The Cactus to Clouds hike is epic. It has over 10,000 feet of climbing, with a large stretch on the treacherous Skyline Trail, the Cactus to Clouds hike should only be attempted by the very experienced and very fit hiker.
The Cactus to Clouds hike is popular, especially with Southern California hikers, but it isn’t a hike you just show up and do. It’s a hike that you need to prepare for, and then you do it only when the conditions are right. It didn’t get to be rated Backpacker Magazine’s 5th hardest day hike for nothing.
The hike starts in extreme desert conditions, and then climbs to nearly 11,000 feet at the top of Mount Jacinto, where there can be blizzard conditions. I would read this article about some tragedies that occurred on the Cactus to Clouds hike before you start. It will certainly sober you up and will put your plans into perspective. Even if you feel 100% confident that you can complete this hike, make sure you have contingency and backup plans in place.
The warning rock on the hike. People die here. Know exactly what you’re doing and be prepared.
If you just want to do a long hike to Mount San Jacinto without the risk, I strongly recommend doing the hike from Idyllwild. It’s beautiful, tough, yet doesn’t have the potentially deadly desert stretch. You can also take the tram to Long Valley and just hike to the peak from there.
Training for Cactus to Clouds
This hike is steep and long, there’s no getting around it. You need to get used to climbing for 10-13 hours straight. I would recommend these hikes as preparation for hiking Cactus to Clouds.
Because there are extremes at both ends of the weather spectrum (alpine and desert climates), timing your Cactus to Clouds hike is a bit of an art. Use the list below as a rough guide. Always check the local conditions before making any decisions. You’ll want to check the weather for Palm Springs (the start of the hike) and San Jacinto Peak (the end of the hike).
October – Generally this is your best bet. The desert is cool enough to survive in, and there’s probably no snow on the summit. Late September and early November can be favorable too.
November to April – Doing this hike in the winter should only be done if are very experienced in winter / ice hiking. After the first snow, the melt/freeze cycle will coat much of the trail in ice. This comes into play when ascending the Traverse, where the gradient can go up to 50%. You will need ice axes and crampons / micro-spikes. Winter temperatures on the summit can be -10F. Conditions start getting better in March and April.
May – Another good window, similar to October. Ususally the snows have melted and temperatures are still cool. Even if the summit looks clear of snow, there may still be snow and ice on the shady portions of the hike.
June to September – The majority of rescues and deaths happen in the summer, when the high’s can be around 110-120F. The park rangers strongly recommend NOT doing your hike during this time.
The best (and maybe the only) way to do this hike is to start before dawn. For example, on this trip report, I started at 1am. The idea is that you hike the desert in the cooler nighttime hours, and get to a high (and cool) enough altitude by the time the sun rises.
To determine the best time to leave, look at an hourly weather forecast for Palm Springs and the summit. Figure out your slowest pace, and estimate where you’ll be at each hour and temperature. Treat it as a rough guide, knowing things can change and you may need to change your plans.
Leave early and try to be above 5,000 feet by dawn.
One last note on timing. Keep an eye on the Palm Springs daily high and low temperatures. Even if you leave in October, the temperatures can be higher than normal, in which case you should consider another day. Look at the hourly forecast and estimate where you’ll be at every hour.
Navigation Tips
The first part of the Skyline Trail, normally hiked in the dark, can be challenging to follow. Hiking with a headlamp puts your focus right in front of you. The peripheral vision that you use to recognize a twist or turn on the trail is just not there. Here’s how to make sure you’re on the right trail.
Local hikers have done a great job of blazing the trail with white dots. I’ve read that there are many “false” white dots, but I didn’t encounter any. When in doubt, head up and look for the white blaze.
The white blazes on the rocks along the Skyline Trail are easy to spot with a headlamp.
Looking for bootprints is a great way to figure out which trail is correct. In general, if you stick with the path that has the most bootprints, you should be in the right place.
If the trail stars to fizzle out and grow overgrown, it’s best to head back and look for a turn or switchback that you may have missed. There are a few sections where the trail goes through shrubs, but it only occurs a few times.
Here’s an example of a bush growing over the trail. There’s not many of these occurrences. To confirm that you’re on the Skyline Trail, hike through the brush and look to see if you still have footprints and a well worn path. If not, backtrack and find the trail.
At some point the Skyline Trail splits and comes back together later. Look at the map and know where these sections are. My GPX file generally follows the less steep option.
Incorrect side trails are often cordoned off to help you stay on the main Skyline Trail.
Branches and rocks block off a trail shortcut.
Similarly, some sections of the Skyline Trail are marked by a line of stones.
This line of stones helps, especially at night with a headlamp.
Generally I don’t rely on digital maps, but at night they really came in handy. I had the GPX file loaded on my GPS and iPhone. Periodically I would check both to make sure I was on the trail. And if the trail fizzled out, I’d also check the GPS. Not a method I would rely on, but it was helpful.
Here I am checking my GPS against a pre-loaded GPX file. Looks like I went down the wrong path here.
If you have time in the evening before your hike, I’d recommend hiking the first mile to the picnic tables and back with sunlight so you can familiar with the trail. This will make the beginning of the hike in the early morning less intimidating.
Breakdown of Cactus to Clouds Sections
It helps to mentally break the hike into sections and tackle one at a time. Here’s the skinny. Distances are approximate and will change depend on how many wrong turns you make (if any). I’ve seen some mileage charts online that had different (and lower) milage values. Take them with a grain as salt and use it as a rough guide.
Palm Springs Art Museum Trailhead (470 ft)
Picnic Tables (0.8 miles, 1,340 ft)
Rescue Box 1 (2.6 miles, 2,340 ft)
4,300 ft Rocks (5.1 miles, 4,400 ft)
Rescue Box 2 (7.4 miles, 5,400 ft)
Flat Rock (8.4 miles, 5,900 ft)
Start of Traverse (9.5 miles, 7,400 ft)
Grubb’s Notch – entrance to Long Valley (10.5 miles, 8,400 feet)
Long Valley Ranger Station (10.8 miles, 8,400 feet)
Round Valley Campground (12.3 miles, 9,400 feet)
Wellman Divide (13.1 miles, 9,700 feet)
San Jacinto Peak (16 miles, 10,834 feet)
Tram Station (21 miles, 8,400 feet)
Some folks hike all the way back down to Palm Springs, but as you can imagine, it’s extremely tough, long, and has most of the white blazes facing the other way. This is called he C2C2C. Save it for the day that the normal C2C is too easy for you.
The Point of No Return
Hopefully you read the article about deaths on this hike and fully understand that you can easily die if you make poor choices and/or have bad luck. Even if you’re planned and timed your hike perfectly, sometimes we all have bad days.
You need to do some assessments on your condition in the first few miles. Check in with yourself at the picnic tables, and then at Rescue 1. If you’re feeling tired or have doubts, you need to turn around. I would say that in ideal conditions, after Rescue 1, you need to be 100% committed to hiking up to Long Valley. In hot conditions, I would make that call at the picnic tables. After that point you should NOT turn around and hike down through the heat. Continue up to Long Valley no matter what. A common thread in deaths and rescues is turning around (and maybe getting lost on the way down).
If you need to take water from a rescue box, do it and contact the Coachella Valley Hiking Club afterwards to let them know. There is zero room for mistakes here. Be confident in your fitness and your route before you start. Getting lost or too tired continue can mean death. This is real.
Other Notes on the Cactus to Clouds
Don’t park in the Art Museum parking lot. Instead, park across the street in the free garage structure. Make sure your car is in the shade when you park. Otherwise things will melt, for real.
The temperature outside my car after I finished the hike.
The trailhead is within walking distance to many downtown Palm Springs hotels. If you want to stay for the weekend, you walk from your hotel to the trail, do the hike, and then head back to your hotel for a warm (or cold) shower.
Snakes are active at night. Watch your footing and you should be fine.
This guide covers the most popular routing on Cactus to Clouds, using the Museum and Skyline trails. There are other routes, like the North Lykken Trail. Leave the tougher, more obscure trails for the next time.
As you pass 8,000 feet, you might start feeling the effects of altitude.
The hike climbs to San Jacinto Peak, and then heads back down to the Palm Springs Arial Tramway station (see the section below for details). The station has food and drinks, including booze. If you’re in the mood, it’s a nice place for a post-hike celebration.
You can buy a one-way tram ticket back down the mountain in the gift shop at the tram station. They take credit cards and cash. It’s smart to check the website to see when the last tram down is. Also, the tram occasionally closes for maintenance. It’s very, very, very, very important to check the tram site. Avoid a forced C2C2C.
It’s an inexpensive Uber ride back to the parking garage from the bottom of the tram. There is no cell reception at the tram station, but they do have free wifi to connect and call a car (inside only). You can also ask the guest services desk at the tram station to call you a taxi.
The Skyline Trail (the portion of the hike until you get to Long Valley) is not an officially sanctioned trail by any park service. It is recognized as a cross-country route by authorities and public access is allowed. According to the official topographic map, the lower parts of the hike are on the Aqua Caliente Indian Reservation. The Skyline Trail is entirely maintained by local hikers.
The history of the Skyline Trail is murky. Some say it was a Cahuilla Indian trail, others say it was started by the CCC in the 1930s and abandoned. The modern day Cactus to Clouds hike started in 1991 when members of the Coachella Valley Hiking Club revived the trail and started leading hikes there.
Palm Springs is about 2 hours east of downtown LA, and about 2.5 hours from San Diego. Check the traffic conditions before you go. There's typically a lot of traffic on these routes that can add an hour or so onto the ride. You can also fly directly into Palm Springs from many cities.The hike starts in the Palm Springs Art Museum parking lot, at 470ft. It then climbs to the Long Valley Ranger Station, where the tram ascends to. From there it's well marked trails to the summit of Mount San Jacinto.The bulk of the climbing is from Palm Springs to Long Valley, which is where the tram takes you. The 2 miles or so to Long Valley are among the toughest, with gradients reaching 50%. After that, the remaining 5 miles or so only climb about 2,000 feet. Unfortunately they feel pretty tough because of all the climbing you did previously.
Also, don't rely on electronics as your sole means of navigation. There's a basic printable PDF map below, and I strongly picking up a good topo map too.
Note: Apologies for the blurriness of some of these photos. The camera was on the wrong setting for the darkness. The first photos were done in twilight to make the starting directions a little easier. It’ll switch to darkness eventually.
The hike starts on the far end of the parking lot at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Don’t park in this lot, you’ll get a ticket.Park in the garage directly across the street, which is free. Make sure you park in a covered portion so your car doesn’t boil in the sun.The trailhead is well marked with signage. Read the signs for any notices.This is also the start of the Museum Trail, a shorter day hike on the same route.There’s signage to warn hikers who aren’t prepared.Here’s an overview of the first few miles out of Palm Springs. You go straight up on the ridge line.Start hiking up the well marked trail.The trail is steep from the beginning.As the trail winds it’s way behind houses, there are a lot of private property signs. Respect that and stay on the trail, avoiding shortcuts.Almost immediately after starting there are some stairs that lead to a paved driveway.Cross the driveeway and continue up the trail. The first part of the trail, to the picnic benches, is also known as the Museum Trail.Do your best to stay on the trail. Cutting switchbacks is not only bad for the land, but also makes it harder for other hikers to know where they’re going.The white dots are your best friend on the Skyline Trail. On this beginning stretch, there are some small side trails and shortcuts, but the main trail is well marked with the white dot blazes. They’re easy to spot at night with your headlamp.Here you can see two white blazes marking the trail. They’re not always this close, but they’re pretty consistent for the first half of the Skyline Trail.The trail is steep on this first section. Keep going up, following the white blazes.The trail splits, follow the trail to the left and avoid the steep shortcut that includes a rock scramble.White blazes can also mark a switchback. If the trail doesn’t look obvious in front of you, check back and up for a switchback.Follow the trail signs. There are a few of these in the beginning Museum Trail portion of the hike.Continue up the steep trail.At one point the trail goes downhill for a short stretch and you’ll think you are going the wrong way, but it’s not.At the end of that short downhill section you’ll see another brown trail sign. Stay to the left. The trail to the right is the steep shortcut from earlier.The trail goes over hard rock for some stretches. These are generally marked with white blazes.The parts of the hike closer to Palm Springs have some nice overlooks. Generally there is a trail sign to keep you on the main trail and not on one of these spurs.Keep climbing, following the white blazes.
The following images pick up from the night,
Here’s what the white blazes look like in the dark. They stand out well with a headlamp.At just under a mile or so, you’ll reach the picnic tables. You’ll see the first ones down to your right as you enter the area.This satellite photo helps understand where you need to go at the picnic tables. It’s an open area so you have to hit the edges to find the trail again. Do a hard left to continue.There will be one table to your left as you exit toward the Skyline trail.The trail continues with the white blazes.Shortly you’ll come to this big cairn. Bear right behind it.Here’s a satellite photo of the trail by the cairn.You’ll also see this sign by the cairn, which some filthy animals have tagged.When you come to this rock, hike to the left.Shortly after that rock you’ll reach the warning rock. Consider this the point of no return and keep hiking.Here’s a satellite photo of the last two rocks and the trail intersections. From this photo you can see lots of intersections. In the dark with my headlamp, the main trail was the only one I saw. Maybe it’s the painted rocks, but in real life this was easier than navigating the intersection that the map showed.Here’s my GPS track through on that satellite photo for reference. The little diversion I did off the trail was to read the warning rock.After that, you’re on the Skyline Trail until Round Valley. Any side trail will be pretty small and unofficial. Always stay on the bigger and more well-worn path. Follow the white blazes as usual.When the trail goes through open areas, look for a line of rocks marking the trail. The local hikers have done a really great job of marking the trail.As always, the trail climbs, giving you skyline views into Palm Springs below. The lights of the city should be visible for most of your hike in the dark.When there are no white blazes, the trail is usually well worn. Look for boot prints as you climb.Just after 2 miles you’ll reach Rescue Box 1.Rescue Box 1 is right on the trail and easy to spot.If you brought water to leave, do it here.Continue hiking up the climb, keeping your eyes open for the white blazes.When the hike goes over flat sections, look for branches and rocks that mark the way.At around 4 miles, you’ll see a bright light in the distance, up the mountain. These are the lights at the tram station. This will be your north star for a the next few tough hours. When it gets light out, you can still see the grey metal beams of the tram station occasionally.Remember to periodically check your track against the GPX file. There were only a handful of times when I lost the trail, but checking in with the GPX every 20 minutes or so and seeing myself on the trail ensured that I wasn’t wandering off into the desert on some coyote run.A little before 5 miles, you’ll see the 4300 foot marker.The trail continues back behind the 4300 foot marker.Again, the white blazes stay with you, marking the Skyline Trail.When dawn arrives, you’ll be happy and hopefully high enough that the desert heat isn’t an issue anymore. The trail is much easier to follow once you have some sunlight to supplement your headlamp.The lights from the tram station will still light the way. So close yet so far…When you get to around 5,000 feet the desert changes and there is much more cactus and scrubs.I haven’t been mentioning it, but this entire way is basically straight up. It’s steep. Make sure you’re eating at regular intervals and stop for a breather when you need to.On this day, there were a ton of clouds from a forest fire in the Cajon Pass.At around 6 miles you will start to see the ridge at Round Valley. The trail has some level and downhill sections here and is quite pleasant.When it’s light out, the white blazes are easier to spot and still mark the Skyline Trail.There are a couple of trail splits on the route, which are also marked on many maps. At this one, make the left. It heads downhill a bit and feels counterintuitive after so much climbing, but it’s the correct way.You can also use your map to navigate these trail splits. Both ways get you there. The longer way is usually the (less steep) official versionAfter that last split, your legs get a break when the trail goes downhill.When the split ends, continue on the main trail. You can see the cutoff to the right, which is cordoned off with stones.Sunrise on the hike.You’ll see a painted rock pointing backward to Palm Springs. Keep heading up to Long Valley.The crest at Long Valley gets closer. The steepest parts are yet to come.Eventually you reach Rescue 2.If you brought an extra water, leave it in the box.Shortly after Rescue 2 there are some decent places to stop for a snack and drink. You might have seen some little areas where people camped and had a small fire. Doing this as a backpacking trip, temperatures permitting, is also an option.This section has some great views into Chino Canyon to the right, where the tram comes up. You can really start to see how far up you’ve gone and how tough the route is.At around 8.5 miles you’ll reach Flat Rock, also known as Dry Falls.At Flat Rock the trail continues across the wash and to the back. It might be overgrown, so keep your eyes open.Here’s an overview of the last two miles to Grubbs Notch. You can see how the steepness dramatically increases, with the worst stretch at the very end after Coffman’s Crag.Now you start going up. Just mentally prepare yourself, take breaks when you need to, and keep hiking.You’ll see the high point to the left of Grubb’s Notch as you climb. That’s where you’re going.When you cross the Traverse you’ll get some nice views of San Gorgonio and the valley below, including Chino Canyon where the tram is.I ran through my 3 liters of water somewhere around here and refilled. I also topped up my water at the ranger station later.The trail heads across the Traverse. Sometimes it splits into smaller trails that come back together. My focus was staying on the trail with the most footprints, and it worked.When you get to Coffman’s Crag, the trail turns left and gets the steepest.The trail skirts the edge of the mountain, giving you great views down below and of the tram.This part is steep. I had to take breaks every few minutes.Eventually you’ll see the sky as you approach Grubb’s Notch. The hardest is behind you.YOU MADE IT! At Grubb’s Notch you emerge at peaceful and flat Long Valley. From here on out, you are in Mount San Jacinto State Park, and the trails are well marked and easy to follow. And not as steep.Head onto the Desert View Trail, and then make the quick right onto the service trail.Here’s a closeup of the right turn onto the service trail. Don’t go through the log, even though it looks cool.The service trail is not an official trail but is marked as a shortcut to the tram.Keep going straight, avoiding any trails to the left. There are picnic benches here if you want to refuel for the final push.
If you are cooked at this point, there is no shame in taking the tram back down and calling it a day. You can bail out here by making the right at the next junction and heading to the tram, skipping the portion to San Jacinto Peak. If you do continue on, just remember that you still have 11 miles of hiking left to complete.
At the big junction with the concrete path to the tram station, make the left to head to the Long Valley Ranger Station.There’s a nice map on the board that will help you orient yourself for the rest of the hike, along with the obligatory mountain lion warnings.The ranger station is very close to the sign. There are bathrooms here, so go if you need to.You need to stop at the ranger station to get a free permit.The permit station is on the porch in front of the ranger station. There are instructions, weather reports, and trail conditions here. Fill out the permit, keep one copy, and leave the other.There’s water in back of the ranger station. On this day, there was a warning about possible toxins in the water, but I noticed that the rangers were filling their bottles here, so I went ahead and topped up.There’s a cool sign on the ranger station that’s great for posing in a picture with.After your break at the ranger station, head back on the trail, which is clearly marked.After doing the Skyline Trail, these trails will seem like Disneyland. Don’t be fooled though, you still climb 2,000+ feet and it will feel harder after your 8,000 ft initial effort.Just follow the signs from here on out. These trails are well marked because many day hikers take the tram up and summit Mount San Jacinto from Long Valley. If you leave Palm Spring early enough, you can beat the crowds from the tram. If not, you will understand some of my grumpy old hiker friends call this hike the Cactus to Crowds.After the first level stretch, you start going uphill again. No getting around that.Avoid the Round Valley Loop and head to Round Valley directly.There are some primitive bathrooms before the Round Valley campground. I saw a female hiker open the door, take a look, and turn around. Just a heads up.Keep heading toward San Jacinto Peak as the Round Valley Loop rejoins.Avoid any side trails and stay on the main trail.Eventually you reach Round Valley Campground. If you wanted to make this a backpacking trip, you could camp here before the summit. Hike left toward the peak.There may not be water available here. Check with the rangers.The trail starts to climb again.Almost there, you reached Wellman Divde. Make the right at the vista point.Wellman Divide is the first time you can see west on the hike, into Orange and San Diego counties. It’s a good place for a snack break before the last push to San Jacinto Peak.At the official junction of Wellman Divide, make the right.The junction is well marked.Also, note the tram sticker on the back of the sign. These appear on many signs heading back from the summit to aid unprepared day hikers.The hike starts going up through some manzanita.The trail gradually winds it’s way up the side of the mountain. That pointy mountain you see on the right is Cornell Peak at 9,750 ft.At one point the trail goes through a boulder field, and is still easy to follow.After emerging from the boulder field, you continue up with incredible views to the right.After a long stretch, the trail cuts back to the left.After the switchback, the trail opens up again with incredible views.At the end of this stretch, you head over some rocks to the ridge.The last junction! Head to the right and up to San Jacinto Peak.The trail to the peak is well marked. It wasn’t always like this, but it’s much better and protects the landscape from the tram crowds.Soon the hut will come into view. Keep hiking up past the hut.This last part is a bit of a scramble, but some cairns at the beginning point you in the right direction.The very end is a free-for-all scramble to the peak.BOOM! You made it, the summit.Grab your photos, hydrate, and fuel up. You still have 5.5 miles of glorious downhill to go. After you’re done at the summit, head back to the Long Valley Ranger Station.At the station, look for this small mail box next to the trail.Put your copy of the permit back into the box. At the end of the day, the rangers match the incoming permits with the outgoing permits to get an idea of how many hiked and who’s still out there.Keep hiking back to the concrete ramp to the tram station. After the hike you just did, this concrete ramp will feel like pure hell. Know that it’s your last uphill of the day, and there’s cold beer and soda at the end of the path.Head into the tram building and go up one level. You can buy a ticket back down the mountain at the gift shop. If you go up another level from the gift shop, there is a restaurant, cafeteria, and full-service bar.Take the tram back down and call it a day. What you just accomplished will really hit home as the tram takes you back to Palm Springs. If you made it this far, congrats. Consider yourself hardcore.
A quick note. These directions are meant as a guide for the hike, and not a definitive source. Conditions change, and the information here can be different based on time of day, weather, season, etc. There can be small side trails that you might see but I missed. I have made every effort to include all the information you need to complete the hike successfully. I recommend using this guide in conjunction with a map, GPX file, common sense, and call to the ranger station or park office. If you do the hike and notice something has changed, please contact me and I will update the guide.
