I drove out to Idyllwild around 5:30 am from Orange County. It is about a two hour drive to reach this scenic little mountain town. I have been here a few times before, and the first time was on my birthday in October 2021. My goal back then was to hike to San Jacinto Peak from the Humber Park trailhead, heading up the Devil’s Slide trail. I was in awesome shape then, and made it to the peak, arriving back at my car at 4:30 pm. Today my goal was Red Tahquitz Peak!
So here I was, back in Idyllwild again, years later. I picked up my permit at the ranger station kiosk which is open 24 hours. The permits can be limited to places such as Tahquitz Peak or Red Tahquitz Peak, during the peak times of the year (May-October). So you must always pick one up, before you head out. Afterward I drove straight toward Humber Park, and reached the parking area around 7:45 am.
Once I arrived at the parking area, I spotted beautiful Lily Rock towering up above. Today I was hiking with a friend, who had yet to hike to Red Tahquitz Peak, so this would be a first for both of us.
The area of Tahquitz Peak and Lily Rock is a popular rock climbing area as well, and I noticed several climbers heading out from the trailhead as well.
It was about 8am when I headed out of the Devil’s Slide Trail.
The sun was just beginning to rise and filter through the trees, as I headed up the trail.
By 8:30 am the sun had risen high in the sky, and was peeking its way over the hillside.
The Devil’s Slide Trail was still mostly shaded this early in the morning, which was welcome.
By 9am I was about halfway to the saddle, and juncture of where the PCT meets the Devil’s Slide trail.
The scenery was absolutely beautiful, with plenty of wildflowers in bloom.
Off in the distance was Suicide Rock, another shorter yet popular hike I have not done as of yet.
I reached Saddle Junction which sits at 8091 ft in elevation, around 9:30 am. It had taken about an hour and a half of hiking, to reach this point, which is 3 miles up.
I turned down the Caramba Trail, which I would be taking towards Red Tahquitz Peak, and found it filled with peaceful grassy mountain meadows. The trail was overgrown in areas, and fairly narrow most of the way.
Further along the trail, we had our first snake encounter, with this rattlesnake tucked under a large rock, right alongside the trail.
Eventually I reached the PCT and Tahquitz Valley juncture, making a left towards Red Tahquitz Peak along the PCT.
There were awesome views along the way of Mt. San Jacinto, as I made my way through the alpine forest of pines.
We had some difficulty finding the turnoff for Red Taquitz, missing it, and backtracking to find it. Once on the short trail, we found it to be very steep.
I reached the first saddle on the way to the peak around 12 noon, and enjoyed awesome views of the desert area in the distance.
Finding the actual peak of Red Tahquitz was also a bit challenging, and I used alltrails to find my way. The mountaintop is filled with downed and standing deadfall. It was a rather stark environment, and seemed to have been burned in the recent past.
There was plenty of new growth everywhere though, and wildflowers.
There were beautiful 360 degree views in all directions of the entire San Jacinto Wilderness area.
The view to the east.
The view to the south.
Views to the west.
It was 12:15pm as I finally made it to Red Tahquitz Peak, elevation 8813 ft!
View toward the lake from the peak.
I truly felt like I was in the wilderness here, and this is one of the most unique places I have visited, despite its stark rocky and unforgiving landscape.
I took a short snack break at the peak, enjoying the views in the hot sun. I started to get warm, so we kept it short, leaving the summit around 12:30 pm to head back down.
We decided to take the PCT all the way back this time, and that decision would prove to add more challenge and gain to our hike. There were gorgeous views along this section.
As we headed up this steep hill toward Tahquitz Peak, we debated adding a second peak, to make it two peaks in a day. We took a few breaks on this section, and I could tell my hiking buddy was tired.
We reached the turnoff for Tahquitz Peak around 2 pm. My friend was ok with not adding a second peak, so we continued back to Saddle Junction, versus bagging two peaks in a day.
It was all downhill from there, past Saddle Junction down the Devil’s Slide, and we made it back to our cars by 4:30 pm. The hike was 12.75 miles roundtrip with 2400 feet of gain, including the extra 1/2 mile of PCT hiking, after missing the turn for Tahquitz, taking Caramba Trail there and the PCT back to the Saddle.
Until next time San Jacinto Wilderness and Red Tahquitz Peak!
I hope you enjoyed reading this, and it is helpful in knowing what to expect, should you decide to visit here.
Leave No Trace
Just be sure to come prepared and follow Leave No Trace principles to keep the wilderness pristine for future hikers.
About me
I’m Serafina! I’m a writer and California girl who loves to go exploring. Hope you will get outside today, breathe some fresh air, and be happy!
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