Gettin' Idyllwild.

Last weekend Brian and I headed to Idyllwild with Rachelle, Aaron, Paula and Matt.  Idyllwild is located on the west side of the San Jacinto mountain range.  Just to give you some perspective, Palm Springs and Joshua Tree are on the east side of the range.  The west side of the range is like a whole different world.

Brian was our designated driver again, so I got to record some of the view on the way over.

Before setting up camp we took an excursion into the town of Idyllwild to eat breakfast and shop.  The area is full of travelers, bikers, rock climbers, hikers, locals, and occasionally adorable alpacas (I want one). There is so much to do here, that I feel like you should spend a weekend just staying in the town seeing all of the shops and restaurants, and another weekend just in the mountains checking out the different nature trails.

The shops I visited all leaned a little hippie/spiritual, but they are fun to peruse and they smelled good because of all of the incense.

shot by Rachelle Neshkes

Shot by Rachelle Neshkes

When we got to the campsite we set up, and then decided to go on an easy trail to warm up for the next day.  We ended up on a horse trail, but it was beautiful just the same, and we got to see horses!

 

If you're into hopping on boulders, there are several large rock formations to climb in the area!

The next day we went on the Devil's Slide trail. Apparently you need a permit to hike on state lands in Idyllwild, so be sure to stop by the Mt. San Jacinto State Park Ranger Station before you go so that you can register for a permit.

The Devil's Slide trail was pretty hard, but it was completely worth it to get those amazing views.  It was a great hike because it was perfect weather, and it was mostly shaded.  We opted not to go to the top of the mountain due to time constraints, so we ended up at a junction that is part of the Pacific Crest Trail.
It was pretty awesome to be in the midst of people who were traveling so far.  I would love to take a couple of months off and experience the trail from start to finish.  Maybe one day...

Junction group shot c/o Matthew McPherson

I'd love to go back to Idyllwild and check out a couple more trails, and maybe even hike part of the PCT.  It is great for the weekend to get a taste of the town and surrounding nature.  I would probably suggest 3-4 days so you can do a little bit more of exploring the town and hiking trails.

Shirt + Nordstrom

Shorts + Insight Venice

Boots + Thrifted

Hat + Dofrman Pacific 

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