View Full Version : San Jacinto in August?
Anybody hike the San Jacinto portion of the PCT in August? My boyfriend would like to go up the Spitler trail and all the way across Fuller Ridge to at least Snowy Creek, although I'm thinking for parking we'd have to leave a car in Cabazon. I know it will be hotter-n-hell down there (we'll deal), but what about the rest of it?
gunner76
07-14-2010, 05:02
Have not hiked that area since the 70's so my info is a little out of date. I remember hot and dry but fun.
Why wouldn't you be able Piper? Hot sure, but certainly doable. Be aware of where the H2O is!
Enjoy those ridiculously long switchbacks on the way down to Snowy Creek.
I was only worried about being miserable hot for the entire trip. Looks like we'll probaby head to Nor Cal instead. For some reason, when the boyfriend heard he'd have to get a permit, he balked. Sounds like he just wanted an excuse.
The area around Saddle Junction and San Jacinto Peak is great for summer hiking. However, the area can be really hot once you drop below the tree line. I would not want to hike down towards the I-10 during the summer months unless you are doing it at night.
Getting a permit is pretty easy with the exception of entering Devils Slide at Humber Park unless you get it in the early morning.
My boyfriend is pretty nuts when it comes to heat. His idea of a good time is to go out on the hottest day of the year when he's not feeling well and attempt some dangerous bushwacking until he's dangling from a cliff, tangled in the chamise, suffering from hyponatremia and worried he might not make it back to the car. That's a good time to him. Anyway, we decided to hike in the Belden area and save San Jacinto for the fall.
Could go from Belden south to Truckee where you would find Public transportation and have the option of continuing further south along the Tahoe Rim/PCT to possibly Tuolomne Meadows. Trail Angels in Truckee. Could also go from Belden north through Quincy all the way to Lassen NP and have a looksy around by hiking up to the cinder cone in Lassen.
We're going Bucks Summit to Highway 36. I really liked that section when I did it last year. I've hiked the Lassen section 3 times now!