Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness

Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness

Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness
4.5
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This 13,000-acre park offers over 50 miles of trails in the mountains soaring above the Sonora desert.
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles199 reviews
Excellent
155
Very good
41
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
2

Beth T
Winston Salem, NC6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019 • Solo
Escaping desert heat for the day or weekend is always the best thing to do! I’ve only been up there via the tram in Palm Springs. Just fill a pack with the necessaries and some shelter, the rest is an adventure. Primitive camping, so please pack out what you pack in, keeping the park clean is appreciated.
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sdsali
Ventura, CA48 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We stayed in the State Park campground in Idyllwild in May of 2005. It is one of the best state park campgrounds we have stayed in. We have a small trailer and stayed in a trailer site which costs more but is larger than the tent sites. The restrooms were CLEAN. Each restroom is a separate room with a toilet and a sink. There is also a restroom that has showers. Each shower is in a separate room. The campground is literally right next to the town. You can easily walk into town for a latte and to surf the net at the Java coffe place (free wireless internet) There are lots of hiking trails nearby. The main campground in town seems to be better monitored and more spacious thansome of the campgrounds further out from town. I have pictures on my website at www.susansalisbury.squarespace.com-- click on travel and travelpix. I am also posting some here. I would certainly go back again. I think the rate was $15.00per night for a trailer space with no hookups. If you reserve early you can get hookups.
Written July 5, 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

John R
Carlsbad, CA769 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2018 • Couples
We have hiked many of the trails here and enjoy them all immensley. There are easy trails like "Ernire Maxwell" which runs about 2.5 miles one way to "Humber Park Trail Head". This is good for famiies because of the wider walkways and fairly easy climbing. Great views. Trip can be done in about 3 hours RT. Then there is "Devils Slide" which leaves out of the Humber Park trailhead and could continue all the way to San Jacinto, another 12 miles or so. We like going the 2.3 miles one way and then off a leg to Suicide cliffs - adds another 2 miles or so. This trial is moderate and can take 3-4 hours RT based on your agressiveness. I suggest a light back pack, 1 pint water per person and some kind of protein snack like bananas or bars. Good to enjoy a stop at the top or along the way to enjoy the incredible views. A walking pole or stick is always a plus to aid in stability and protection via snakes or whatever. As a long time hiker, I always recommend good ankle high boots with deep treads. They offer far better support to the ankles than do walking shoes.
Enjoy
Written September 25, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kris C
Dallas, Texas, United States2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2015
If you haven't taken the tram up to the San Jacinto Wilderness you are missing out on one of the true amazing outdoor experiences available in California. After an easy and orderly ticket purchase and wait for a scheduled trip time, you'll board a gondola that holds 80 people and spins slowly 360' on the trip up from an elevation of 2643' to 8516' in a matter of minutes. You'll pass through several ecological zones on the way up to the high country and you'll hang several hundred, if not a thousand feet, over deep canyons of this spectacular north side of the San Jacinto mountains.

From the top of the tram you'll find food and beverage services along with the alpine temperatures which are always several degrees cooler than the desert you just left 10 minutes prior. You have a decision to make at the top; stay close and hike near the tram complex or head out for full day of serious hiking. There are many options available. My wife and I decided to head up to Mt. San Jacinto (10,834' and 12 mile round trip) as an early celebration of our 35th wedding anniversary. This is somewhat of a redo as we spent our 1st anniversary doing the same except that hike began and ended at Humber Park near Idyllwild a 16 mile round trip with a elevation gain of roughly 4600'.

The first thing we noticed was that we weren't the only ones wanting to summit on July 4th. Wow! Imagine that in Southern CA!! The trails were mostly crowded, but it wasn't much of an issues except for a few large groups that made it somewhat difficult to pass on narrow sections of the trail.

The day was gorgeous, a cool 68 degrees when we started out. I was a bit surprised by how much shade there was on the trail in the first half of the assent due to the towering pines that were plentiful. We passed a few places that were deep green with skunk cabbage and grasses including a beautiful meadow that was off limits due to the Forest Service's efforts to rehab the ecology. Once you reach the approximate halfway point of Wellman's Divide, the trail goes from shaded to open terrain traversing across steep slopes covered in scrub brush and switchbacks that will take you to about the 10500' elevation. From this point the trail somewhat dissipates into large boulders as you approach the old CCC cabin built for emergency purposes back in the 1930's. The remainder of the hike is up the boulders to the peak. Once there, take in the view, snap a photo, spend some time up there enjoying the 360' view - it's breathtaking. This is THE place to have lunch and rest as you'll need both in order to endure the arduous 6 mile return trip. The trip down is harder on the legs than the way up.

Tips - The hike is strenuous due to distance and elevation gain. I would not recommend it unless you are in decent shape and have a good pair of boots. Walking poles help a great deal. I would not recommend real flexible trail shoes due to the rocks, root, and steepness. The stiffer sole of a good boot will give your feet the needed support. Take plenty of water. Twelve miles is a long hike!! Lastly, I would suggest avoiding a major holiday. If you're looking for a bit of solitude, avoid the weekends as well.

Happy hiking.
Written July 9, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ABSquared2
Los Angeles, CA51 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2016 • Family
I enjoy the outdoors but I'm more of a city slicker, however, wanting an adventure with my 14 year old son we rented outdoor gear and took the tram into this beautiful wilderness, just two hours from home. Once you depart from the tram station and check in at the ranger station (camping permit in advance), there is NO water. Speaking of ranger stations, all the rangers I spoke with in planning our trip and the ones we met there were friendly and knowledgeable, I was super impressed. I'm 48 and in good shape but carrying 55 pounds (a lot of water) on my back made the 2.5 mile hike to our campground quite a challenge - my son carrying 25 pounds was struggling too, good thing we had an early start and took breaks along the way. When we arrived at Round Valley we pitched up our tent, set up camp and although there where other campers in the area, we couldn't see anyone - talk about a great place to get away from it all. The campground has outhouses throughout, no need to go into detail. The weather in July was close to 80 during the day and around 50 at night, perfect, except for the wind that was howling at night, this was the only noise we heard. After breakfast the next morning it was around 3.5 hike one way to the summit, carrying only a day pack, this was a piece of cake for both of us. The campground was isolated, but the trail to the peak was busy, plenty of people of varying ages enjoy nature, and everyone super friendly. After another night of listening to the wind, we enjoyed our final breakfast in the morning before packing and up hiking back down to the tram. Having consumed all our food and water, the hike was again a piece of cake. Beautiful setting. Great weather. Fantastic hiking. Isolated camping. No distractions. Best father/son bonding.
Written July 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Laura0078
La Mesa, CA127 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2012 • Couples
Idyllwild Campground is in the center of the small town of Idyllwild, CA. Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness is North and San Bernardino National Forest is Northeast of Idyllwild Campground. Because the campground is in the center of town, you can hear sounds from the road at night. The sound might be worth it if you consider that it's a very short walk to the town store stocked with everything a camper might have forgotten or might need at the last minute, including ice or firewood. The campground also has real bathrooms and a token shower. ($1 for 5 minutes) We camped July 3rd and 4th and had no other campers near us.
The nearby Ranger station/Forestry Building was never open, but the local people helped us with all of our questions on permits. Wilderness permits are needed for parking at the trail heads. They can be bought in town at the Chevron Station or Ranger Station for $5. You also need a hiking permit. There are "do it yourself" permit stations at the Idyllwild Campground and the Ranger Station in town. The permit is needed in case you are reported missing. You simply need to fill out a small form stating which trail you intend to hike and drop it in the box at the ranger station/campground. Keep the carbon copy with you and carry it while hiking.
We tried the Deer Springs Trail to Suicide Rock because the trailhead is 1 mile from the Idyllwild Campground. The hike is 6.6 miles round trip climbing to an elevation 7500 feet (starting at ~5200 feet). It took us 4 hours to complete and was absolutely fantastic! The views were beautiful, especially the last 1 mile to Suicide Rock, starting right past the trail split. We hiked on the 4th of July and the trail was not crowded, we even had Suicide Rock to ourselves!
Written July 5, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

fun4ourpaws
Menifee, CA1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
My family and I camped here a few weekends ago. We had a wonderful time! I haven't camped since I was a young teen and had a horrible experience. This place changed my previous opinions of camping!
The bathrooms were not only clean, but stocked with toilet paper! The showers always had warm water and are in separate rooms. Close campers and ranger were very friendly to us. The town is not a far walk at all from this site.
There are a few drawbacks - 1) we are not heavily interested in the arts, so the galleries were not too appealing. 2) I am a big shopper expecting Lake Arrowhead-like shopping, but to no avail. 3) No places for swimming or lakes. A lake showed up on our GPS, but we could not get to it.
Overall, we loved the small-town atmosphere and plan to return for more happy camping memories!
Check out the excellent Mexican food at Arribas too - very yummy!
Written July 8, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

floogs
Toronto, Canada47 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2018 • Family
We stayed in Idyllwild and hiked Deer Springs and Humber Parks Devils Slide trails. Each is 3-5 miles of ascent with the same route down being the only descent option. A fairly tedious hike, but once you ascend, there are other trials at the plateau. From Idyllwild, there aren't other strenuous or moderate hiking options, so if I were to do it again, I would take the aerial tram to the plateau and start my hike on those trails. Need to buy a $5 parking pass in town, not availalble at the trailhead. Also need to fill out a form at the ranger station in town.
Written February 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jadbow
Oceanside, CA97 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2012 • Solo
We were staying in Idyllwild for the week so I decided to do some hiking. I got up early to do the hike up to Tahquitz Peak via the South Ridge Trail. The other option is coming up Devil's Slide from Humber Park through Saddle Junction which I hear is slightly easier but a bit longer. The drive out to the South Ridge trailhead is on a long, hilly dirt road so don't bring the Lexus. My minivan did fine. No parking pass required but make sure you get a permit for the hike at the local ranger station in Idyllwild. It is a "moderate" difficulty trail and is about 4 miles to the Tahquitz Lookout so about 8 miles roundtrip. I am in good but not great shape and took me about 1:45 on the way up with brief stops for pictures and water. The trail can get a lot of sun in the afternoon so I recommend an early start. I began the hike at about 8 am and was the only one out there. There is something extremely serene about that. The latter part of the ascent gets moderately steep but the views are amazing. At the top of the mountain is a fire lookout staffed by an elderly genteman that comes up every Monday and hikes back down every Friday. You can see Hemet, Lake Hemet, and even a little sliver of Palm Springs from up there. Took some time at the top to shoot some photos and eat lunch. The hike back down took about 1:10 for me. Wish I had the time to do this kind of thing more often.
Written August 11, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

keltytrekker
Oxnard, CA99 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2011 • Solo
I stayed at the Idyllwild Park county campground just down the street from the State Park campground, on a Thursday night. The State Park campground at this time was only open on the weekends. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this campground is. The tent sites are nestled among the pine trees along unpaved, dirt tracks which give the campground a bit more of a rustic feel, but I do advise some caution if one is driving a low slung passenger vehicle as some the of dirt tracks are somewhat steep and rough. I plan on returning sometime with family and/or friends. Great hiking is nearby and Idyllwild is a pretty neat town.
Written October 26, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions about Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness