San Jacinto Peak: A beautiful hike with spectacular views

Sunday Sept 17, 2023

Located in Palm Springs, the San Jacinto hike is ranked among the most picturesque of the desert. The peak is situated at 10,934 ft. The round trip is about 11'ish miles. It took me 8.5 hrs of easy walking.

Left the house early morning, through mist and fog for the 90 mins drive to Palm Springs. While I was preparing for cold/misty weather, the magical view quickly led to a change of plans. Less layers to carry !

Arrived by the Tramway station around 7:20am, did my ritual of emptying my bag in the truck, checking / double checking everything, taking what was essential, taped my feet and was ready to go.

The San Jacinto via Tramway hike started with the 12 min Tram ride that took me from the Sonoran Desert to the Alpine forest at 8500 ft. A quick permit with the Forest Ranger and I was off. The trails were very quite. For most of the time I was the lone traveler. Songs of the birds with the background symphony of the water stream and perfectly choreographed trapeze artistry of the squirrels was the best setting. Here and there I mixed in some capella with my breath and humming songs to the rhythm and beat of my boots. The fresh crisp air with hit of pine was the perfect essence of the outdoor. My mind was already immersed in the exploration.

Well marked trails made it easy to navigate. Key way points are Round Valley and Wellman's Divide. The views are absolutely spectacular. The last 1/4 mile is a bit of bouldering to get to the top. There was hardly anyone at the peak when I arrived.

What did I test on this hike:                                                                                       Snacks: Honey Stinger energy blocks. They are the bomb!                               Clothing: Decided to test my Old Navy jogger. Seemed to do well in the condition     Liquid IV: This is now my go-to for electrolytes                                                                

For anyone wanting to do this hike:                                                                                   (1) HikingGuy.com has great visual landmarks to track                                               (2) Download the All Trails map for offline tracking. Keep waypoints on paper too as back up                                                                                                                               (3) Best to start early for less crowds and cooler weather                                             (4) Bring atleast 3L of water per person                                                                           (5) Pop a couple Ibuprofen to counter altitude lightheadedness

Costs: $15/car for parking  and $31/person for roundtrip tram. There is food/cafe at both tram stations. There is a water fill spot a mile into the trail but water needs to be filtered or treated.