I visited the small town of Idyllwild August 28th – 30th (Friday – Sunday) for a quick camping weekend getaway with my boyfriend Trevor and our dog Koa. Weather ranged from the low 80’s to mid 60’s.
We drove up from San Diego around noon on Friday and it took about 2 hours to get there. We did not have a reservation and were hoping that we would just find a first come first serve campground (which we thankfully did)! We ended up staying at the very top of Mount San Jacinto State Park Campground. Many of the spots were already reserved, but there were a few left that did not have reservation signs on them meaning they were available! It was $10/night which you placed in an envelope along with your campsite number, license plate, and contact info at the start of the campground.
After setting our campsite up we relaxed, went into town to grab some firewood and the Adventure Pass for our hike the next day and then we started cooking dinner. Below is a list of places in town that sell the Adventure Pass. This is mandatory to have for some of the hikes in town and the surrounding areas.
We had brought enough food for 1 dinner, 2 lunches, and 2 breakfasts along with 2 big jugs of water, drinks and s’mores supplies.
On Saturday we decided to do our longer, harder hike which was Tahiquitz Peak via Devil’s Slide Trail. The trailhead is in a parking lot off of Fern Valley Road which can be found by putting Humber Park Trailhead into your apple or google maps. You will want to get there before 8:30AM since the parking lot tends to fill up very quickly.
We started the hike at around 8:15AM and was in covered, shaded areas for most of the hike up. We hit our first bit of sunlight at around 9AM!
We used THIS leash for Koa! The double handle was super convenient when we are on narrower parts of the paths to keep Koa more controlled plus it has a super comfortable hand grip!
Here are some photos of things we saw along the way:
Once we reached the top we were still a couple miles away. We followed the path along the top of the mountain (mostly flat with some uphill areas) until we reached the edge of the mountain where we could see the entire canyon and Suicide rock!
When we reached the very top (Tahiquitz Peak), we sat on a big rock and enjoyed our sandwiches, snacks and drinks we brought!
To the left, you can still see where the entire canyon was burned form a fire a few years ago. To the right, everything is still dense woods. The views are very beautiful and we took our time to enjoy it before heading on the long trek back down!
I ended up taking a photo of Trevor in the exact same spot when we visited in 2018!
I tracked the hike with my Apple Watch and this was the full stats from it:
We headed back to the campsite afterwards to relax and get changed to head back into town for dinner.
On our way back home the next day, we went to Hurkey Creek Park so we could hike to a small waterfall spot. The day use fees were $6 per adult and $2 per dog. The temperatures were extremely hot and there wasn’t any shade coverage on the trail but it was a short hike and once we got there, it was well worth it!
Balto Pets made our trip that much easier (and cleaner) with their CanineCover to keep the 4Runner backseat area free of dirt, drool and fur from Koa after exploring and hiking! Click HERE to get one for yourself!
Here is a list of products we used during the trip:
- 2-Person Sleeping Bag
- Intex Inflatable Camping Mattress
- REI Co-op Half Dome 3 Plus Tent
- REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Chair
- ENO Eagle’s Nest Light Weight Hammock
- Repel Citronella Insect Outdoor Candle
- Anker Portable Charger
Dog Gear:
- tobeDRI Heavy Duty 6 Foot, 2 Handle Dog Leash
- PetSafe Easy Walk Dog Harness – Large
- CanineCover from Balto Pets
- WOLFGANG OldFrontier Dog Collar – Large
- Outward Hound Slow Feeder Dog Bowl – Purple/Large
Food & Cooking Supplies:
- Cast Iron Skillet Pan
- Coleman Gas 2 Burner Stove
- Wooden/Metal Spatula
- Propane Fuel
- Stasher Silicone Reusable Storage Bags
- Yeti Rambler 10oz Wine Tumbler 2-Pack – Seafoam
Shoes, Accessories, and Clothing:
- Tea Arrowood Waterproof Shoes
- Vasque Women’s Talus Waterproof Hiking Shoe
- Zeal Optics Bennett Polarized Sunglasses – Vintage Tortoise
- Apple Watch Series 5 – GPS 40MM
- REI Co-op Flash 22 Pack
- CamelBak Thermobak 3L Hydration Pack – Black
- REI Co-op Merino Wool Lightweight Hiking Crew Socks
- Lululemon Speed Up Short 2.5″ – Incognito Camo Multi Gator Green/Black