Jump to content

San Jacinto Peak

Coordinates: 33°48′52″N 116°40′45″W / 33.8144630°N 116.6791834°W / 33.8144630; -116.6791834
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Mrjpb104 (talk | contribs) at 05:09, 9 February 2009 (→Geography). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

San Jacinto Peak
Map

San Jacinto Peak is the highest peak of the San Jacinto Mountains, and of Riverside County, California. It lies within Mount San Jacinto State Park.

Geography

To the east, the peak towers over the city of Palm Springs; to the west, it borders the mountain community of Idyllwild. The peak is also frequently called Mount San Jacinto. The steep escarpment of its north face, above Snow Creek, climbs over 10,000 feet (3.0 km) in 7 miles (11 km). This is one of the largest gains in elevation over such a small horizontal distance in the contiguous United States.

From the peak, Mount San Gorgonio can be seen across the San Gorgonio Pass. Also easily visible below is the Coachella Valley and the Salton Sea. In addition, much of the Inland Empire to the west can be viewed on a clear day.

Mount San Jacinto is one of the "Three Saints," a slang term used by hikers to refer to three of the tallest peaks in Southern California: San Jacinto Peak, Mount San Gorgonio, and Mount San Antonio.

History

The peak is flanked by Jean Peak 10,670 feet (3,250 m) and Marion Mountain (10,362 feet, 3158 metres). These peaks were named in 1897 by USGS topographer Edmund Taylor Perkins, Jr. Perkins named Jean Peak for his sweetheart and future bride, Jean Waters of Plumas County, whom he married in 1903. He named Marion Mountain after Marion Kelly, his girlfriend, a teacher for the Indian Bureau at the Morongo Valley Reservation. According to a local legend, Perkins spent the summer of 1897 deciding which woman to marry while he conducted his topographical survey of San Jacinto Peak and its environs.

Near the summit of San Jacinto peak is a stone hut that was built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. In the 1930s, Idyllwild staged an annual race from the town center to San Jacinto Peak and back. Contestants could choose any route they wished to get to and from the peak.

San Jacinto Peak, showing its north escarpment, one of the highest in the contiguous United States.

Hiking

San Jacinto Peak is easily accessible, as many trails penetrate the San Jacinto Wilderness. The most popular route involves taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway from Valley Station at 2,643 feet (806 m) in Palm Springs up to Mountain Station at 8,516 feet (2,596 m). From there, one can easily climb the mountain face via trails. Another method is to hike to the peak from the nearby mountain town of Idyllwild. The Cactus to Clouds trail climbs over 10,000 ft from the Desert Art Museum in Palm Springs to the summit at 10,800 ft [4].

The mountain is quite rugged in places, with several outdoor hazards that hikers may be unprepared for, including high altitude, severe weather, steep rock faces, and wild animals. Hikers and climbers die or are harmed every year.

See also

References

  1. ^ "San Jacinto". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  2. ^ a b Error: no |name= specified when using {{cite gnis}}
  3. ^ "San Jacinto Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  4. ^ Hiking4Health.com
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=San_Jacinto_Peak&oldid=269472811"