The flow of atmospheric river storm systems continues unabated across California. Only five of these require cutting, and I was able to remove three by hand earlier in February. Hikers should be prepared for temperatures below freezing in the high country, and far below freezing when considering wind chill effects (see below for my recent weather observations from San Jacinto Peak). Marion Mountain Trail (surveyed at least weekly in past month) has a very well-defined track to follow. All trails above about 5000 ft are currently lightly (or above 8000 ft, moderately) snow-covered. This is a brief summary of conditions following the second Pacific storm, and the first significant snowfall, of winter 2022/23 to impact the San Jacinto mountains. It warmed last night to just above freezing below 6000 ft, with a mixture of rain and sleet falling on top of the prior snow, turning it increasingly to wet slush at mid elevations (we measured about 0.25 inch rain in Idyllwild). Early on the morning of Saturday 17th I broke trail back-and-forth across the 0.4 mile section of South Ridge Trail between Chinquapin Flat/PCT and Tahquitz Peak which now has a lightly traveled posthole track to follow through the drifted powder (photo below). The fourteenth and fifteenth storm systems of winter 2022/23 impacted the San Jacinto mountains back-to-back on 13th and 14th February, as discussed in the previous Report available here. For the foreseeable future hikers should be prepared for temperatures below freezing in the high country, and well below freezing when considering wind chill effects (see below for my recent weather observations from San Jacinto Peak). Very cautious navigation is strongly recommended everywhere. Effective 26th January 2023 the State Park closed the section of Skyline Trail that falls within its jurisdiction, above 5800 ft elevation, until further notice due to dangerous weather conditions. Deer Springs Trail has a posthole track to follow along its entire length. High freeze levels may mean rain and/or freezing rain at the highest peaks at times, and icy or mixed snow/ice conditions at all elevations. I postholed barebooting to 8900 ft before putting on crampons. The first storm system comes through overnight on Tuesday 27th, with precipitation continuing into the morning of Wednesday 28th. There is an excellent snowshoe track to follow on the Wellman Trail and the Peak Trail up to San Jacinto Peak. 13:00. Spikes are generally not required for ascending, but most hikers find them useful at least for descending. A short video giving a feel for current snow conditions at San Jacinto Peak is available here on YouTube. By dusk today it had rained 0.68 inch in Idyllwild, and Long Valley had 1.5 inches of fresh snowfall. Note that average depth is given; due to strong winds accompanying the storm there is extensive drifting, often particularly accumulating in the trails. Although the high country currently has its deepest snow accumulation since March 2019, this winter nevertheless remains well below the average for snowfall in the San Jacinto mountains to date. Note that averages are given; due to strong winds accompanying storms there is extensive drifting. Spikes are strongly recommended as the snow is now hard, compacted and very icy in places. Spikes are not essential, but many hikers may find them useful depending on their comfort level hiking on thin icy snow. The lower half of the trail in particular is very icy. Given cold temperatures for the foreseeable future, melting is expected to slow (or largely stop in the high country). No, it wasn't snowfall in the Santa Cruz Mountains or at Mt. Idyllwild (at 5550 ft): 3.0 inches (storm total 3.0 inches). That said, the cumulative effect of multiple systems is helpful to our moisture situation, and Tuesday 10th January saw the sixth storm in just over two weeks in the San Jacinto mountains (a timeline of the recent sequence of storms is available here in the previous Report). San Jacinto Ranger District 54270 Pine Crest P.O. Above Little Round Valley there are at least half-a-dozen tracks ascending toward San Jacinto Peak, none of which accurately follow the established trail route. The freeze level again started very high at >9000 ft, with light rain falling in Long Valley (8600 ft) all morning. At the Peak on Wednesday 11th January 2023 at 0915 the air temperature was 24.0F (-4C), with a windchill temperature of 5.8F (-15C), 74% relative humidity, and a bitter NNW wind sustained at 19 mph gusting to 24.5 mph. Spikes are currently recommended throughout the trail system above about 6500 ft. By my measurements, Idyllwild is up to 51 inches of snow to date for this winter, compared to the average for the thirty year period 1991-2020 of 31 inches. UPDATE Thursday 15th December 2022: Early this morning I hiked to San Jacinto Peak from Humber via Devils Slide, Wellman and Peak trails. 24F-4C . Skyline Trail has a good track to follow through very thin icy snow above 7000 ft (the Traverse to Grubbs Notch). While these are expected to bring significant precipitation throughout the state, there remains considerable uncertainty regarding timing and precipitation amounts for Southern California. They are not currently recommended for traversing moderate or higher angle slopes above 9000 ft that have challenging ice underlying powder. The chart s below show s past snowfall recorded this year near San Jacinto, CA for the last few years. Along . Although excellent tracks are now in place for almost all major trails cautious navigation remains recommended. Forest Service campgrounds at Boulder Basin, Marion Mountain, and Fern Basin, and the State Park campground at Stone Creek, are closed for the season. These storms are currently forecast to each produce at least ten inches of snow at the highest elevations and an inch or more of rain at mid elevations (e.g., in Idyllwild). While many hundreds of hours of time and effort are volunteered every year, the San Jacinto Trail Report uses small private donations to help cover modest operating costs. This is the flattest portion of the PCT in the San Jacinto mountains, and snow depth currently averages about 13 inches. With another storm imminent tomorrow, I do not plan a thorough update until Wednesday 15th. At San Jacinto Peak (10,810ft/3295m) on Sunday 1st January 2023 at 0830 the air temperature was 17.9F (-8C), with a windchill temperature of -2.3F (-19C), 100% relative humidity, and a sharp WSW wind sustained at 11 mph gusting to 21.1 mph. Altitudes are approximate. Webcams. ON NOW. The Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail has a well-traveled track to follow throughout its length, snow cover is about 80%. The twelfth storm system of winter 2022/23 impacted the San Jacinto mountains with a minor snow storm on 29th-30th January. Altitudes are approximate. Spikes are recommended at least for descending upper Deer Springs Trail. Bear in mind that half the winter total, 26 inches, have fallen in the past five days! MT. Above Little Round Valley the track is somewhat less clear and does not entirely accurately follow the establishes trail route. Spikes tend to be especially useful for descending trails. The latter includes interpreting the snow/ice conditions, understanding your physical and mental abilities, and conservative decision making. IMPORTANT UPDATE Friday 13th January: back-to-back Pacific storm systems are forecast to impact the San Jacinto mountains this weekend, the first on Saturday 14th, immediately followed by another Sunday 15th-Monday 16th January. A strong and bitterly cold NNE wind made conditions interesting, with large parts of the broken tracks filling in overnight with spindrift (and wind blown ice blocks), so I found myself breaking lengthy sections of trail yet again. Black Mountain Road also closed on 7th November to vehicle traffic at the gate 1.7 miles up from Highway 243. SNOW DEPTHS measured (largely) on 21st November 2022 are as follows, with depths from 9th November 2022 in parentheses where known. The State Park campground at Stone Creek is also closed. However it is thinning rapidly everywhere, and will look radically different in a week or so. The State Park cut about a dozen trees on the section of trail under their jurisdiction in late July. The Wellman Trail from Annies Junction to Wellman Divide has about 40% icy snow cover. Currently the snow is relatively powdery and benign; this will steadily change over the next few days and weeks. UPDATE Thursday 23rd: Idyllwild woke up to about four inches of fresh snow overnight, and it snowed fairly consistently today (averaging 0.75 inch/hour), adding six more inches by late afternoon. Every year seems to have its unique challenges and 2022 has been no exception. Reliable tracks are in place (at least) for Devils Slide Trail. Preview trail We survey the trail system daily, with hikes via different routes to San Jacinto Peak several times per week, Tahquitz Peak and vicinity at least weekly, and many other trails on other days. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Hikers who have an ice axe (and know how to use it) may find it useful in places on this short section of trail. Although snow depths are not generally sufficient to obscure the routes of the major trails, cautious navigation is recommended everywhere for the next few days in particular until tracks through the snow are in place. Note however that snow depth itself is rarely indicative of the difficulty (or otherwise) of hiking a particular route. At San Jacinto Peak (10,810ft/3295m) on Tuesday 27th December 2022 at 0850 the air temperature was 31.2F (-1C), with a windchill temperature of 15.1F (-9C), 31% relative humidity, and a sharp WSW wind sustained at 17 mph gusting to 26.1 mph. Forecast precipitation is currently only a dusting of 1-2 inches of snow at upper elevations, but combined with strong winds this will be sufficient to complicate route-finding. The trail is largely clear of snow from Highway 243 to Strawberry Junction, and with about 60% snow cover from there up to 8600 ft. Marion Mountain Trail [updated 22nd December] has a well-defined but lumpy posthole track throughout. Humidity: 80% . Some hikers will find spikes are useful at least for descending. Vehicles not parked in these spaces may be ticketed and/or towed. Although good tracks are now in place for most major trails (details below), cautious navigation is recommended everywhere. I was surprised to find that no one had made it through on the Wellman Trail over the weekend, so I postholed somewhat over my snowshoe tracks from 15th until Wellman Divide. Be prepared for trails above about 7500 ft (lower in places) obscured by moderate to deep snow, and even fresh tracks being erased by spindrift snow in places. Rapid melting of snow on sun-exposed slopes and freeze-thaw cycles will combine to change trail conditions and potentially the preferred equipment for the terrain. Spikes are not required. Locations in between, especially those on the western and southern slopes, added more with up to five inches at Saddle Junction (8100 ft). This morning the PCT at the top of Spitler Peak Trail (roughly Mile 168.5) was basically clear of snow. Both trails were virtually completely clear of snow. MT. Current forecasts for precipitation suggest as much as three inches of rain around the elevation of Idyllwild (5000-6000 ft) between the evening of Tuesday 27th December 2022 and Friday 6th January 2023. The first number is the current average total snow depth at that location followed in parentheses by the maximum depth where known so far this winter, generally immediately following the major storm sequence on 14th-17th January 2023. My tracks from today (Friday 6th January) from Humber Park to San Jacinto Peak and back will be largely visible but will be somewhat obscured in places. Spikes at least, but preferably crampons, are required for the uppermost switchbacks (see photo below). Spikes are currently usefulthroughout the trail system above about 5000 ft, potentially lower in places. The latter includes interpreting the snow/ice conditions, understanding your physical and mental abilities, and conservative decision making. Two new trees were down on the upper trail, unsurprising given the huge weight of ice from freezing rain plastered all over the trees. I recorded a short video discussion there (available here on YouTube) which gives a feel for current conditions. Spitler Peak Trail has a very visible boot track through light snow in its upper switchbacks to the PCT. Currently there is less than three feet of snow at San Jacinto Peak; I suspect it would be 5-8 feet had we had fractionally cooler conditions in the past month. Hikers should be prepared for temperatures below freezing in the high country, and far below freezing when considering wind chill effects (see below for my recent weather observations from San Jacinto Peak). Storm total at San Jacinto Peak is about 14 inches for a current total depth of 36+ inches (but very heavily drifted). Early on the morning of Saturday 17th I broke trail back-and-forth across the 0.4 mile section of South Ridge Trail between Chinquapin Flat/PCT and Tahquitz Peak which now has a lightly traveled posthole track to follow through the drifted powder. Prior to that Idyllwild (at 5550 ft) had received 1.04 inches of rain, with a little hail and sleet mixed in. The open section of trail below 5800 ft is clear of snow. It turned to occasional light snow at about 1500, but less than 0.5 inch has accumulated so far (at 5550 ft). At San Jacinto Peak (10,810ft/3295m) on Wednesday 9th November 2022 at 0820 the air temperature was 14.5F (-10C), with a windchill temperature of -7.8F (-22C), 100% relative humidity, and a sharp due West wind sustained at 20 mph gusting to 30.5 mph. no traction device) to the Peak on a generally well-traveled and compacted track through light icy snow. Snowshoes will remain valuable anywhere off trail above about 8000 ft for the foreseeable future. South Ridge Road is clear of ice and snow. Precipitation turned to occasional light snow in Long Valley at about 1330, with an accumulation by 1550 of just 0.5 inch. Thank you for taking the time to read this. SAN JACINTO (MSJC1) Lat: 33.81528NLon: 116.64194WElev: 8616ft. Note that average depth is given; due to strong winds accompanying storms there is extensive drifting, often accumulating in the trails. Spikes are recommended. San Jacinto Peak is the highest peak in the California State Park system, and the second-highest point in southern California. At the Peak on Thursday 8th December 2022 at 0900 the air temperature was 28.4F (-2C), with a windchill temperature of 12.7F (-11C), 11% relative humidity, and a fresh SW wind sustained at 7 mph gusting to 9.3 mph. Icy snow cover is 80% overall, becoming increasingly patchy below about 7000 ft, and again in the sun-exposed areas above 8000 ft. Spikes are recommended, at least for descending. 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