Hiking Trail Guide: San Jacinto Via Fuller Ridge

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San Jacinto Via Fuller Ridge

Distance
14.5 miles

Elevation
4200 feet gain

Difficulty
10/10

City
Idyllwild ,CA (92549) 90.37 miles from you Weather Map

Trailhead
Take the 243 from either Banning or Idyllwild, drive until you reach Black Mountain road. Turn East onto the dirt road. It is rutted and rough, but you should be able to make it with even a low-clearance vehicle. Follow the road for 8 miles to the turnoff for the Fuller Ridge trail road (signed.) Drive to the parking area and the posts for the PCT are east to pick up.

Give yourself a good hour and fifteen minutes drive time from Banning, although the trail is perfect for a late morning stroll. It doesn't get very hot, even in August.

Take the PCT to the connection with the Deer Springs Trail, and then the short branch that takes you past the shelter to the peak.

Description

This is a long, but not so tough haul up the Western ridge of San Jacinto. You pass through different climactic zones, and the trail has its share of ups and downs, so coming back isn't the easiest route you can take. And for some odd reason, the return trip seems longer than the ascent. There are several campgrounds along the way should you decide to backpack. The trail is well shaded, and very gentle in its slope. There are a few steep spots, but hey, you are climbing a big mountain after all.

John Muir called the sunrise from the peak "one of the most sublime vistas he'd ever seen," unfortunately sublime is not the way it is described now. The smog-ridden filth from LA is everywhere, by the time we summitted Baldy was covered and obscured.

However, if you can catch the rare clear day in So Cal, this would be the must-see spot to catch it from.

Map / Directions: