On a clear day, the San Jacinto Mountains can be seen rising steeply above the San Gorgonio Pass the the north, and mildly and gently from the San Jacinto Valley to the west. The gentleness and steepness of these mountains are in sharp contrast with each other, like no other mountain range on earth. It is a paradox really of life...to saunter the San Jacintos then, is to, in a way, gaze upon our lives...to gaze upon the even and odd, the quick and slow, and the good and the bad in each of us...Well, while pondering these odd truths of our lives, why not take a journey into God's high country: placid and spectacular, serene and abrupt, carefree yet unforgiving. If you are not up the spend the $25 to take the Palm Springs Areal Tram into the high country, or hike 5000' up from Idyllwild to San Jacinto Peak, or drive 10 miles on jeep-tracks on a ridge-line, you can make the 8.5 out and back trail to the idyllic, windswept summit of Tahquitz Peak from Humber Park at the north end of the Strawberry Valley, which is topped by a summer-use fire lookout. This is a delightful trek offering the splendor's of the Lord's wilderness without the major inconveniences.
Stats:
Category: Strenuous
Miles: 8.5
Elevation Gain: 2,400'
Location: San Bernardino National Forest, San Jacinto Wilderness, San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains National Monument
Directions: From the I-10 in Banning, exit CA-243 and proceed about 30 miles to Idywilld (some windy turns and sharp canyons) and turn left onto North Circle Drive for about 1 mile and make a Right onto South Circle Drive. Proceed a couple hundred feet until you see Fern Valley Road. Turn Left on it and drive to the Humber Park Trailhead.
The Hike:
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