presumably with the arrival of the latest atmospheric river) and before dawn it was raining on top of the snow. Note that tracks discussed can be obscured quickly by drifting of snow from strong winds, sometimes in days or even hours. Trail Conditions. South Ridge Road (5S11) is currently closed to vehicle traffic but is rapidly clearing [checked Saturday 17th] of snow. Be prepared for trails above about 8000 ft (perhaps lower in places) completely or largely obscured by moderate to deep snow. The 2,700 sq. Schedule a showing for 251 Broadriver Trail in Beaumont, CA. Please feel free to add this route to the mountain page. Coldwell Banker. This information will be updated daily over the next week as details are changing significantly with every new forecast. Aconcagua mountain page is a child of the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits.' Forecasts indicate we will get a few more inches of snow overnight on 2nd-3rd January, and again on Thursday 5th January. Details of snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. Snow cover remains virtually continuous, but a few small patches are clearing below 7000 ft. Spikes are strongly recommended, at least for descending. No fresh snow fell overnight, with storm totals of about nine inches at San Jacinto Peak and 0.5 inch in Idyllwild unchanged. Snow depths are currently suitable for snowshoeing everywhere above about 8000 ft, potentially lower in places. It leaves the Willow Creek Trail exactly 1.0 mile from Saddle Junction (0.46 mile from the Skunk Cabbage turning), descending largely on established deer trails for 1.2 miles, meeting Willow Creek just upstream from the old Laws Camp. Thank you so much for your support. An excellent track is easy to follow to Little Round Valley. Both of these storms are expected to be relatively mild at first with rain a possibility up to 9000 ft before freeze levels drop down to 6000 ft. By the afternoon of 15th, melting was already underway below 7000 ft. 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. On the morning of Monday 6th February I ascended San Jacinto Peak for the fifth time in the past two weeks, this time via the east side (Devils Slide, Wellman, Peak, and East Ridge trails), descending the same way. Early on the morning of Saturday 17th I broke trail back-and-forth across the 0.4 mile section of South Ridge Trail between Chinquapin Flat/PCT and Tahquitz Peak which now has a lightly traveled posthole track to follow through the drifted powder.