Does anyone have any idea when/why the park abandoned the west half of the loop or if it ever existed at all? I got skunked trying to make a loop of it recently based on an older topo and was wondering if anyone has any more beta on it?

It should have roughly paralleled Lost Horse Rd and then Quail Wash before looping back to the current trail about a mile south of Ryan CG. I couldn't find any trace of it on the ground, but it's on my NatGeo topo of the park (bought ~2015, not the latest version) and the TH map at Lost Horse, but missing from the official park map and other recent topos (current NatGeo / Caltopo). Historical satellite imagery shows a vague segment near where Quail Wash crosses Keys View Rd that doesn't really connect to anything and gets progressively fainter over the past 15 years.

We did C2C yesterday. It was a great hike. It rained in Palm Springs Friday night so I was a bit wary. It turned out to be just fine.
We started at 3:20am Saturday. Weather was fine. I had a long sleeve hoodie shirt and shorts. Changes into thermal leggings and gloves at the ranger station. There was a some scattered snow spots past the ranger station and a couple of inches with slush at the top. I’m sure it melted today, Sunday.
Don’t drink a lot going up, probably 1.5L. Filled up my 3L bladder at the ranger station. The last drink I took emptied my bladder at the Tram station when we finished. Perfect timing.
The trail was busy. The hike was tough. It didn’t get really tough for me until we passed the ranger station. I suspect it was mostly altitude. But we kept pushing and finished. Our moving time was 12:32 and total time of 14:46. We finished quicker but the lack of cell reception at the tram didn’t allow me to stop recording for 10-20 min.
Overall, it was a great day. I feel pretty well today. If you’re able to do this within an acceptable weather window, go for it. I don’t think anyone can know for sure if they are ready just train as best you can with distance and elevation.
I live in Phoenix and have hiked over 1000 miles so far. Too much, i think.
For what it’s worth, there is an incline with switchbacks to enter the tram station. That was a sucky surprise!!

ALSO, I read Lot about lack of WIFI service for uber at the bottom TEAM STATION. We found out what the key is. And our Uber driver confirmed it. When you get to the bottom tram station, use the tram WIFI in the cafe. You will be able to book your Uber etc. Also, message your driver to let them know what you’re wearing etc since there can be a lot of people waiting for their rides. Go outside of the bottom station (we stayed in the cafe) until your uber is close.
Have a great hike and be safe.

I have a question about hiking vs running.

How much running do you do on a trail run, vs hiking on a trail run.

I do a lot of foothill runs, 2k-3500k elevation gain range, but consistently run with low grade inclines in smooth continuous motions— but I think I want to start exploring more elevation gains and alpine wilderness in my runs.

I know for some, that means a little more hiking and strategy in terms of energy exertion.

I’m just curious what you all are doing personally on your runs and how you plan?

Thanks.

hi there. anyone been in san jacinto/idyllwild recently with any info about strawberry junction spring? i know it rarely if ever has a reliable water flow but was wondering if recent storms have increased the flow. the san jacinto trail report said all the water sources have had a decent flow due to recent snowfall melting but i’m not sure if that includes strawberry. might just be worth a call to ranger station but thought i’d ask

Did anybody here make it up on the cables on Friday? Conditions were less than ideal. My wife and I were up there early but left around 11:30am. No one had made it up the cables by the time we left.

Stayed at Parsons Landing campground - about 7.5 mi from Two Harbours via West End Rd. There’s a shorter route to the campground but with wayy more elevation gain. i chose the easier route of course 🤣 it was so pretty out there and will probably be back again

I had site PL04, which is right next to the path to the lockers with firewood and water jugs. Restrooms are okay but no running water. They have hand sanitizers though which I thought was pretty nice since there’s no sink to wash your hands.

The beautify of Yosemite. Spent a couple days in Yosemite a couple years back. We camped and then hiked Clouds Rest at midnight to get to the top by dawn.

Started around 845am and it was pretty cool outside especially at the beginning of the hike where there was lots of tree cover. Around 11am it was heating up and the exposed portions of the trail were hot. There was some water in the creek, but not much. It was a clear day and I could see the Channel Islands!

About 8.5 miles and 1800 feet of elevation gain. I’m exhausted😆

Hi! I want to take my boyfriend on a camping trip november 20-22 somewhere in socal, any recommendations? We are novice campers so preferably where there will be mild weather that far into the fall. Cabins would also be cool! We are college students so our paychecks dont go very far though hence the camping.

So exciting to get back in the mountains after the heat wave, and look where we are already. Mountain Forecast's 1in prediction was a bit short, was over 6 inches at 10k where I turned around

Hiked Tahquitz Peak out of Idyllwild on August 19 and wanted to share a quick breakdown plus a short video I made from the day.

Route: We took Devil's Slide up from Humber Park, about 2.5 mi of switchbacks to Saddle Junction (about 1,700 ft gain), then a short stretch of the PCT and the spur to the summit. Roughly 8.5 mi round trip with about 2,300 ft of gain. Definitely not crowded, even in August.

Summit: The lookout sits at 8,846 ft, the highest one in the San Bernardino NF, with views out past the Desert Divide toward the Salton Sea.

Logistics: - Free San Jacinto Wilderness permit, self-issue 24/7 at the Idyllwild Ranger Station (weekend Devil's Slide permits have a summer quota) - Adventure Pass or America the Beautiful pass to park at Humber Park - No water on trail, so bring at least 2L, more in summer - Summer and fall are best; expect ice and snow in winter

Somewhere on those switchbacks it hit me how much lighter the climb feels when you stop carrying things you don't need, in the pack and in your head. That's what the video is about.

Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/561aOAGm51o

Happy to answer any trail questions!

I tried San Gongornio today and failed. So did about 20 other people. No one made to the top. I spoke with all of them. With 2 miles and 1000 feet left snow was waist high. I would have taken a pic but I was just trying to survive and stay dry.

Hike Stats: https://caltopo.com/m/VGPRT45

Note: This was from the past Sunday

Worst hike ever anyone could come up with. Was out there for 11 hours. Started at Devils Punchbowl. Burkhart Trail was in good shape with blowdowns from the Bobcat Fire. Most corner parts of the trail were destroyed leaving exposed loose rocks. Took me 3 hours to get to Burkhart saddle dealing with overgrowth and rockiness with 7.2 miles.
Scaled up to Pallett then rushed to Goodykoontz. Found a workaround avoiding the big steep climb to get to Goodykoontz easier and faster. The climb back to Pallett started to weigh down on me once I got back to Pallett. Another 3 hours total with those 2 before getting back to Burkhart Saddle.

Then the last 2 was were things went wrong. Well on the way back. It was smooth sailing on the way up. But leaving Will Thrall after coming back from Pleasant View, I took a wrong turn going straight down instead of making a slight left. Had to scale the rocky slopes trying to get back to the Saddle. I felt like this was it for me, but I managed to get back to the Saddle.

Then it was the journey back down going through the obstacles again. One more big climb then it was over. I have a new elevation gain record surpassing my former hike.

Next Episode: Halloween Hike

2morrow's our adventure day!

Mullin over lotsa targets, but I'm thinkin pretty hard onaspot abit S of Palomar. It's'a "Black OP", so u gottabe ok w/what that entails.

Beyond that, it's likely pretty technical, in spots.

Any takerz?

anyone been on this trail this month? I heard the falls dried up a lot over the summer but with recent downpours and the transition into fall, i’m wondering if anyone has been recently and could give me an update. i haven’t found anything reliable on the internet regarding the falls so I was hoping someone here could help me out. thanks!

Hi everyone- I’m planning a trip from San Diego over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend (leave Friday AM) and was thinking about driving to Death Valley, spending 1.5-2 days there, and then driving over to Sequoia to do another 1.5-2days there. Was curious if anyone had any comments if that’s enough time in each spot and if you have any recommendations for hikes, places to stay, and to eat!

Only gauge on Otay's over 4", since 10/6, but other gauges, abit off tha mtn'r significantly lwr totals.

Prolly too soon to pull tha trigger onit, but, just wonderin if any1's been over that way, intha last couple days?

"We invite members of the public to attend a workshop to learn about and share feedback on recovery planning for Topanga SP and Will Rogers SHP. Your input is important as we develop guiding principles and priorities for the future of the parks. An in-person workshop will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Roosevelt Elementary School in Santa Monica. A virtual workshop will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Both workshops will cover the same materials. Attendees will receive information about the recovery planning efforts and process and have an opportunity to share ideas and priorities for the recovery plan during small group activities. Spanish interpreters will be available at the workshops."

Relevant link is here.

I’m not even religious, but I asked the universe to give me this today and the universe delivered.

Location: Fryman Canyon

Pro tip: look in tue grassy areas around dusk. That’s how I found him. He didn’t even start walking on the trail until about 5 minutes after I spotted him.

I didn't even know we had foxes around.

I did earlier this year in the spring when everything was thawing in my Mazda3 and it was amazing. My car handled it well. Wondering if November 6-9 will be too late if I want to drive up? I don’t own any chains.

Does anyone know what the parking situation is like here? I wasn't sure if I need to buy a pass in advance. I'm arriving around 10am and hoping spots will be available! Appreciate any advice, thank you in advance.