This blog will detail 1,000 video hikes in Southern California. By Southern California, I am drawing a line from San Luis Obispo to the Nevada Border. Anything south of that line will be declared "Southern California". In a way, it is a personal challenge to do so many hikes. Mainly, however, it is my way of showcasing how many hiking opportunities there really are right in our own geographic back yard. As a blog, it serves as a companion piece to my Youtube channel "1,000 Hikes in So Cal". It is also a work in progress, as I don't actually have 1,000 edited videos completed. This will take effort for quite some time before it is declared done. Even then, there will still be more out there. Here's to hiking and all the positive effects it has had on my life...and possibly yours!
Showing posts with label San Jacinto & Santa Rosa Mountains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Jacinto & Santa Rosa Mountains. Show all posts
Summary The hike begins in a well-to-do Palm Springs neighborhood. It climbs quickly into the hills above. Once leveling off, it is possible to form a loop on the plateau, which I did. I saved Cahuilla Peak for last, which was just to the left of the intersection of trails. I went right on the Wildhorse Trail to begin the loop. The first peak reached was Wildhorse Peak. The trail heads up its rocky ridge to a prominent summit. The feeling of accomplishment was brief when looking at the rest of the ridge laid out in front.
Palm Springs views.
The Wildhorse Trail continues on the ridge toward Murray Hill. A left turn on the Clara Burgess Trail becomes necessary along the way. The hike rises from the junction to the summit of Murray Hill. On top are picnic tables, a benchmark, and great views. The prominent high point is a great resting spot for a quick snack before heading on.
Wildhorse Peak.
I chose to continue forward to form a loop, rather than returning the way I came. The trail drops quickly toward the canyon floor before continuing on to Cahuilla Peak.
Murray Hill.
I found the trail to not be too well marked in the canyon, but I eventually figured out the right pathway to take. Arrival at Cahuilla Peak, and to the junction just beyond it, marked the completion of the long dry loop of the ridge and canyon floor. After the loop, I still needed to descend to Palm Springs to close out the hike. Fortunately, I didn't run out of water, but I came close!
The lower west hills of the San Jacinto Mountains can either fall in the category of the San Jacinto's, or the Inland Empire. I approached from Highway 243 at the Ranger Peak Trailhead, so for me, I was in the San Jacinto's the whole time. The hike begins on Forest Road 4S05 at the same starting point for the Ranger Peak hike. This time, I bypassed the turnoff for Ranger Peak and kept going in a slight downhill route on 4S05.
Approaching Angelus Hill.
After several miles, the peak at the end of the long road was clearly my destination. So from far away, it was clear to where I needed to go. Since I was on a dirt road, I just needed to be patient and I would arrive shortly. After about 6.5 miles of gradual descent, I arrived at the end of the road. I just needed to take the use trail to the summit. An easy climb gave me a great view over the Hemet / San Jacinto area at the forest boundary.
On the summit.
A gradual descent turned into a gradual climb on the way back. I took it slow and arrived back at the Ranger Peak junction with little difficulty.
Heading back toward Ranger Peak.
Since I was there, I went ahead and revisited Ranger Peak in order to claim two summits on the day. This turned out to be a great semi-local hike where I experienced no other hikers on the day. Just a few 4x4 drivers on the road (who probably thought I was crazy for walking around out there).
After driving over 11 miles from Interstate 10 in Banning, continue south on Highway 243 to FS05, right before the Vista Grande Fire Station. I turned right on this dirt road and parked after about 100 yards or so in a large parking area. It is actually possible to drive the rest of the way to Ranger Peak with the proper vehicle, but that is better left to hiking.
On the summit.
The mostly flat hike leads to the summit of Ranger Peak. Radio towers stand tall near the high point, but on the true summit, portions of a foundation remains. I'm not sure if this was a former fire lookout or not, but distant views are really good. Returning the same way wraps up the hike with with low mileage.
Several peaks tower over the city of Banning. One in particular (Barker Peak) is reachable after a drive up Highway 243. To reach the hiking starting point, I drove 8 miles south of Interstate 10 to Twin Pines Road. From there it is a short drive to Valley Hi Drive on the left. The road may not be signed, but it is a dirt road passing through ranch properties toward Barker Peak. To reach the hiking starting point, it is best to find a place to park as the road gets rough.
Hiking up the road.
The dirt road starts heading uphill. There is one wide bend in the road, creating a bit of a switchback. It is pretty much a straight shot from there. On top is the cement foundation of a former lookout tower. Great views below, which is the true hallmark of a good lookout site. As a recommendation, pairing this hike with nearby Ranger Peak will knock off two mountain conquests within a few hours.
I was originally looking to hike Lookout Mountain and Table Mountain on the same hike. However, since my day started late, I cut out Table Mountain, since it would have taken more time than my backup plan, which was Asbestos Mountain.
Approaching the summit block.
After completing one HPS summit on the day, I accepted the challenge of doing two of them. The start of the hike to Asbestos Mountain begins after driving a series of residential dirt roads in the community of Pinyon Pines. I parked in front of the last house at the end of the road, and started hiking on a jeep road leading toward Asbestos Mountain. When the road started bending away from the peak, I left the road and went cross country toward a gully. When reaching the gully, I found trail cairns which mark the route to the peak.
On the summit.
Without the rock cairns, the climb would be rather difficult, so I found them to be helpful, though often difficult to spot. The climb up the gully is a rock scramble for the most part. Time was starting to run out on me, though, so I had thoughts of bailing out and coming back another day. To complicate matters, I lost the rock cairns about 3/4 of the way up, and wound up doing a much more difficult rock scramble. Before reaching the summit, I again found the rock cairned route. The sun was getting close to dipping behind the nearby Desert Divide, so I quickly followed the cairns to the peak.
Summit views.
The summit is not a simple walk to summit. I had to climb some class 3 boulders before reaching the summit high point. I stayed for about 2 minutes, where I shot a short video and took in the views. I then immediately climbed down the boulders and stuck close to the rock cairns. I was determined to not get caught in the gully when it got dark, so I wanted to get back down as soon as possible. Fortunately, navigation was much easier going downhill, where I found myself on the desert floor and back at my parking spot at about 5 minutes before it got dark. Mission accomplished!
