Solo hiked Tues 4/16/2024 – Cactus Springs Trail-Sheep Mountain Trail- cross country from Sheep to Martinez mountains-cross country down WSW slope of Martinez- Cactus Springs Trail back. The only real trail on this loop was the Cactus Springs Trail, a nicely laid out ancestral path of the Cahuilla Tribe. It takes a direct route through the Santa Rosa Wilderness with frequent wooden forest service marker posts along the way. There are also many cairns/ducks marking the trail where it goes through the sandy wash areas but some erroneously mark paths up smaller, “dead end” washes. Going up the faint to non-existent Sheep Mountain Trail requires a bit of navigation work but is somewhat intuitive. There are helpfully cairn marked sections of this trail closer to the Sheep Mountain summit. Panoramic views off of Sheep Mountain were spectacular including Toro, Santa Rosa, San Jacinto, San Gorgonio and Martinez summits as well as the northern shoreline of the Salton Sea. That said, the view of the northwest route up Martinez from here reminds you of the work ahead! Taking the cross country route from Sheep to Martinez was the most challenging part of this trek, a constant navigation exercise without the aid of cairns that switches to a steep, direct NW ascent up to the summit. No real bushwhacking is required in finding a direct route up through the pinyons and oaks, just some care in avoiding cholla and prickly pear spines and looser scree zones in the gully portions. Climbing the Martinez summit block from the southeast side is straight forward, even with a mid-weight pack (placed it on a nice ledge for the last 3 chimney feet and retrieved it from the top). Really appreciated the very well cairn marked WSW descent down Martinez to the Cactus Springs Trail! Much thanks to everyone responsible as it was a quite fun, enjoyable way down through the rocks. Found what looked to be a nice 30 foot down climb of a dry water fall on an alternate route back to Horse Thief Creek but there was not enough daylight left for the “unknowns”. Highly recommend this loop if you’re up for the navigation work. Otherwise, the Cactus Springs Trail alone is worth the time. Logged 20.2 miles/4864 vertical ft with Gaia.
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Enjoyed this hike. The barrel cacti are blooming. Beautiful views.
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