From the 10 take the 243 South to Mountain Center - turn left (east) onto the 74, follow it past Lake Hemet to the signs for the Ramona/Tool Box Spring Trailhead - park.
From the 215, take the 74 East through Mountain Center past Lake Hemet. Park in the Ramona Trail/Tool Box Spring parking lot.
Follow the dirt road to the trail. There are a few dirt roads here, stay on the main one, the trail is only a few hundred yards from the parking area.
When you get to the spring (a faucet) and improved campgrounds, stay on the main road and turn right to get to Thomas Mountain. There are lots of roads up here, just stay on the main one, even if it seems like you're going the wrong way for a bit.
Description
This is a great trail, one that is evenly graded. The 4 mile trip to Tool Box Spring is one that anyone should be able to make, even though you do gain some good elevation. There is a wonderful transition from desert flora to pine forest on this hike, and since the hike is all north side, it is relatively shady the whole way. Even in summer, if you left early enough, you could avoid the heat.
The area around Thomas Mountain is wonderful, there are fantastic views of San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, Toro Peak and more. There are also lots of wonderful campgrounds, even on the very top of the mountain. You can drive a car to the top of the road, which is sort of a bummer.
My GPS said this trail was 13 miles, but the profile/map software said 14.6. The hiking on this trail/road is fairly easy, but the distance makes it moderate to strenuous.
Map / Directions:
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