Printable Peak Guide

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK

Location: Riverside County, about 6 miles east-southeast of Idyllwild, 114 miles from Los Angeles

Auto Club	Riverside County, Los Angeles and Vicinity
Forest Service	San Bernardino National Forest, San Jacinto Wilderness
USGS Topos	Idyllwild 7½, Palm View Peak 7½
Official HPS Maps	TPO file - Save to your computer then open with National Geographic TOPO!
	Viewable JPG file - Approximately 840K
	GPX file or Google Earth KML file to download to GPS units and other map software (How to use GPX and KML files)
	Routes as shown on CalTopo using the above files (How to use CalTopo)

(USFS Adventure Pass may be required)

Distance: 12 miles round trip on trail and a short, brushy cross-country segment
Gain: 2700'
Time: 6-7 hours round trip
Rating: Class 1, moderate
Navigation: Easy
Original: Ham Barhydt, May 1977

Note: Apache Peak together with Spitler Peak by Route 1, Spitler Peak Trail, is 13 miles round trip and 3200' gain.

Take I-10 or SR 60 east to SR 79 in Beaumont. Exit right (south) on SR 79.
Drive 6.5 miles south, where SR 79 heads left to Gilman Hot Springs. Do not exit here. Continue straight for 1.5 miles on Sanborn Avenue to Ramona Expressway. Turn left (east).
Drive 8.5 miles east and then southeast on the Ramona Expressway, which acquires the name Mountain Avenue, until it ends at SR 74. Turn left (east).
Drive 15 miles east on SR 74 to Mountain Center (junction with Idyllwild Highway - SR 243).
Continue east on SR 74 for 3.5 miles to Apple Canyon Road (paved) on the left. Turn left.
Pass the entrance to the Hurkey Creek Campground on the left and continue 2.6 miles to a large parking area on the right. Park here. This is the parking area for the Spitler Peak Trail.

The Spitler Peak Trail, 3E22, begins at a square post at the north end of the parking area (4940').
Hike 5 miles up the trail to where it meets the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) at Apache-Spitler Saddle (6980').
Turn left (north) and follow the PCT 0.6 mile to a trail junction (7340') with a side trail to Apache Spring heading right.
Leave the PCT on the left side at this junction, following a small gully northwest by the most convenient paths until reaching a high saddle (7460') between the two summits of Apache Peak.
The register is located on the western, higher summit. Turn left at the high saddle and scramble through easy brush and rocks to the summit.

Turning right at Apache-Spitler Saddle goes to Spitler Peak, which would add 1 mile and 500' of gain to the round trip.