The Cactus to Clouds Trail from Palm Springs, California, to San Jacinto Peak is a hiking trail. With a net elevation gain of 10,400 feet (3,200 m), it has one of the greatest elevation increases of any day-hike routes in the United States. It gains it in only 16 miles (26 km), also making it one of the steeper trails of its length in the world. The entire Cactus to Clouds Trail = First 10.8 miles of Skyline Trail to Long Valley + five more miles of the main trail to San Jacinto Peak. The Skyline Trail part climbs 7,900 feet from the desert to Long Valley, in about 11 miles. There, it joins with the main trail to gain another 2,400 feet (over 5 miles) to the summit. The route from the desert to the peak and back to the desert comes to about 32 miles. The last 11 downhill miles of this 32-mile route are considered very difficult, and most hikers skip them by taking the tram down. Thus the standard hike consists of 16 miles from the floor to the peak, plus 5 miles from the peak to the tram station. Separate records are kept for the climb of Skyline Trail (first 10.8 miles), for C2C (16 miles one way from the museum to the peak, Cactus to Clouds), and for C2C2C ( museum to the peak, and back to museum).
The trail starts behind the Palm Springs Art Museum. The bottom portion, known as the Museum Trail, continues to a junction with the North Lykken Trail. At its end it joins the Desert View Nature Trail. Hikers may proceed along Skyline Trail to Long Valley, and then return by the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway or continue to San Jacinto Peak.
With the exception of the final few miles to the summit, no portion of the Skyline Trail is an officially sanctioned trail of any public land agency; however, public access to the area is allowed. It is recognized as a cross-country route by most authorities. It is maintained by local hikers, who have painted directions onto rocks and maintain two emergency water caches.
There is a northern approach to San Jacinto Peak, called Snow Creek route, which rises even more dramatically, gaining 11,000 feet in just 7 miles. By contrast, the eastern approach called Cactus To Clouds, gains 11,000 feet over 17 miles.
Video Cactus to Clouds Trail
History
Ray Wilson and Sue Birnbaum, former Coachella Valley Hiking Club hike leaders conceived the idea for the Cactus to Clouds hike in 1991, after marking, with yellow metal tags, the final miles of the faint Skyline Trail as it terminated at Long Valley near the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Mountain Station. The following year, starting on the North Lykken Trail, they hiked the Skyline Trail and the San Jacinto Peak Trail to the summit of San Jacinto Peak, a 10,300-foot gain. They decided to offer the hike through the Coachella Valley Hiking Club and subsequently led the first Cactus to Clouds Challenge in 1993, along with 4 other club members.
Roger Keezer, a Coachella Valley Hiking Club hike leader and one of the original Cactus to Clouds Challenge hikers, created the phrase "Cactus to Clouds", when the group was considering names for the event.
Maps Cactus to Clouds Trail
Route
The trail begins at around 500 feet (150 m) elevation near the Palm Springs Art Museum. It ascends the east side of Mount San Jacinto along a ridge between Chino Canyon and Tahquitz Creek. The route goes straight east along the ridgeline. It makes a northward turn at 7,500 feet (2,300 m), a difficult part known as "The Traverse", before turning east again to reach Long Valley. In Long Valley, hikers usually take a break at the tramway facilities at 8,400 feet (2,600 m). Most descend via the tramway at this point. (The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was closed for annual maintenance Sept. 12 - Sept. 30, 2016 and re-opened Oct. 1, 2016.) The remainder of the route follows a well-maintained trail to the summit of Mount San Jacinto.
Hazards
The primary hazard of Cactus to Clouds is the weather, in particular the extreme variance between the desert start and the subalpine end. Temperatures in the lower portions of the trail can reach up to 110 °F (43 °C), while temperatures of -10 °F (-23 °C) are not uncommon at the summit of Mount San Jacinto in the winter. For these reasons, the hike usually begins in Palm Springs very early in the morning, as early as midnight. The hike is typically done in Fall or Spring.
There is no reliable water source along the trail.
The route is also highly committing. Beyond a certain elevation, turning around is not recommended due to the heat of the desert. Most hikers are forced to ascend to Long Valley regardless of their condition.
References
- McKinney, John (December 2, 1989). "Take a Walk on the Wild Side of Palm Springs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
External links
- "Cactus to Clouds, CA". TrailDEX.
- Cactus to Clouds, CA (Map). TrailDEX.
- Cactus to Clouds - Explorumentary description
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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