The view from San Jacinto is the most sublime spectacle to be found anywhere on this earth!
John Muir
My hiking partner Jenny and I needed to do a shakedown hike to prepare for the Tahoe Rim Trail, which we had planned to attempt in July of 2021. So, we decided to head to our local San Jacinto mountains. We didn’t originally plan on backpacking Devil’s Slide to Round Valley, but sometimes the universe has plans you didn’t know about.
We arrived on Friday night acclimate a bit to the higher altitude since we were both coming from sea level. The beers we had with dinner were probably a mistake (ok yeah, they were definitely a mistake…..but they tasted so good). I had stopped by the Ranger Station to get a day hiking permit since their offices had been closed for over a year due to COVID and the phones just rang and rang and rang if you tried to call. I figured a day permit was better than no permit. Right?
Well, low and behold, when I arrived there was a ranger standing outside!! They had reopened the day before and were once again issuing overnight permits. Only problem was that a ton of others had heard they were reopened as well. And the original route we had planned to hike, up to Little Round Valley, was already sold out. So the Ranger suggested we trek up Devil’s Slide to Round Valley instead since there was a reliable water source there and plenty of room. She told me to just download the route on All Trails since I wasn’t familiar with the route.
Pro-tip: All Trails isn’t always accurate, so even if a Ranger tells you to use it, make sure you also have a map and compass (and the ability to use them correctly) and/or a satellite GPS device.
So once I got our permit, I headed over to Idyllwild Regional Park Campground where I met up with Jenny. We slept in our cars that night after a great dinner at Idyology; which I highly recommend if you’re in town visiting.
We woke up early, hit the trail and made it to camp by lunch time! This trail is straight up, so be prepared. It’s a butt kicker for sure! Jenny opted to summit San Jacinto, and she took off at the Spring. At one point I thought there was a possibility she wouldn’t be able to find me at the campground.
Did she find me? Or did we both have to sleep alone that night? Watch my YouTube Video below to find out!
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