{"id":1535,"date":"2015-12-23T19:18:28","date_gmt":"2015-12-24T04:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/?p=1535"},"modified":"2020-02-25T09:46:52","modified_gmt":"2020-02-25T18:46:52","slug":"southern-californias-mt-san-jacinto-state-park-reminds-me-of-alaska-sort-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/travel\/southern-californias-mt-san-jacinto-state-park-reminds-me-of-alaska-sort-of\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern California’s Mt. San Jacinto State Park Reminds Me of Alaska — Sort Of"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Long Valley’s beauty includes granite monolith and towering pines<\/span><\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finally,\u00a0the highest mountains\u00a0in Southern California\u00a0are glistening white in snow, just in time for fun and frolic over the\u00a0holidays.<\/span> Mt. San Jacinto State Park’s<\/span> <\/a><\/strong>Long Valley, at the top of the<\/span> Palm Springs<\/a><\/span> A<\/a><\/span>erial<\/a><\/span> Tramway<\/a><\/span>,<\/span> is currently blanketed in\u00a0two to three inches of snow with as much as a foot or more covering San Jacinto Peak. <\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While northern \u201csnow birds\u201d flock to<\/span>\u00a0Palm Springs<\/span> <\/a>to escape winter\u2019s cold,\u00a0Southern\u00a0California\u00a0residents flock to\u00a0 Long Valley where they can play in the snow. Daytime temperatures at the\u00a0Tramway\u2019s Mountain Station this time of year range between 35 to 50 degrees, but can drop precipitously <\/span>so come prepared for\u00a0 cold, snow and ice.\u00a0\u00a0Don’t be fooled by Palm Springs’ 60 to 70 degree winter afternoons. Temperatures on the mountain are much colder than the desert cities below. Visitors traversing through Long Valley should dress in layers and wear snow boots, gloves, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Check the mountain’s conditions<\/span><\/a> before you leave home.\u00a0Call the<\/span> tram office<\/a> <\/span>or\u00a0check out the<\/span>\u00a0Long Valley web cam.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Snow Play<\/span><\/h4>\n
\"OLYMPUS<\/a>
Snow conditions in 2013 were ideal for making a snowman.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visitors like to\u00a0travel\u00a0up the mountain by\u00a0tram because they can get to snow without having to drive for hours. No treacherous roads, no snow chains, just magnificent views of the<\/span> Coachella Valley<\/span><\/a> and the distant<\/span> San<\/a><\/span> Bernardino Mountains<\/a><\/span>.<\/strong> When they have their fill of snow,\u00a0visitors can be back to warmer weather in just\u00a020 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Long Valley in the winter is a great place for kids and kids at heart.\u00a0Snowball fights, sculpting snowmen, swishing snow angels and even picnicking are popular activities. The valley\u2019s Desert View Trail offers spectacular views of the Coachella Valley and surrounding snow-covered sub-alpine forests with their galvanized granite outcroppings and weather-toughened pines and firs.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no downhill skiing in Long Valley, but you can\u00a0snowshoe, cross-country ski, sled and toboggan, however, inflatable sleds and sleds with blades are not permitted. There is an Winter Adventure Center in Long Valley where you can buy sleds and rent snowshoes and cross-country skis. Snow conditions, however, have been poor for any of these activities and the Adventure Center may be closed. \u00a0For more information about the Winter Adventure Center, call (760) 325-1391 or check its the <\/span>Tram’s website<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Snow Camping\u00a0 for the Adventurous <\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00a0I relish\u00a0snow camping\u00a0in a pine forest, whether the forest is in Alaska or California. It’s mesmerizing\u00a0to watch\u00a0the conifers bend under their snowy burdens while\u00a0dropping clumps of snow, pine needles and cones.\u00a0 If you are a brave and toughened snow camper, you can pitch a tent in one of the State Park’s four wilderness campgrounds: Round Valley, Little Round Valley, Tamarack Valley\u00a0and Strawberry Junction.\u00a0\u00a0Don’t, however,\u00a0expect any accommodations. All these wilderness campgrounds offer is the ground you sleep on and pit toilets.\u00a0 No campfires are allowed, only propane cook stoves.\u00a0\u00a0You also have to pack in your own water or melt snow. Keep in mind, there is not enough snow for snowshoes at the moment, but I do recommend\u00a0carrying at\u00a0least microspikes as the trails are often icy, dangerously so if you are not aware and prepared.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wilderness camping is cheap on the mountain. Only $5 per person for up to two weeks.\u00a0\u00a0For more\u00a0camping information go to:<\/span> http:\/\/www.parks.ca.gov\/pages\/636\/files\/dpr409.pdf<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

48 Miles of Hiking Trails<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/a><\/p>\n

Long Valley’s \u00be mile (1.2 km) loop Nature Trail is an easy hike, depending on the weather.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Hiker with stamina and grit\u00a0often climb to the crest of San Jacinto Peak (10.069 feet) in winter, but\u00a0must endure the icy blasts of the mountain’s\u00a0chilling alpine winds. The reward:\u00a0 stunning views of the<\/span> \u00a0San Gorgonio Pass<\/a><\/span>, Pacific Ocean<\/a><\/span>, Colorado Desert<\/a><\/span>, Salton Sea<\/a><\/span>, and distant<\/span> Mexico<\/a><\/span>. A<\/span> permit<\/a><\/span> is required for\u00a0 wilderness hiking and can be obtained at the Long Valley or Idyllwild ranger stations.\u00a0Hiking permits are free.<\/span><\/p>\n

All park visitors\u00a0should be prepared for changing weather conditions by dressing in layers and wearing sturdy, winter hiking boots, sunscreen and sunglasses. Hikers going to the peak would be wise to carry snowshoes, crampons and an ice ax as conditions on the peak are often <\/span>treacherous<\/span>. For information on the 10 Essentials of Hiking<\/em>, visit<\/span> the American Hiking Society’s website<\/span><\/a>.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

With its geology of alluring granite summits and boulder-stacked ridges, visitors often refer to<\/span> Mount San Jacinto State Park\u2019s<\/a><\/span> wilderness as the<\/span> Sierra Nevada Mountains<\/a><\/span>\u00a0of Southern California. Indeed, it is the closest wilderness in So Cal that is comparable\u00a0to Southeast Alaska —\u00a0sort of.<\/span><\/p>\n

###<\/strong><\/p>\n

All text and\u00a0photos copyright by Aleta Walther,<\/strong><\/span> 2015<\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/span>Naturalist, Outdoor Excursion Guide, CIG, CTA, ATG<\/b><\/span><\/b><\/strong>
\n<\/b><\/span><\/b>CONTACT: <\/span><\/strong>\u00a0aleta@prwriterpro.com<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Finally,\u00a0the highest mountains\u00a0in Southern California\u00a0are glistening white in snow, just in time for fun and frolic over the\u00a0holidays. Mt. San Jacinto State Park’s Long Valley, at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, is currently blanketed in\u00a0two to three<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22,91,92,23,21],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1535"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1535"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1830,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1535\/revisions\/1830"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}