Cahuilla Mountain

Cahuilla Mountain, taken from the trail to Little Cahuilla, photo by Kathy Wing

Cahuilla Mountain, taken from Beauty Peak, photo by Kathy Wing

Cahuilla Mountain, taken from Little Cahuilla, photo by Kathy Wing

Cahuilla Mountain, taken from the trail to Little Cahuilla, Photo by Kathy Wing.

Peak Name

Cahuilla Mountain

29C

Elevation

5635

feet

Status

active

Region

South Of Hwy 74

Range

San Diego Area Ranges

Nearby peaks

Little Cahuilla Mountain

Location

33.5766938,-116.7830764

Description

Cahuilla Mountain is a rocky prominence that dominates the Cahuilla Mountain Wilderness. It was part of the ancestral lands of the Cahuilla Indians, whose present reservation lies at its feet adjacent to the town of Anza. It overlooks Anza and surrounding scrub land, with views of the Desert Divide in the distance, with HPS peaks Santa Rosa and the very prominent Toro Peak visible to the south as the Anza Borrego Desert begins. It is usually hiked together with Little Cahuilla Mountain, with a short drive between them.

The Cahuillas are best known, however, for its connection to Helen Hunt Jackson’s wildly popular 1884 novel Ramona. The area around the trailhead was the home of Ramona Lubo, believed to be the inspiration for the main character in the novel. The novel is a tragic love story set in the rancho period which served to dramatically highlight the terrible plight of indigenous peoples, though in a somewhat romanticized way. The play adapted from the novel is performed every year in the Ramona Pageant in Hemet, and is a Southern California tradition.

Route 1, the Cahuilla Mountain Trail, starts from an unsigned turnout and follows a well-defined, though sometimes brushy, trail that winds between formations to the summit.

Maps generated from CalTopo.com, reproduced with permission

Downloadable Maps, Files, and Guides

Route 1

Elevation Gain

1700′

Navigation Difficulty

Easy

Distance

6 miles round trip on trail

Estimated time

3 hours round trip

Route Rating

Class 1, easy

Leader Rating Required

“O”, normal conditions

Driving route

Northern approach:
Take I-10 or SR 60 east to SR 79 in Beaumont. Take exit south to SR 79.
Go south on SR 79 to the Ramona Expressway. Turn left (east).
Go east and then southeast on the Ramona Expressway until it ends at SR 74. Turn left (east).
Go east on SR 74 to Mountain Center at the junction with Idyllwild Highway (SR 243).
Continue east on SR 74 for 12.5 miles to the intersection with SR 371 on the right. Turn right.
Go 9.5 miles on SR 371 to Cary Road on the right. Turn right. Note your odometer and go as follows:
At 3.7 miles, fork, with sign “Tripp Flats”. Go left (west).
At 4.5 miles, fork, with Tripp Flats Station on the right. Go left (west) on 6S22, through a gate.
At 6.1 miles, saddle. Park here.

Southern approach:
Take I-15 south to Temecula.
Go east on SR 79 about 17 miles to Aguanga. Turn left on SR 371.
Go northeast on SR 371 for 11.25 miles to Cary Road. Turn left. Note your odometer and go as follows:
At 3.7 miles, fork, with sign “Tripp Flats”. Go left (west).
At 4.5 miles, fork, with Tripp Flats Station on the right. Go left (west) on 6S22, through a gate.
At 6.1 miles, saddle. Park here.

Hiking route

From the parking area (4500′), hike south up the obvious trail past the burnt remnants of a sign that once identified it as 2E45 “Cahuilla Mountain Trail.” It goes around the mountain’s east side to the top of the ridge just southwest of elevation 5604′. The trail is as shown on the topo until it passes a gully at UTM 205158. Beyond here and up to the ridge, the trail is slightly south of that shown, going up the gully to the saddle at UTM 201158.
Continue south on the trail (no longer shown on the topo). It goes down along the right side of the ridge, passes to the left of a rocky hummock, then heads east up a shallow ravine.
Follow the trail as it goes around to the left and comes out on a summit where the register is located. The broad summit to the west-southwest is lower.

Route Notes

Printable Route