2026-03: Mt. San Jacinto State Park

Milestones

•  39th time camping in 39 months (SHOW ON MAP)
•  3rd time camping in Riverside County (SEE 2nd)

Exactly 90 years ago, this campground (including the stone pillars at the entrance) was developed in 1936 by the Civil Conservation Corps.

Last Minute Switcheroo

I had originally made reservations at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona, south of Tucson, near the Mexican border. Just a week away from my planned trip, hundreds of high-temperature records across the western half of the United States were being broken. The days I was supposed to be in Arizona, it was going to be 98F. That’s just too hot for me to enjoy. The good news was… I decided to cancel my reservations, and book something in the nearby mountains, preferably above 5,000 ft in elevation. I zeroed in on Idyllwild, which is less than 2 hrs from my house. The temperatures were a Low of 48F and a High of 88F. I will make that trade any day of the year.

I didn’t get away entirely “scott-free” however. I went to high-school in Big Bear, California and I remember how quickly you can get sunburnt on a clear day at that altitude. Upon returning home from this trip, I noticed that I have 3 skin colors: pale-white, light-tan, and beet-red. It was worth it though.

The Road Up

The drive was easy and quite nice. I felt more relaxed every 1,000 ft in elevation that I went up. I pulled over at a “vista point”. I wasn’t impressed. Trees and boulders blocked the best views.

However, I saw several “slow-traffic” turnouts that had better views. This is a westerly view of Diamond Valley Lake.

This is a northerly view of Mount San Gorgonio (the highest peak in Southern California at 11,503 feet). Despite not being particularly striking in appearance during the summer, it is the only mountain in Southern California with a summit that has a significant distance above the tree line. As such its bright white winter snow cap, unobstructed by vegetation, makes the mountain noticeable from many miles away. The mountain boasts the longest recorded line of sight in the contiguous United States; it is plainly visible from the summit of Mount Whitney, 190 miles away.

Idyllwild Campground

Surrounding my campground there are three mountain peaks higher than 10,000 feet in elevation, including San Jacinto Peak, which, at 10,834 feet, is the highest peak in the California State Park System. I wanted to go on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, but all the reservations were booked up. I will go back, just for that.

Beautiful Manzanita.

If you look at the concrete picnic table, I bet you can tell that it is original to the campground. It was kinda tall on one end, and just the right height on the other. The table top was rickety and when I put a bit of weight on it, some of my stuff tumbled to the ground. I wouldn’t fix a thing. It’s 90 years old, and it’s good enough for me.

This old fallen tree was just gorgeous.

I intended to take the following picture of a jet plane’s “contrail” (ice crystals that form behind aircraft engine exhaust at high altitudes). But, a ray of sunlight lined up perfectly, making it look like I planned the whole thing. I didn’t.

In the middle of the afternoon, I took a short nap in the shade of this bush. It’s one of the million reasons I go camping.

The Food for 2 Days

My friend Luke got me hooked on Dolmas (rice wrapped in grape leaves in olive oil). The word dolma is of Turkish origin and is derived from the verb dolmak (“to get stuffed”). For a snack in the afternoon, there is no equal. I stopped at Trader Joe’s the day before and picked up 2 small cans and a bottle of Italian wine. It was pretty great.

I love Bratwurst and baked potatoes with Ranch dressing. Probably good that I don’t eat that every day.