SNOW DEPTHS measured on 19th December (east side) or 15th December (west side) 2022 are as follows. Hamilton, we saw snow falling and covering the Saratoga Hills, just about 15 minutes from town. Currently the USFS gate at Humber Park is closed. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway cuts about 6,000 feet of climbing off the hike . The snow quickly turned into semi-melted slush. Marion Mountain Trail [updated 22nd December] has a well-defined but lumpy posthole track throughout. Between November 2021 and May 2022, 61 downed trees were removed and almost the entire trail thoroughly trimmed and cleared. Above Little Round Valley there are at least half-a-dozen tracks ascending toward San Jacinto Peak, none of which accurately follow the established trail route. 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. Snowshoes are useful in lower angle terrain with adequate snow depth above about 8000 ft, for example the Tahquitz area meadows near Saddle Junction, sections of Deer Springs Trail, and Long Valley/Round Valley. Note that snow depth itself is rarely indicative of the difficulty (or otherwise) of hiking a particular track or trail. The total snow accumulation was ultimately very close to the predictions given by forecasts in the days prior to the storm, and notably it was the heaviest snowfall in the first half of November for at least a decade. Fresh snowfall in Long Valley is now at about four inches. There is currently no further precipitation in the forecasts. Even when the gate is closed there are nine legal parking spaces below the locked gate (which still require an Adventure Pass or equivalent to be displayed). Potentially dangerous cold is currently forecast for the highest peaks for 14th-23rd January at least. Dark Canyon Road (4S02, the access to Seven Pines Trail) and Santa Rosa Truck Trail (7S02) closed to vehicle traffic for the season on 7th November 2022. The main track is clearest just above LRV and again close to the Peak junction. The holiday weekend had temperatures far above seasonal until Tuesday 27th. At the Peak on Wednesday 1st February 2023 at 0935 the air temperature was 16.6F (-8C), with a windchill temperature of -8.0F (-22C), 13% relative humidity, and a wild NNE wind sustained at 21 mph gusting to 35.2 mph. Altitudes are approximate. Spitler Peak Trail has a very visible boot track through light snow to the PCT. Once you reach the snow tongue of Snow Creek you will need crampons and ice axe. On 15th I barebooted (i.e. All trails above about 5500 ft are currently lightly (or above 8500 ft, moderately) snow-covered. Snow is constant on north aspects to 6700', and patchy on South aspects above 9000'. As of the afternoon of Monday 12th, the only tracks that I saw and that are known to be in place are my snowshoe track between Humber Park and San Jacinto Peak (using Devils Slide, Wellman, and Peak trails), and the track of Kyle Eubanks from the previous evening between Long Valley and the Peak via Wellman Divide (which remained surprisingly visible in places about 15-20 hours later, showing how calm the winds were overnight). A significant warming trend is expected for later this week and next weekend at all elevations, with significant melting likely, before cooling slightly Monday 6th February but remaining slightly above seasonal. Even if the gate is closed there are nine legal parking spaces this side of the locked gate (near the upper Ernie Maxwell trailhead). There is steep, dangerous snow along the PCT on Mount San Jacinto, and in the mountains further north all the way to Canada. On Fuller Ridge Trail there are five major treefall hazards obstructing the trail in the 1.5 mile section nearest to the campground (PCT Miles 189-190.5). However the fresh powder is very fine and drifting heavily in the strong SW wind, and I had 2-3 inches in places in the upper Peak Trail. All trails above about 8000 ft are obscured by snow at this time, and cautious navigation is strongly recommended everywhere. Steady melting of snow, especially on sun-exposed slopes, and freeze-thaw cycles will combine to change trail conditions and potentially the preferred equipment for the terrain. If there are Road Closed signs further down as was often the case last winter then those nine spaces are also unavailable for legal parking. Snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. Snow depths measured at many locations on the trail system on 11th January are given at the foot of this posting. More rain and snow is expected in the San Diego area Monday and forecast to arrive . San Jacinto State Park boundary (Strawberry Junction, Round Valley, Tamarack Valley or Little Round Valley) contact State Park Headquarters 1-951-659-2607. . By 1st February there was a somewhat meandering snowshoe track from Round Valley (and presumably Long Valley) up to San Jacinto Peak, ultimately using the East Ridge route from near Miller Peak, that generally followed lower angle terrain and avoided the traversing slopes of the Peak Trail. While snowfall accompanying the first of those storms may be light, perhaps 2-4 inches in Idyllwild and 4-6 inches in the high country, strong winds at the highest peaks are tentatively forecast to produce extremely cold windchill conditions, similar to 15th February (see below). Altitudes are approximate. If camping in the Mt. While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to cover costs. Rain had started overnight in Idyllwild, ending in late afternoon at a total of 1.26 inches. Indeed there were no other tracks anywhere above Humber Park, not even on lower Devils Slide Trail. Note that generally the maximum depths so far this winter were immediately following the major storm sequence on 14th-17th January 2023 (details of those depths available here). Seven Pines Trail has not been traveled since last weeks storm, at least not in its uppermost section, and there is no track to follow through the snow. Spikes are not required, but some hikers may find them useful depending on their comfort level hiking on thin icy snow. A second forecast storm system may bring some light precipitation to the San Jacinto mountains on 2nd December, and possibly again on 4th-5th. The Weather section below is updated. On the morning of Monday 6th February I ascended San Jacinto Peak for the fifth time in the past two weeks, this time via the east side (Devils Slide, Wellman, Peak, and East Ridge trails), descending the same way. The PCT on the south-facing slope (Angels Glide) for about 1.0 mile north of Saddle Junction is largely clear of snow (spikes not required). While all time and labor is volunteered, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to cover costs. Details of snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. Although good tracks are now in place for most major trails (details below), cautious navigation is recommended everywhere. The peak is also frequently called Mount San Jacinto. Forest Service campgrounds at Boulder Basin, Marion Mountain, and Fern Basin, and the State Park campground at Stone Creek, are closed for the season. Spikes are currently recommended throughout the trail system above about 7500 ft. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Mount San Jacinto State Park. If there are Road Closed signs further down often the case at weekends and holidays when snow is present then those nine spaces are also unavailable for legal parking. High near 21. 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. Marion Mountain Trail has a well-traveled snowshoe track to follow along its entire length. Snow from the moderate storm on 8th-9th November (summarized here) has been melting steadily at mid elevations but more slowly in the high country given the relative weakness of the sun at this time of year. 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). 32mi . The 0.4 mile section of South Ridge Trail between Chinquapin Flat/PCT and Tahquitz Peak has a well-traveled and level track photo below to follow through the light 3-4 inches of powder (drifted to six inches in places). UPDATE Tuesday 10th January: Another minor and relatively warm storm is passing through our mountains today. Details of snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. I measured 1.5 inches of fresh snow at Saddle Junction early this morning, with about one inch at Humber Park, and 0.8 inch of snow (following 0.7 inch of rain) at 5550 ft in Idyllwild. Spikes are recommended, especially for descending, as snow is icy and compacted. My blogging throughout the storms gave more day-to-day detail and is available here. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. The latest Trail Report (linked here) mentions the increasing avalanche risk with recent heavy wind-loaded snowfall on top of the icy pre-existing snow, and how avalanches occur every winter on the north face (contrary to erroneous information in recent local media stories). It stopped snowing at about 0800. In the week since the last storm we have surveyed trails around Tahquitz Peak twice, plus South Ridge, Spitler Peak, and Marion Mountain trails, among others. Remarkably Tropical Storm Kay did not add any new treefall hazards to this trail. While the snow quantities are forecast to be 1-2 inches at most, they may be much colder systems than have been typical so far this winter, with freeze levels below 5000 ft. Ernie Maxwell Trail has a well traveled track to follow along its entire length, through the increasingly patchy icy snow. KPBS. This was immediately followed by a milder storm on 22nd-23rd that brought heavy snowfall with 13 inches in Idyllwild across a 30 hour period (measured at 5550 ft), and about 18 inches in Long Valley (8600 ft). Immediately north of Saddle Junction, snow cover is initially somewhat patchy on the sun exposed slope (Angels Glide) but thereafter icy snow cover is continuous through the Wellman and Peak trails to San Jacinto Peak. Again the freeze levels may be relatively high, with little more than an inch or two of snow likely below 6000 ft, a forecast 2-6 inches of fresh snowfall in the high country scattered across two or more days, and roughly 0.5-1.0 inch of rain (perhaps mainly freezing rain) throughout the mid elevations. In my recent experience off-trail snow is now also largely too shallow and/or patchy for snowshoes. Spikes will likely become increasingly useful over the next few days and weeks as established trails become consolidated by hiker traffic and undergo freeze-thaw cycles. Florian Boyd kindly reported this morning that snow has dusted down to 4500 ft on the lower (open) section of Skyline Trail. We have had an excellent start to 2023 regarding the water and snow situations in the San Jacinto mountains. I kept those on for the rest of the ascent, and almost all of the descent, finally removing them most of the way down Devils Slide Trail. Snow cover is shallow up to about 7000 ft, but relatively heavy above 8000 ft. Melting on sun-exposed slopes is well underway, e.g., on lower South Ridge and Deer Springs trails. Trails above about 8500 ft currently remain lightly covered with patchy icy snow (more continuous above about 9000 ft on the west side, 9900 ft on the east). The freeze level will again start very high, but is forecast to fall lower, with the possibility of a light dusting of snow down to about 5500 ft. Another inch of rain is forecast for mid elevations, but a heavier snowfall is expected in the high country, with predictions ranging from 8-20 inches above 10,000 ft. Further precipitation is tentatively forecast for 3rd-6th January, but amounts, timing, and freeze levels remain uncertain this far ahead. For those that are unclear, the Skyline Trail is the first segment of the C2C (cactus to clouds) from Palm Springs up to Grubbs Notch, the access point to Long Valley. Some hikers will find spikes preferable. In Idyllwild at 5550 ft, rainfall storm total today is 1.14 inches. Eli Lilly cuts insulin prices up to 70% amid federal pressure to lower costs of life-saving medication, 60 million under winter weather alerts as massive storms roll across US; New York finally gets snow: Live updates, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. no traction device) to the Peak on a generally well-traveled and compacted track through light icy snow. Consequently the trail conditions and snow depths reported herein will change dramatically over the next few days. The forecasts remain wildly inconsistent for the potential storms next week but it is looking increasingly likely that the systems will miss us to the north.]. Conditions immediately following last weeks snow storm, the second significant Pacific system of winter 2022/23, that impacted the San Jacinto mountains on 11th-12th December were summarized in the previous Report (available here). All trails above about 5500 ft are currently snow-covered. 10 inches on 9th November), Wellman Divide (9700 ft): 0-1 inch (was 4 inches on 9th November), Annies Junction/approx. Similarly, Long Valley (8600ft) added about two inches overnight for a storm total of about seven inches and a current total depth of about 15 inches. Further strong winds and blowing powder had eliminated much of these tracks again by Wednesday, and I again largely re-broke trail that day too. Hikers should anticipate new treefall hazards in trails we have already found one major new one on the Ernie Maxwell Trail and also that tracks in snow may have been obscured by windblown drifting powder. Spikes are recommended. The system was generally very mild, with the freeze level near 8000 ft, but this is expected to drop overnight, by which time the precipitation will have largely passed. Ernie Maxwell Trail [checked 23rd and 26th January] has good tracks to follow along its entire length, through the shallow icy snow (still >90% snow cover). A key feature of this sequence of storms will be the relative warmth of the air masses which will lead to high freeze levels. I ultimately kept my Kahtoola microspikes on until just past the top of Marion Mountain Trail, but could have removed them somewhat sooner. The mountain snow level is expected to drop to 6,000 feet by Wednesday morning . A weather system, possibly in two waves across a broad time window between 2nd and 5th December, is currently forecast to produce light precipitation at all elevations, including a possible dusting of snow in the high country [update 1st December: no precipitation is now expected from these storms passing to the north of us]. Your contribution keeps the Report available to all, free from advertising or paywalls, and independent from agencies. Every year seems to have unique challenges and 2022 has been no exception. The Wellman Trail from Annies Junction to Wellman Divide has about 40% icy snow cover. Since the depths given in the previous Report, there has been some melting at higher elevations on sunny days and below 9000 ft caused by the heavy rainfall. There are plenty of places in local mountains with snow, but you also need to check on driving requirements (are chains required?) Since then Idyllwild had a very light dusting (<0.25 inch) of snow on Friday 20th, but the high country was above the cloud and unaffected. This is followed by steady moderate to heavy snowfall starting in the afternoon of Wednesday 22nd and continuing into the early hours of Sunday 26th February. The East Ridge Trail (from near Miller Peak to San Jacinto Peak) has a handful of tracks through the continuous snow, though none (including mine) accurately follow the trail route. The next comprehensive update of the Report will likely be in the evening of Wednesday 11th. 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. 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. The forecast for the last ten days of December differs radically from what was predicted just a week ago, and a major warming trend is expected rather than another cold Pacific storm. Time of day, temperature, and sun exposure all have significant impacts on the nature of the snow, in turn changing the conditions underfoot, and hence both the hiking difficulty and the preferred traction device (if any). Steady melting of snow, especially on sun-exposed slopes, and freeze-thaw cycles will combine to change trail conditions and potentially the preferred equipment for the terrain. In total,. My route down to Little Round Valley will not be especially helpful to ascending hikers, as I made the most of conditions to take a direct glissading route. Conversely in places scouring by the wind means the depths are well below the average. However the route is now largely well-traveled and compacted. A fourth and final minor system is expected on 28th February-1st March. SAN JACINTO (MSJC1) Lat: 33.81528NLon: 116.64194WElev: 8616ft. The steep escarpment of its north face, above Snow Creek, climbs over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in 7 miles (11 km). This trail has had limited hiker traffic since November 2018, largely because Dark Canyon Road has only been open for a few months since February 2019. The first on Sunday 11th-Monday 12th may initially produce up to 1.5 inch of rain at the elevation of Idyllwild, transitioning to 2-4 inches of snow on Sunday night into Monday, while 10-12 inches of snow are forecast for the high country. Currently crampons, always with an ice axe, and advanced knowledge of how to use this equipment, are required. Three significant trees are now down across the trail, including two major hazards (one new in gale force winds on 26th January) that are not easy to hike around both roughly halfway along the trail. Melting may be slow and largely confined to the most sun-exposed slopes, but freeze/thaw cycles, compaction, and low overnight temperatures may lead to very icy conditions. This is one of the largest gains in elevation over such a small horizontal distance in the contiguous United States . Indeed there were no other tracks anywhere above Humber Park is closed evening of Wednesday 11th the Report will be... 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