san gorgonio trail conditions san gorgonio trail conditions

Note that there are about a dozen stream crossings and sections of the trail with water flowing in them, at times for tens of feet. In combination with the four inches of rain since Saturday, not to mention the many inches of rain earlier this winter, the mid elevations, including the mountain communities, are now best described as a very soggy and slushy mess. Find 39 photos of the 71729 San Gorgonio Road home on Xome. Sky High Trail (5km) Raywood Flat Trail (5.1km) North Fork Meadows Trail (5.4km) Note that data for the high country are dramatically different from those for Idyllwild, and generally sadly lacking, other than meteorological records for Long Valley (8600 ft elevation) since the 1960s. So we recommend getting your permit in advance! 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. Relatively little snow is therefore expected throughout the mid elevations including Idyllwild. The Wellman Trail from Annies Junction to Wellman Divide has about 20% icy snow cover. Current forecasts suggest that there may be significant snowfall on Sunday 29th-Monday 30th January at all elevations, but some warming and steady snow melt likely on either side of that date. Most of this snow had melted prior to my hike to San Jacinto Peak on 31st December. Hiking Trails. but probably light rain and/or about an inch of snow at the elevation of Idyllwild. Due to the very high freeze level snowfall was restricted to a light dusting above 8200 ft, increasing to one inch above 9000 ft and 1.5 inch above 10,000 ft. Impacts will be minimal on high country trails, but trails between 7000-9000 ft with pre-existing snow may be a mix of slush, snow and ice, and will require some caution. Currently crampons, always with an ice axe, and advanced knowledge of how to use this equipment, are required. The Vivian Creek Trail is an out-and-back trail. Currently there is about 1.5 inches of fresh snow at San Jacinto Peak, on top of the very patchy and icy 2-4 inches remaining from early November. SNOW DEPTHS measured on 1st January 2023 are as follows. Yesterday afternoon we checked Devils Slide trailhead at Humber Park, and measured an average snow depth of 26 inches. Light or moderate rain is currently forecast daily at mid elevations (possibly totaling one inch in Idyllwild), with an uncertain possibility of light snow in the high country (<3 inches above 10,000 ft elevation). Note that near its junction with Deer Springs Trail, the route was not close to the established trail, so cautious navigation may be needed. Spikes are not generally required for ascending, but most hikers will find them useful for descending. While all time and effort is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report requests small private donations to cover costs. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Four Hikers On The Summit Of San Gorgonio Mountain 1900-1915 Cali - Old Photo at the best online prices at eBay! On Monday 13th I also postholed the entire hike, as I was able to ascend barebooting to about 9200 ft before putting on crampons. Hi Tyler, welcome to SoCalHiker.net! Cloud cover started to envelop the mountains early this morning. As I snowshoed down past 9000 ft elevation it was clear from a layer of ice underfoot that after a light snowfall, there had been rain on top of snow, before it started snowing again on top of that Sunday morning. However excellent well-traveled and compacted tracks are now in place for most of the major trails (details below). San Bernadino Peak Trail Conditions. Darren Goodman of the sheriff's search-and-rescue team. My Actual Distance: 18.4 miles. Current forecasts suggest that the moderate storm on 14th-15th January may be cooler than the Tuesday storm, with somewhat more snow at lower elevations. Currently trails above about 7500 ft (lower in places) are largely obscured by moderate to deep snow. but ideal for snowshoes, which I used from Saddle to San Jacinto Peak and back. Devils Slide Trail has a relatively well-traveled and compacted track to Saddle Junction in place already. 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. As discussed above, multiple additional snowfalls forecast for 14th-18th January will further complicate the trail conditions. San Jacinto Peak (10810 ft): 25-27 inches (includes 2.5 inches snow added on 10th January) but very heavily drifted, Little Round Valley (9800 ft): 24 inches (2 inches on 10th January), Wellman Divide (9700 ft): 16 inches (1.5 inches snow plus unknown quantity of rain on 10th), Annies Junction/PCT Mile 180.8 (9070 ft): 16 inches (1.5 inches snow plus unknown quantity of rain on 10th), Seven Pines Trail junction with Deer Springs Trail/PCT Mile 184.9 (8700 ft): 13 inches (1 inch snow on 10th), Long Valley (8600 ft): 8 inches (1 inch snow plus 1.5 inches rain on 10th), Strawberry Junction/PCT Mile 183.3 (8100 ft): 6 inches (1 inch snow plus unknown quantity of rain on 10th), Saddle Junction/PCT Mile 179 (8070 ft): 8 inches (1 inch snow plus unknown quantity of rain on 10th), Deer Springs Trail at Suicide Rock Trail junction (6950 ft): 0-1 inch (0.5 inch snow plus >1.0 inch rain on 10th), Devils Slide trailhead at Humber Park (6550 ft): 0.5 inch (0.5 inch snow plus >1.0 inch rain on 10th). 2020 San Gorgonio: Type of Hike: Day hike: Trailhead: Vivian Creek Trail: Hiking Companions: Hiked with a partner: Road Conditions: Road suitable for all vehicles: Bug Status: Bugs were not too bad: Snow Conditions: Snow free: Trail Conditions: Trail in good condition: Long day hike, bugs were bearable, trail was dry. Spikes are recommended especially in the morning as the snow is now hard, compacted and very icy in places. I recorded a brief video at San Jacinto Peak at about 0930 on Friday 6th (available here on YouTube) which discusses conditions at that time. There was a dusting of snow in Garner Valley (4300 ft). Marion Mountain Trail [updated 22nd December] has a well-defined but lumpy posthole track throughout. Latest details are given in the introduction above. South Ridge Trail from the top of South Ridge Road to Tahquitz Peak has a well-traveled track to follow through the very light and patchy 1-3 inches of icy snow. 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. Snow cover is about 80% from Strawberry Junction north for about 1.0 mile (roughly 8500 ft), and thereafter essentially continuous to San Jacinto Peak. Spikes at least are required, but preferably crampons, both best used with an ice axe, specifically for the uppermost switchbacks, but traction is useful for descending much lower also. SNOW DEPTHS measured on 30th January 2023 (unless otherwise indicated) and checked again on 1st February are as follows. 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. Although good tracks are now in place for most major trails (details below), cautious navigation is recommended everywhere. WEATHER UPDATE 23rd December: forecasts have been shifting dramatically in recent days. Spikes are recommended. There is a compacted, well-traveled track on continuous light icy snow from Long Valley/Tram to Wellman Divide. Did you know? The first number is the current average total snow depth at that location, followed in parentheses where known by the maximum depth so far this winter immediately following the latest storm sequence on 14th-17th January 2023. The freeze level again started very high at >9000 ft, with light rain falling in Long Valley (8600 ft) all morning. Spikes are currently usefulthroughout the trail system above about 6000 ft, potentially lower in places. 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. Whether you're a Girl Scout, a volunteer, or a family member, decide what you'll do next in your Girl Scout experience. Minimum Impact Ethics; Wilderness Regulations; Forum; Trails. 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. 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). website belongs to an official government organization in the There is already a moderately traveled posthole track on Devils Slide Trail, and I was surprised to find that below 7000 ft some of the trail was already slushy simply due to relatively warm air temperatures as there was no direct sun. The Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail has a well-traveled track to follow throughout, snow cover is 90%. Compacted trails such as Devils Slide, Deer Springs, Marion Mountain, South Ridge are extremely icy between 7400-8900 ft due to the rain yesterday which has now frozen. Marion Mountain Trail has a very well-defined track to follow. Trail Conditions. Print. 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. My track largely follows the established trail routes, with some modifications for the conditions. Prior to that Idyllwild (at 5550 ft) had received 1.04 inches of rain, with a little hail and sleet mixed in. Another tree came down near the start of this trail close to Saddle Junction in Tropical Storm Kay. By dusk today it had rained 0.68 inch in Idyllwild, and Long Valley had 1.5 inches of fresh snowfall. On 24th the road had about 30% patchy ice cover. With the light dusting of fresh powder overnight, accompanied by strong winds causing extensive drifting, prior tracks had been partially obscured everywhere and almost completely erased above 8900 ft so I was again breaking trail in the high country. This is a summary of conditions following the tenth and eleventh Pacific storms of winter 2022/23 to impact the San Jacinto range, that were basically a double atmospheric river event spread across 14th-17th January. The next comprehensive update of the Report will likely be in the evening of Wednesday 11th. Daisy Girl Scouts are invited to explore the 7 Ponds Nature Center on Saturday, March 18, 2023 from 10-12 PM. WATCH: Rare Southern California Avalanche Caught On Camera Surreal scene out of Southern California where an avalanche was captured on video crashing down the north face of the San Jacinto Mountains after a recent storm. A classic La Nina pattern cool but relatively dry is in place for the third winter in a row. The total snow accumulation was ultimately very close to that forecast in the days immediately prior to the storm. I recorded a short video at the Peak late morning on the 13th, available here on YouTube. Altitudes are approximate. If there are Road Closed signs further down as was often the case last winter at weekends and holidays then those nine spaces are also unavailable for legal parking. It's 7.8 miles (Gary Suttle's book lists it as 8.4 miles) with almost 5,500 feet in elevation gain. Broadly speaking it is clear that snowfall has become much more variable in the past decade, ranging from extremely dry (<10 inches) to, obviously, very snowy. 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. Details of snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. Spikes are not required. Across the three storm days, locations above about 9000 ft all generally added at least two feet of snow (admixed with layers of freezing rain in areas up to 10,000 ft). They will be especially valuable on well-consolidated tracks over the coming weeks before they clear of snow (e.g., Devils Slide, Ernie Maxwell, Deer Springs trails, at least), on colder mornings when conditions are icy, and for descending. From there I used snowshoes to ascend via Annies Junction and Wellman Divide. South Fork via Dry Lake 11.34 miles, 4,622' gain Elevation Gain: 5,449 feet. It is clear, based on information on the PCTA website closures page (linked here), that these closures will dramatically and negatively impact early season PCT hikers. Be prepared for trails above about 8000 ft (perhaps lower in places) completely or largely obscured by moderate to deep snow; very cautious navigation is strongly recommended everywhere. The cloud largely dissipated on my descent, affording some spectacular vistas. Forecasts suggest it may stop snowing in the next few hours. Note that averages are given; due to strong winds accompanying storms there is extensive drifting. Later that morning at San Jacinto Peak, I measured a windchill temperature of -26.3F (-32C), the fourth lowest temperature I have ever recorded there. Ironically the closure is due to unprecedented snow fall, although such snow fall was average prior to this century, and would have even been below average in the 1970s. Consequently I put on crampons at Wellmans Cienega, keeping them on all day until low down on Deer Springs Trail.