As described above, crampons (always in conjunction with an ice axe) are currently recommended on certain moderate and higher angle slopes, at a minimum on the Peak Trail above Wellman Divide, and uppermost South Ridge Trail, especially on the north face of Tahquitz Peak. Both days I put spikes on at the Peak for the descent, on 24th keeping them on until about 8000 ft on Marion Mountain Trail, and on 28th until about 9900 ft on the Peak Trail, roughly one mile north of Wellman Divide. There is evidence of a relatively well-traveled track south from Saddle Junction on the PCT, but as of the morning of Saturday 17th this track did not make it through to Chinquapin Flat. The first storm overnight on Monday 28th may produce snow above 10,000 ft (forecasts have ranged from 0-16 inches), and very light snow near the elevation of Idyllwild preceded by a little rain. SNOW DEPTHS measured on 9th November 2022 are as follows. Combined with a weakening sun at this time of year, snow melt will generally be slow at upper elevations, and conditions will be ideal for freeze/thaw cycles and hence icy trails. Hikers in the past have died, and more have been seriously injured. Note that averages are given; due to strong winds and light powder there is extreme drifting. Although I made a concerted effort to put in a track as faithful to the trail routes as conditions permitted, further strong winds and blowing powder in the high country were erasing tracks within hours or even minutes. Since the depths given in the previous Report, there has been some melting at higher elevations on sunny days and below 9000 ft caused by the heavy rainfall. The primary purpose of this update is an advisory of imminent major snow accumulation forecast due to a triple storm sequence. Idyllwild received 2.75 inches, and I measured five inches at San Jacinto Peak on my hike through the storm this morning, with 3-4 inches at locations in between. There are no significant changes to snow/ice conditions, and advice below basically spikes recommended throughout the high country remains valid. Dark Canyon Road (4S02, the access to Seven Pines Trail), and Santa Rosa Truck Trail (7S02) also closed to vehicle traffic for the season on 7th November 2022. Thank you so much for your support. Partly cloudy. Areas here at 6500-7000 ft had had much less snow than a few miles further north, only 0.5-1.0 inch depth. Deer Springs Trail has a posthole track to follow along its entire length. . My blogging throughout the storms gave more day-to-day detail and is available here. Trails above about 8500 ft currently remain lightly covered with patchy icy snow (more continuous above about 9000 ft on the west side, 9900 ft on the east). This will likely continue to be the case for several weeks, given fresh snowfall expected. Be prepared for trails above about 8000 ft (perhaps lower in places) completely or largely obscured by moderate to deep snow. Details of snow depths measured at various locations on the trail system are given at the foot of this posting. Skyscrapers & Towers. New treefall hazards on several major trails have been reported, and those on Spitler Peak Trail have already been cleared by the Trail Report. If there are Road Closed signs further down at the junction with Forest Drive sometimes the case at weekends and holidays when snow is present then those nine spaces are also unavailable for legal parking. This may change after the weekend. Only five of these require cutting, and I was able to remove three by hand earlier in February. Forest Service campgrounds at Boulder Basin, Marion Mountain, and Fern Basin are now closed for the season. Trails remain very icy due to daily freeze/thaw cycles and compaction from hiker traffic, so spikes are recommended throughout the trail system above about 8000 ft (lower in places). KPBS. In the days since the storm, we have also surveyed trails around Tahquitz Peak, South Ridge, Spitler Peak, and Deer Springs, among others. Spikes are not essential, but many hikers may find them useful depending on their comfort level hiking on thin icy snow. Forecasts are increasingly confident of a moderate storm on Sunday 11th, with up to 1.5 inch of rain at the elevation of Idyllwild, turning into 1-3 inches of light snow on Sunday night, while 8-14 inches of snow are forecast for the high country. Devils Slide Trail has a moderately traveled track to Saddle Junction. It does not accurately follow the established trail route in significant sections but is navigable. However, Holden said that the one place where avalanches can sometimes happen is that north face. Nevertheless Seven Pines remains a genuine wilderness trail unlike the relatively wide, bare, and obvious routes of, for example, Devils Slide or Marion Mountain trails. Rain started overnight in Idyllwild, and by late this afternoon (at 1550) totals 1.22 inch. Devils Slide Trail is functionally clear of icy snow to about 7700 ft (about 1.7 miles up) although some dirty icy patches remain below that. Their arrival followed a period of several days of temperatures well above seasonal the previous week which had produced some significant melting. Seven Pines Trail has not been traveled since the storm in mid December, at least not in its uppermost section, and there is no track to follow through the snow. This trail has had limited hiker traffic since November 2018, largely because Dark Canyon Road has only been open for a few months since the Great Valentines Day flood of 2019. 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. Super Rare Avalanche on North Face of San Jacinto. Forecasts indicate we will get a few more inches of snow overnight on 2nd-3rd January, and again on Thursday 5th January. About six inches of snow fell at San Jacinto Peak (10,810ft) decreasing to 0.5 inch in upper Fern Valley (at c.6000 ft). This trail will become significantly more treacherous as it is expected to add freezing rain and/or layers of snow and ice over the next ten days. Trails above about 7500 ft currently remain lightly covered with patchy icy snow (more continuous above about 9000 ft). On 15th I barebooted (i.e. At the Peak on Sunday 15th January 2023 at 0750 the air temperature was 17.8F (-8C), with a windchill temperature of -5.6F (-21C), 100% relative humidity, and a wild SW wind sustained at 19 mph gusting to 30.2 mph. In my most recent survey there were at least 82 treefall hazards between PCT Miles 170-175 including 20+ major ones, and about six more on PCT Miles 175-177. SNOW DEPTHS measured on 15th February 2023 are as follows. The storm was relatively mild, as might be expected from an atmospheric river system pulling moisture in from subtropical latitudes at this relatively early season, and as a result the freeze level was relatively high for most of the time that precipitation fell. 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. Note that average depth is given; due to strong winds accompanying storms there has been extensive drifting, often particularly accumulating in the trails. Precipitation has been steady at mid and upper elevations for the past few hours. However the precipitation amounts and probabilities for both storm systems have varied greatly in recent forecasts, and the models seem to be especially uncertain about details of the second storm (approx. Winter Hiking: Dangerous conditions exist when snow and ice conditions are present. Feb. 28, 2023 6:07 AM PT. If there are Road Closed signs across Fern Valley Road at its junction with Forest Drive likely the case at least on weekends and holidays when significant snow is present then those nine spaces are also unavailable for legal parking. Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal are all now options. Spikes are useful but not strictly required for ascending, but most hikers will continue to find them very useful for descending. 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 snow quickly turned into semi-melted slush. Spikes tend to be especially useful for descending trails. 2-3 inches on 9th November), Saddle Junction/approx. 432. On 2nd, 5th, and 6th we barebooted to San Jacinto Peak on well-traveled and compacted tracks through increasingly patchy light icy snow. Snow is constant on north aspects to 6700', and patchy on South aspects above 9000'. Spitler Peak Trail had 10 new treefall hazards, almost all in the upper switchbacks. Minor storm overnight on 27th-28th December. However a couple more inches of snow are expected this afternoon, and also on 2nd and 5th January. Steady melting of snow, especially on sun-exposed slopes, and freeze-thaw cycles will combine to change trail conditions and potentially the preferred equipment for the terrain. There is no planned reopening date at this time. They tend to be especially useful for descending trails. Spikes are recommended at least for descending upper Deer Springs Trail. Given colder temperatures for the foreseeable future, melting is expected to slow (or almost stop in the high country) and spikes will remain recommended well into December at least. As described above, crampons (always in conjunction with an ice axe) are currently recommended on certain moderate and higher angle slopes, at a minimum on the Peak Trail above Wellman Divide, the Wellman Trail, and uppermost South Ridge Trail, on both flanks but especially on the north face of Tahquitz Peak. There is a very well-traveled track from Saddle Junction to Tahquitz Peak. Altitudes are approximate. The next, much more substantial, wave of snow arrives later this afternoon. PCT Mile 179.9 (8070 ft): 3 inches (4 inches on 12th December), Devils Slide Trail at Humber Park (6550 ft): 0-1 inches (3.5 inches on 12th December). Trail conditions are updated below. It is safest for all concerned that hikers hike the Trail rather than the highways. However the remaining snow patches are icy in the morning. As mentioned last week, current trail conditions are oddly reminiscent of spring, with snow distribution and iciness typical of April rather than December. Wet winters can dump several feet of snow, while dry winters may only result in a few inches here and there. My 2022 survey counted 97 trees down on this 2.1 miles of trail. Due to the very high freeze level snowfall was restricted to a light dusting above 8200 ft, increasing to one inch above 9000 ft and 1.5 inch above 10,000 ft. Impacts will be minimal on high country trails, but trails between 7000-9000 ft with pre-existing snow may be a mix of slush, snow and ice, and will require some caution. Temperatures are forecast to remain near or below seasonal averages for at least the next week, with freezing conditions every night above about 4000 ft elevation. A minor heatwave is forecast for 23rd-27th November with temperatures at all elevations expected to warm to well above seasonal. Since the depths given in the previous Report, there had been very minor storms on 28th and 29th December, which added a couple of inches at the highest elevations, down to 0.5 inch at 8000 ft. Rainfall may continue at mid elevations potentially for several consecutive days, and the relative warmth of the air masses may produce rain and/or freezing rain as high as San Jacinto Peak, challenging layers of icy or mixed snow/ice conditions at all elevations, and perhaps melting of much preexisting snow below about 8000 ft. 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