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.
Rate this Hike
★★★★★
Solo Hiked Thurs 7/11/2024 – With the heat wave, I was looking for a shorter hike at higher altitude with a decent workout. And so I chose the Marion to San Jacinto Peak Route, knowing that it had the shorter, faster access to the PCT over Deer Springs and Devil’s Slide. There is one lower flowing water spot on the Marion Trail 1.3 miles in, but the most reliable water filtering spot is on the PCT at the San Jacinto River (creek) North Fork crossing (3.5 miles in from Marion TH) which still has a very strong flow. Further up on the Deer Springs trail, there are two more water sources flowing nicely, the first at 4.5 miles from Marion TH and the second being the creek at Little Round Valley Camp which is 4.9 miles from the Marion TH. I was on the SJ Peak summit early enough to meet up with Jon King of the San Jacinto Trail Report before descending to the San Jacinto Azimuth Benchmark boulder stack and then starting the cross-country trek to Jean, Shirley, 10362, Marion Mountain and Mt Saint Ellen peaks. My plan was to do the first 3 peaks and evaluate the heat before committing any further. After going up Shirley Peak, some high clouds moved in and lowered the heat dome temperature ever so slightly to make things bearable for the last 3 peaks. Scrambling and climbing the various rock stacks/summit blocks along the cross-country route and meeting up with 7 mule deer on the Jean/Shirley saddle made up for the very warm weather. The spectacular views from most of the summits also helped. My descent back to the PCT trail started at Deer Springs and followed the San Jacinto River North Fork down through the boulders which was a beautiful way down but time consuming. Carried a 3 liter water bladder and a 2 liter electrolyte reserve in my pack for the cross country leg. I would recommend carrying at least a few liters on the trail if filtering and more if not until the heat notably decreases. Last week, I gladly donated both of my 1 liter reserve bottles to people out of water on the PCT by Tahquitz, one of them not doing so well. Added a few liters of very cold North Fork Water before coming down the Marion trail in the afternoon in partial shade but with the heat increasing all the way down. Highly recommend reading the San Jacinto Trail Report before heading out anywhere in the San Jacinto Mountains (https://sanjacjon.com) to “know before you go.” Logged 13.1 miles / 4888 vertical ft with Gaia ........................................................................................................................................................................... Solo backpacked Thurs-Fri 3/21-22/2024 – The Marion Mountain Trail makes you work when it’s dry so it was a beast with a few feet of spring snow and a heavier winter pack. Since it was warmer than expected, snowshoes were very helpful after the first mile and then the entire route to the peak. If you’re on the lighter side with only a day pack, bare boots may be a good option right now. The Marion and PCT trails were broken with constant 6-8 inch deep posthole tracks. Had to break the Deer Springs Trail to Little Round Valley which is always challenging to stay on route when crossing the slope traverses but the tree blazes are quite helpful. Took a break at Little Round Valley and set up camp before making a direct ascent up the west side of San Jacinto Peak which had perfect snow for going up on snowshoes with climbing bars. Both days had “bluebird” weather with spectacular views off the peak in little to no wind. The sunset on the way down to Little Round Valley was worth the trek up in itself. 4-5 feet of snow in Little Round Valley with the top 16 inches being very soft. Didn’t use crampons over the two days but good to bring if it gets colder again. Very nice and quiet camping in Little Round Valley with the low around 28°F. Recommend reading the San Jacinto Trail report (https://sanjacjon.com/) for updated trail conditions before heading out anywhere in SJ. Logged 8.98 miles/4530 vertical ft with Gaia ............................................................................................................................................................................ 10/18/22 Hike - made a loop out of the area above Strawberry Junction by taking the trail towards Wellman Divide after SJ peak with a few side excursions (20 miles). Great weather right now but usual strong winds on peak. Good time to hike this beautiful trail before snow comes. Will do Devil's Slide Trail in the snow but not this one. Met a lot of nice people on the peak and more on the way down. FYI-Little Round Valley and Strawberry Junction Camps were empty when passing by early morning.
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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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