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We started off by going to the Idyllwild Ranger Station, which was
closed (at this time, they are closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays).
However, there is a map and table outside where you can get a free
wilderness permit, which is required for this hike. We got our
permit and then made the short drive to the Deer Springs trailhead.
The trailhead parking area was almost completely full, but we snagged
one of the last 2 remaining spots. If it was full, we could have
parked in the larger area (for Idyllwild County Park) across the street a bit further back.
It was warm as we started hiking at 11:15am. We went up the path
from the parking area and soon joined the main trail, which climbs
steadily up. It was a hot, dusty climb; it felt like the middle of
summer. Lizards were a common sighting, as were manzanita. As we
climbed higher, we saw distinctive red snowplants peeking out of the ground.
Manzanita
Lizard
Despite all the cars in the lot, we didn't see a lot of people on the trail -
maybe about 15-20 on the entire trip. Also, despite the fact that is was
still April, we didn't see any snow in the area or on the peaks seen from the
trail. Yet another dry winter.
On the trail
After about 2.5 miles of climbing we came to the junction. The views start
to open up here, but we decided to stop for lunch here. There's ample shade
and plenty of flat ground to find a nice picnic area, though not a lot of
rocks or logs to sit on.
Junction
After lunch, we took the right fork toward Suicide Rock; the left fork heads
toward Little Round Valley and Mt. San Jacinto Peak. After 1.4 more miles
of climbing, we curved around the edge of Suicide Rock and then reached the
southeastern edge where we stopped. There was one other hiker nearby, but we
otherwise had the place to ourselves. From here we had great views of Tahquitz
Peak to the southeast, Idyllwild below, and the surrounding mountains and forest.
There was still no snow in sight, even on the highest peaks.
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