Trip Report:
Hiking up San Jacinto has become an annual tradition on new years eve. This was the second year Eric and I hiked to the top from the tram. It was a beautiful day and a fun hike.

Mt. Baldy and San Gorgonio From The Summit

We made the drive from San Diego and arrived at the lower tram station in time for the 8:15 tram. I always love driving along I-10 past San Jacinto’s north face. This year it was void of snow except for the very top. Unless we get a few big storms Snow Creek may not be in this year.

The trail from the ranger station was packed down and icy until the Round Valley sign. Past the sign the trail was packed but not icy.

Snow Near the Ranger Station

Round Valley Sign

River Crossing

Packed Trail

Rabbit Tracks

Enjoying the Day

We made good time along the packed trail. We did not need snowshoes the entire day, although if we ventured off the packed trail the snow was 2-3 feet deep.

Low Snow Year

Jean Peak

Cornell Peak

Low Snow Year

Eventually Eric and I made it to the Miller Peak saddle. From here it was a short hike to the summit.

Eric Along the Ridge

Nice Packed Trail

San Gorgonio

We reached the summit about 3 hours after starting from the tram. We took a break, ate some food and enjoyed the views on the summit.

Looking South

Eric on the Summit

San Gorgonio From the Summit

San Gorgonio 2010

Mt. Baldy From the Summit

The Upper Tram Station

The Sign on the Summit

Slightly More Snow Last Year

Myself on the Summit

Eric on the Summit

Summit Benchmark

After eating and taking pictures we made our way to the top of Snow Creek.

Snow Creek

San Gorgonio From the Summit

Eric Checking Out Snow Creek

On our way down we walked over to the hut and went inside. Last year the hut was buried in snow, this year it was an easy find. On the way down we made a few “short cuts” which didn’t work out so well.

Eventually we made it back to the tram for a round trip time of 5:45, about 2.5 hours faster than last year. It helped that there was much less snow this year than last.

2011

2010

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Date Hiked: 12-31-2010

Trip Report:
The final day of 2010 was a good one. It does not get much better than a trip up San Jacinto in the snow. I had wanted to take the tram and hike the peak in winter for a long time and it finally worked out. Eric, who I hiked El Cajon Mountain with decided to come along as well.

San Jacinto Summit

We left San Diego at 6:00 and made our way up 215 to 10 then down to Palm Springs. Along the way we had great views of snow creek on San Jacinto. We could also see winds blasting the summit of San Gorgonio so we knew it would be windy. We arrived at the tram station at 8AM. It took a few minutes to get our gear together and pay for our tickets. We made it for the 830 tram. As we rode the tram up I saw the snow level began sound 6,000 ft. The temperature at the upper tram station was 17 as we began hiking. After checking in and getting a permit from the ranger station we were off. We made good time through the valley and up the creek. Unfortunately we followed a boot path that lead to the wrong side of the creek. No problem, we changed our route and broke new trail directly east until we intersected the correct path.

Trail Sign

Snow Along the Trail

San Jacinto Peak and Miller Peak

Eventually we found the correct path which we followed past Cornell peak and up to the bottom of Miller Peak.

Myself Hiking Near the Bottom of Miller Peak

Eric Hiking Toward Miller Peak

Looking up to Miller Peak

Cornell Peak Above Strong Winds

Eric Battling the Winds

The higher we climbed the stronger the winds became they also erased any sign of a boot track. We continued to climb higher. About halfway up to the saddle we saw three people descending these were the only other people we saw all day hiking to the peak. One of the three people was Ellen from the San Jacinto Mountain Forum. She said the winds were intense on the summit ridge, guessing 60+ MPH.

Looking Up to San Jacinto

Frosted Trees

As we approached the saddle the views opened up.

Jean Peak

Track Coming Down the Peak

Finally we made it to the saddle between Miller and San Jacinto peak. From here we followed the ridge for the last 300 feet to the summit. The winds were intense along this ridge. There were times where Eric and I had stop hiking and wait for the wind to die down. We summited at 12:45 PM, taking 4 hours to reach the summit, we added at least an hour on our detour earlier in the day.

Track to the Summit

Wind-blasted Snow

Waiting for the Wind to Die Down

Getting Closer

Finally at the Summit

We stayed on the summit for about 15 minutes. The views were excellent, it was a very clear day. I could see and name most of the mountains in the area. There was plenty of snow on both Mt. BAldy and San Gorgonio.

South Toward San Diego

Lone Tree Over the Desert

Hemet and Mt. Baldy

Erik Looking Hardcore on the Summit

Myself Not So Much

The reason I have two different gloves on is because I have a cast on my right arm and this was the only glove that would fit. The hybrid glove system worked well the entire day.

Two Different Landscapes

Rabbit Peak and Toro Peak

The Tram Station

The Tram Station and Palm Springs

Martinez Mountain (Left of Center)

Martinez Mountain Close Up

Jean Peak

San Gorgonio

We wanted to find the hut on our way down so we went south from the summit. We searched for a little while and could not find it, we were both getting cold so decided to wait for another day. The trees around this area had more ice on them than I had ever seen.

Frosted Trees

More Frosted Trees

Yes this is Southern California

Jean Peak as we Descend

Traversing to the Path we Took Up

We had to traverse back to our trail up, this took some effort becuse the snow was deep and there was not a broken trail.

Our Path Down San Jacinto

Back to Our Path

Looking Back at our Tracks

Snow Coming off Jean Peak

Tamarack Valley

Eric Heading Down the Mountain

Last Look up to San Jacinto

Cornell Peak

Happy to be out Today

Eventually we made it back to Tamarack valley. From here there was a nice beaten path to follow all the way to the tram.

Path to the Tram Station

This was a fun hike that I am glad I had the opportunity to go on. I will be up here again, I think it would be fun to camp in the area during the winter.

Wind on Miller Peak

Winds on San Jacinto

Winds Near the Summit

San Jacinto Summit Panorama

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San Diego Bay to Cuyamaca Peak

Our flight path took us on a northeast path through San Diego County, this gave me a perfect vantage point for taking photos. The photo below shows I-15 winding past Little Black Mountain. The flat ridge past this is Palomar Mountain. The two large peaks on the right and the left and San Jacinto and San Gorgonio.

San Gorgonio San Jacinto and Palomar Mountain

This photo is a panorama of the mountains in southern California. It stretches from San Diego Bay to San Gorgonio. From left to right the mountains are San Gorgonio, San Jacinto, Toro Peak, Rabbit Peak, and Cuyamaca Peak.

SoCal Peaks Panorama

Here is a close up of Toro Peak. The range in the bottom portion of the photo is Mission Trails Park. The range in the central left part of the photo includes Iron Mountain and Mt. Woodson.

Toro Peak

Otay Mountain is in the bottom right corner of this photo. This mountian is close to the Mexican border. In the top portion of the photo is Mt. Baldy.

Otay Mountain to Mt. Baldy

This photo shows Santiago Peak, the Orange County highpoint, and Mt. Baldy, the LA county highpoint.

Santiago Peak and Mt. Baldy

Here is a photo of Palomar mountain and Mt. Baldy. The 200 in. Hale Telescope can be seen on Palomar Mountain.

Palomar Mountain and Mt. Baldy

This is a photo of San Gorgonio and San Jacinto.

San Gorgonio and San Jacinto

Elevation: 10,834 ft. & 10,670 ft.

Date Hiked: 5-30-2010

Trip Report:
San Jacinto Peak is the highest point in the San Jacinto mountain range. It is also a very popular peak due to its proximity to large cities and the tram which one can take most of the way up the mountain. This was my second time hiking this peak and I also added Jean Peak. I was able to make this trip with a good friend Dave. There was still lots of snow above Saddle Junction to the peak. There is a full conditions report with pictures. If you want more info use the contact section and I can help you out.

San Jacinto Peak

We left Humber Park at 6AM and made our way quickly to Saddle Junction which only took an hour and 20 minutes. As we got higher we had great views of Tahquitz Peak which I had hiked two weeks before. The temperature was in the low 50s perfect for hiking. There was no snow all the to Saddle Junction.

Suicide Rock

Tahquitz Peak

Once above Saddle Junction there was intermittent snow until the 9000 foot junction when it became solid. There was only solid snow for about a half mile until it was clear. It was clear from this point until Wellman’s Divide. In the morning I used my crampons and Dave used his micro-spikes. The snow was still solid and without this gear it would have been difficult to pass this section. I this late morning and afternoon it would have been easier because the snow was much softer.

Beginning of the Snow

9000 Foot Junction

Looking Past the Junction toward Wellman’s Divide

Toro Peak

Trail to Wellman’s Divide

Tahquitz Peak

Once we passed Wellman’s Divide there was consistent snow to the summit. I wore crampons although I could have gone without, by late morning the snow was already getting soft. Wellman’s divide there were plenty of footprints to follow from others who had already made the trip. This was the case until the last switchback to the summit. Instead of taking this switchback and going up the standard route we decided to go directly up the ridge to the summit. This was a good decision we had amazing views down to the desert and it took less effort than the standard trail.

Me Along the Trail

Standard Snow Conditions Past Wellman’s Divide

I had decided to wear Tennis Shoes the night before because we were not sure how far we would be able to make it. Although toward the end of the day they were a little wet I am glad I wore them. My crampons worked flawlessly with them and I was glad I did not have heavy boots to drag to the top.

My Footwear

We had great views of Round Valley, the tram station and Cornell Peak along the way.

Cornell Peak

Jean Peak still had consistent snow covering the entire north face of the mountain. Judging from the depth on top it will be around for awhile to come.

Jean Peak

The Start of the Ridge to the Summit

Looking Back Along the Ridge

Same Area

The Summit is in Sight

Snow and Desert

Snow and Desert 2

Sign on the Summit

Benchmark

San Gorgonio

Palm Springs

Hemet and Mt. Baldy

Dave and I on the Summit

Its 95 Down There and 65 Up Here

The Tram Station and Palm Springs

Jean Peak Our Next Target

Looking Down Snow Creek

Santiago and Modjeska Peaks

Jean Peak and Marion Mountain

Myself Near the Summit

The Summit Hut

From the summit of San Jacinto we traveled along the ridge to Jean Peak. It only took 40 minutes to reach the summit of Jean Peak. The views from the top were not very good. There was lots of brush blocking the views from most directions. I was not able to find the summit register on Jean Peak, I assume its still buried under the feet of snow on the summit. Once we summited Jean we left on the southwest side of the mountain and made our way down the slope. It took awhile to navigate this untraveled area. We stayed on snow as much as possible. We eventually gained the trail near Wellman’s Divide.

San Jacinto from Jean Peak

The Summit of Jean Peak

Dave Negotiating the Slopes Below Jean Peak

Looking up Toward the Summit of Jean Peak

I filled my memory card after we reached the trail on our descent of Jean Peak. We got back to Humber Park at exactly 4PM 10 hours after we started. It only took us 2 hours to travel from Wellman’s Divide to Humber Park and the descent. This was a great day in the mountains, I felt great, moved quickly and had great company.

Near the Summit

Looking Toward the Summit

Summit Video Panorama

Summit Video Panorama 360

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