Mount San Jacinto State Park
Riverside Co, California
San Jacinto Peak is one of the most topographically prominent peaks in the United States. It is over 10,000 feet tall, and towers over the city of Palm Springs, California, which lies to its immediate east. There is a 10 minute tram ride that takes you from the bottom of the mountain at Palm Springs to the Mountain Station at 8,516 feet above sea level. The elevation gain during this tram ride is staggering and the forested terrain on the top is stunningly different from the desert scrub on the bottom. It is also a thirty degree temperature difference at the bottom from the top. There is usually snow cover at the top but it was lacking due to the excessively dry winter in Southern California.
I was visiting Palm Springs and made sure to make a visit here. While not truly a hike, since I took the tram up the mountain, I am including this mountain in the blog due to the dramatic scenery and images taken here. I did not have the time to hike to the peak, which is a solid five hour hike from the tram, but I did do a short hike on the Nature Trail loop at the top.
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| View from the Pine Forest Looking Down Towards Palm Springs |
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| Looking North Towards the Mojave Desert |
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| View of Palm Springs through the Pine Trees |
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| View Looking Towards to Peak of San Jacinto from Behind the Mountain House |
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| Desert Scrub at the Base of the Mountain |
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