How To Backpack and Summit Southern California's Second Tallest Mountain - San Jacinto

First, mail in an application for a camping permit 8 weeks in advance to the Mount San Jacinto State Wilderness office at the link below. Sites are first come first serve, but you must have a permit to camp.  You can complete the application found on the link below and mail it in. Cost is $5 per person in group.

https://www.pstramway.com/wilderness-permits/

Once the permit has been approved, book your ticket on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (or buy it when you arrive at the station). Fee $25.95 for adults.

https://www.pstramway.com/

Upon arrival, each vehicle pays $5 to park whether making a day trip or spending the night.

Take the tram to the top (8,516 feet). The station has food and drinks for sale and nice restrooms.  I emphasize nice restrooms because Round Valley only has vault toilets and no place to wash hands.

Leaving the tram station, check in at the ranger station at the base of the ramp to register your arrival.

From here, hike approximately 2.9 miles to Round Valley (9,100 feet).

At the old unmanned ranger station here, check the whiteboard to see which campsites are still available. Write your name next to the site with camping dates to claim it.  Then find the site, pitch camp, relax and go to bed. No campfires are allowed.

Some sites are a little off the beaten path, so it may take some time to find it. But the sites are beautiful.

Also, water is not always available at this location so please check the status with the ranger station near the tram before you head out.  If there is water running from the pipe, it must be treated before drinking.  

The next morning, head out early to San Jacinto peak. We left camp at 7:00 AM with day packs filled with water and trail food. There is no water from this point on.

First, hike 1 strenuous mile up to Wellmans Divide (9,700 feet) for an amazing view. We arrived at 8:20. Then hike 2.7 miles to the top of San Jacinto at 10,834 feet for even more spectacular views. We reached it at 10:20.

On the return, due to an knee problem with one of our party, we did not reach Round Valley until 1:00 PM.  After packing up camp, we left at 2:00 and reached the tram at 3:30.

Mount San Jacinto wilderness area is an amazing location. The top of the tram is about 30 degrees cooler than at the base of the tram. The day we went, it was 112 at the base and 85 at the top. The next day, 78 at the top and 110 at the base. You are surrounded by pine trees and lush meadows at the top, desert at the base. 

It is definitely a memorable trip. Hiking from the tram to San Jacinto and back is approximately 13 miles. It can be done in one day, but it makes for a very long day. I feel it is much better to break it up.

Don't Miss Nugget Falls

When visiting the Mendenhall Glacier don’t skip the 30-45 minute detour to Nugget Falls.

The falls are less than two miles round-trip from the main Mendenhall overlook trail.  Nugget Falls water source is Nugget Glacier.The trail leads you to a sandbar that ends less than 20 feet from where a 377-foot tall gushing waterfall crashes into Mendenhall Lake. 

For me, the most impressive thing was how close you are to the base of the falls - no more than 20 feet. Feeling the cool glacial water spray across your face (and in my case head as well), is invigorating.  And of course the pictures you get to take of the waterfall and it’s spray across the lake and in front of the glacier and her icebergs makes it a photographer’s paradise.

It was a real shame hearing people on the path say, “oh we don’t have time for that”, and “I am sure it isn't worth it”, and another family debating to go to the visitor center or the falls.

It is an easy hike with little elevation gain. See photo to the right. My friend's 82-year old uncle did it. Mind you, the man is an amazing human being. The point is, just do it. You will be glad you did. 

Review: Chichen-Itza Highlight Tour plus Xcaret

Experiencias Xcaret is a large well-thought out tour company with numerous tours and adventures.

We booked the Xichen/Xcaret combo to save money versus booking individual Chichen Itza and Xcaret trips: $166.10 vs. $187.10.

The Xichen Clasico Tour was very good for what it was - experiencing all things Mayan in one day on a 48-person tour bus. You hit a shopping area, swim in a cenote, have a Mexican buffet, and spend a couple of hours visiting amazing ruins, and drive through a colonial town.

I said it was very good because the tour bus was very comfortable, the guides were very friendly, informative and helpful. The buffet was better than expected with multiple dishes to choose from (you have to pay for drinks.) Having read mixed reviews ahead of the cenote ahead of time, I wasn’t sure about it, but it turned out to be a highlight of our trip. (the faster you eat lunch the more time you have to swim and jump off the ledge). I also purchased the $30 waterproof case that floats they sold on the bus so I could take pictures in the cenote, at Xcaret and kayaking during the rest of our trip. I know I probably paid too much, but it was so worth it. Pictures came out great. Finally, the guides got us through the Chichen Itza line pretty quick and gave a good, but brief, tour.

Be forewarned about four items on this trip. By knowing about them you will not be disappointed.

First, you are

only at Chichen Itza about an hour and forty-five minutes. After the 45-minute guided tour, you have about an hour of free time to get back on the bus. Walking fast, I only saw about three-quarters of the site with not time to stop and read signs. I was taking pictures of signs to read later. If you are looking to spend more time here, reading all the signs, relax, get artsy with your camera, you might want to book another tour. Of course, my teenagers were fine with the brief amount of time here.

Second, there is a 45-minute tourist trap souvenir stop. I knew this was coming having read reviews of the tour before I booked it, but my wife didn’t and wondered why we were wasting time here. I think most people would much rather spend an extra 45-minutes at Chichen Itza where there are other souvenir stores than at that place. I know they talk about supporting education and writing your name in Mayan, but at Coba store there gave the same pitch.

Third, you are on a 48-person tour bus. The way Experiencias ran this tour is they either meet you at your hotel or you meet them at a designated pickup location.  Their bus will then take you to their central bus depot where you’ll either pick up more passengers or have you to change to another bus.  That process was a little frustrating as we watched other buses leaving for Chichen Itza while we waited for the rest of our “designated group” to arrive. For guests at the Hampton Inn, you have to take a 15-minute taxi ride to the Pasteleria restaurant at the Mall of Americas to pick up the first bus.

Finally, the tour is conducted in both English and Spanish. They spend a couple of minutes speaking in English, then a couple in Spanish. At Chichen Itza, they did split up the group into a English speaking only group and a Spanish speaking only group which I was very happy about.

I would recommend the Xichen Clasico Tour keeping in mind, you will see a lot, fast. This was perfect for my kids. For me, I would have liked to have spent more time at Chichen Itza, but for the family as a whole, it worked out well.

For Xcaret, you are really just paying for the entrance fee and transportation with the combo package. Once you are in the park, you are on your own until do decide to leave at 4:45 or 9:30 - the only two times you can leave. Pickups and drop offs were on time on their trademark signature snake buses.