San Jacinto Peak via Deer Springs Trail and Marion Mountain Trail
5.6 mi
Distance
2 hrs 10 min
Time
terrain
4,213 ft
Elev Gain
Overview
San Jacinto Peak via Marion Mountain Trail is tough hike. Trail surface is very uneven and full of rocks.
There are lots of shades. Round Valley Campsite @ 9720 ft elevation. It has a creek with cold crystal clear water which has no faint odor.
Moderate /Steep climb from trailhead into the first 3 miles.
There are ample of parking right next to trailhead entrance
Listed as 5.6 miles but Gaia GPS said 7.8 miles.
There are plenty of water but need to bring water filter. Bring trekking poles for the descend.
Getting Started
Park across from the water tower. The trailhead starts right there. If you are camping at the Marion Mountain campground, there is also a trailhead there that will connect to the main.
Sights to See
Rate this Hike
★★★★★
Solo day hiked Thurs 1/30/25 – Started this one tired but didn’t really feel it until the last 1-1/2 miles to the summit. But as Deer Springs always feels like it’s worth the effort, especially when snow-covered, I just took a longer food – electrolyte break at Little Round Valley and crawled up to the summit. The snow was spotty up to Strawberry Junction, after which it was a more consistent 4-5 inches of unconsolidated powder on the Pacific Crest Trail. Once on the upper Deer Springs Trail, the snow was a deeper 6-8 inch layer of unconsolidated powder. There were tracks up to Strawberry Junction but the rest of Deer Springs was unbroken up to the summit (except for 2 sets of mountain lion tracks and those from several mule deer). It was nice to have great snow going up early but it became very sloppy by noon. I didn’t use micro spikes going up but there were a few icy spots on the final ascent to Little Round Valley. I did use micro spikes coming down from the summit to Strawberry Junction to speed things up but I was still sliding around here and there. IMHO - the snow will not hold up well mid-day over the next week with the higher temperatures forecasted so going early will at least make the ascent easier. There are several fallen trees (a few new ones since last month) to hop over or bypass, none requiring too much extra effort. It was a very nice, sunny day with no wind and several mule deer foraging above Little Round Valley. Highly recommend reading the San Jacinto Trail Report (https://sanjacjon.com/) for the latest trail and weather conditions before going out on any of the San Jacinto Wilderness trails. Side note - the vault toilets at Little Round Valley are being used as trash cans so they may not be readily usable. Logged 18.5 miles / 5203 vertical ft with Gaia
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San Jacinto Peak via Marion Mountain Trail is tough hike.
Trail surface is very uneven and full of rocks.
There are lots of shades.
Steep climb from trailhead into the first 3 miles.
Listed as 5.6 miles but Gaia GPS said 7.8 miles.
One can filter water @ Round Valley Campsite (9720 feet elev) . Bring trekking poles for the descend.
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Public Tracks
Marion Mountain Campground to Deer Springs Camp, Riverside County, CA, USA
Yikes this trail starts off steep from the get go! We took a wrong turn from the beginning so follow signs and will be good. The trail is definitely tough terrain. There are lots of rocks, boulders and even some trees that you have to maneuver over and around. Once you get to the top it was all worth it. The trail is shaded so that helps with the heat. It was beautiful at the top! So worth it!!
Mount San Jacinto via Marion Mountain Trail
Temp was 45F at 8am and there was only one other couple on the trail on a Saturday. No toilets at trailhead. A good portion of the trail was covered in snow, making it impossible to see the trail and slowing down the journey. Micro spikes helped a lot and my knees wished I had hiking poles for the decent.
San Jacinto from Marion trail (8/4/19, 6:32:41AM)
Very hard hike. Took me 10 hours to complete. Have lots of training to do
Marion Mountain-San Jacinto round trip
Trip from Marion Mountain Campground to San Jacinto Peak
Mount San Jacinto State Park Hike
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/17269266113
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